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How to involve the kids on Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day
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Written by Tim Barnes-Clay

Why not involve your children this Valentine’s Day with these fab ideas.

A card on the doorstep from a secret admirer, a bunch of flowers delivered to work or a candlelit meal – however you choose to mark Valentine’s Day, it is the perfect opportunity to show someone special how much you care about them.

If you have little ones, rather than seeing this as a day that you need to book a babysitter so you can spend some alone time with your significant other, why not get them involved so they don’t feel left out? 

This day isn’t just about couples, it is a day to spread the love and that can include siblings, friends and even neighbours. So include your children in the day and then you and your partner can enjoy some alone time after they have gone to bed.

Decorate photo frames for friends and family

Working on a craft project with your little ones is always a fantastic idea, it’s fun, therapeutic and can be great for their development. Helping teamwork, communication and social skills all in one go? Tick! This is why getting them involved in Valentine’s Day crafts is brilliant – they’ll be making gifts and having fun at the same time. Gather some materials to embellish photo frames with things like love hearts, pom poms, sequins and gems and watch them get creative with their designs. Your family members and their friends will love their Valentine’s presents made with love.

Cook breakfast in bed for their siblings

We’re realistic here. We know not all siblings get along all of the time! But Valentine’s Day is the ideal time for them to think about how to show their brothers or sisters some love. Get them to set up a tray with breakfast treats and make some pancakes or toast cut in the shape of a love heart, or their sibling’s favourite cereal topped with fruit in a heart formation. They could have a tray each and enjoy their breakfast together in bed watching their favourite show or listening to their favourite songs – the perfect start to a day filled with love.

Take flowers round to a neighbour

Do you have any elderly or lonely neighbours who would really benefit from being shown a bit of love at this time of year? Taking over some flowers and a little handmade card to them could really light up their day. Not only is this a very sweet Valentine’s idea but it teaches your children to think outside their immediate bubble and feel empathy for others.

If you have a nice bed in your garden filled with February-blooming flowers, then it’d be even better to get your children to hand pick and tie a little bouquet for your neighbour. If you don’t, take your children to the shop and let them select something especially so they can hand over their gift with pride.

Have a little party!

Let your children have fun by decorating the house with streamers and balloons, bake some Valentine’s goodies together, get them to write love notes then hide them for their siblings to find on a love treasure hunt! There are lots of ways your little ones can enjoy a love-filled party and get involved in the festivities. You can then share a romantic meal together when the excitement of the day means your children are tucked up in bed. You can enjoy their decorations, read through their love notes together and you might even have a sweet treat or two left over for dessert.

These ideas should give you a nudge in the right direction for how to include your children into Valentine’s plans. Shower love on your little ones and teach them how to shower love on others and they’ll have loads of fun in the process.

Image source: Pexels