12 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Your Kids

Not sure how to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your little sweethearts? Here are 12 fun ways to make the day special for all of you:

• Make memorable meals.

  Holidays offer ideal opportunities to create traditions your kids will remember for life. Create signature dishes you have every Valentine’s Day here on out. Some yummy ideas to get you thinking:
  
  • Use a heart cookie cutter for heart-shaped French toast. Serve with red berries, sprinkled with powdered sugar. No time for this one? Try heart-shaped toast (no cookie cutter required) spread with strawberry or raspberry jam.
  • A berry delicious smoothie looks quite festive for a snack.
  • Monkey Bread is delish and easy to make with kids.
  • No shortage of lunchbox ideas. How about a few of these that we Pinned to our UrbanSitter Pinterest Board, Awesome Lunchbox Ideas.These adorable printables make sweet lunchbox notes for a special touch.
  • Heart-shaped meatloaf with mashed potatoes.
  • Accompany any meal with sparkling cider in champagne glasses and suddenly you have a fancy feast.
  • Stuffed shells get top props from kids and adults alike.

• Create Valentine’s Day decorations together.

  They are bound to pull at your heartstrings when you pull them out each year.For the simplest, make paper chains to hang from the ceiling or cut out hearts to take to windows and walls.

Decorate their duds for a festive day.
• We love these simple heart button covers for little girls and these, too. How about a red dotted bow tie for your little man?

Celebrate with a little pampering by giving mini manis and pedis. Draw teeny hearts with nail art pens, like these by Revlon that are easily found at your local drugstore.

Host a special tea party for favorite friends, real or imaginary.

• A tea party takes snack time to a whole new level. Serve finger sandwiches spread with strawberry cream cheese or jam, cookies and tea, of course.

• Share the love.

Load up your table with craft paper, doilies, foils, markers, crayons and paints to create homemade Valentines to deliver to Mom or Dad, a favorite sitter, and the grandparents.

• Have a photo shoot.

• This Valentine’s Day Photo Shoot will give you some good ideas on how to use props to mark the day. Try some fun props, such as a chalkboard, balloons, streamers, or candy.

• Get crafty.

  Check out UrbanSitter’s Fun Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids. If you need more ideas, you’ll love Martha Stewart’s roundup.

• Do good.

  Do you know an elderly neighbor or friend who might not have a Valentine to celebrate with this year? Make his or her day by delivering a bouquet of flowers and a homemade card.

Snuggle in for family movie night.
There are many cute Valentine’s Day movies for kids, including: “Beauty and the Beast,” “Ever After,” “Lady and the Tramp,” and a sweet compilation of some of Disney’s best couples – “Mickey & Minnie’s Sweetheart Stories.”

Tie on your aprons and whip up a special dessert to enjoy after dinner.

• You can’t go wrong with these impressive-to-look-at, even-more-impressive-once-you-bite them brownies from Smitten Kitchen. For something simpler, try Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Tarts from Weelicious.

• Choose a few Valentine’s Day books to read together before bed.

  
  • Happy Valentine’s Day, Curious George by N. DeAngelo.
  • I Would Tug You In by Sarah Asper-Smith
  • Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart by Jane O’Connor