5 Fun Ways to Make Valentine’s Day a Family Day

While singles may despise the Hallmark holiday, and couples Instagram their champagne dinner, for those with young kids, Valentine’s Day can be an awesome reason to celebrate family love.

Make the day special by planning some family-centric activities. Tasks encouraging creativity and teamwork can lead to priceless bonding time, and focused, interactive projects can pull everyone away from the usual distractions of tablets and TVs.

Here are a few ways to make Valentine’s a little more inclusive for the fam:

Heart and Seek

Hide paper hearts around the house or yard. Get the kids going on a hunt – each heart could have a small prize, or to encourage team work, make the prizes shareable. For older kids, make each heart a clue that leads to the day’s bigger activity.

 

 

Pastry Decorating

A classic activity, having a good old fashioned decorating session could be the creative time your family needs. Whether it’s cookies, cupcakes, or a blank sheet cake as your canvas, some frosting and sprinkle time will be well worth the mess.

 

 

Expressions of Love

Depending on the age, a meaningful family activity could be to write or draw something nice about another family member. It’s a great way for siblings to share their feelings with a picture, a poem, or even a short story for those with lots to say.

 

 

Day of Positives

Make Valentine’s a day without complaints. Whining and complaining happens to the best of us, but encouraging positive responses instead of negative ones for a day can eventually become a good habit.

 

 

 

Family Date

Couples will pack fancy restaurants on February 14th, use the day to take the family on an adventure – biking, hiking, or a day at the beach. For colder climates, try a day on the slopes, ice skating, or a snuggly movie night at home complete with your favorite snacks.

 

 

Expanding the traditional concept of Valentine’s Day could make some lasting memories. And the kiddos will have something more to look forward to next year other than the candy exchange at school.