Give the Gift of Quality Time & Memories to Win Your Child’s Heart
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Valentine’s Day 2024 is almost among us and the trend of celebrating with family and friends is expected to continue growing. Last year, the National Retail Federation forecasted that consumers would spend a whopping $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day, with as much as $7 billion dedicated to gifts for children, friends, co-workers and even pets.
Despite the seemingly endless supply of candy and toys families buy for children on February 14th, there’s still no better way to show your love to your child on Valentine's Day than by simply spending time with them.
The holiday offers a variety of ways to have family fun together in the weeks leading up to the big day. To help you save time when deciding how to keep your kiddo busy during the Valentine's Day season, we have put together an easy to follow list of kid-friendly activities that involve spending time together and building your little one’s skills related to creativity, friendship, and independence.
6 Awesome Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids
1. Children’s Printable Valentine’s Day Cards
A classic tradition kids love is filling out paper Valentine's Day cards to give to family and friends. Download our new Young Eden free children's printable Valentine’s Day cards for 12 original, kid friendly designs of cards to choose from – including themes like dinosaurs, fruit, unicorn and rainbows, cats and more. Simply print out however many you need, then spend activity time cutting them out and filling out the cards together for special recipients!
2. Make Your Own Valentine's Day Cards
Of course another simple activity kids love is making Valentine’s Day cards themselves. To make the cards, you’ll just need a few art supplies like colored paper (recycled is best), markers, stickers, and glitter.
3. Create Heart Themed Decorations
When Valentine’s Day is near, pretty much any craft activity that is heart- or flower- themed is a winner. For a fun children’s activity, offer your little one an assortment of heart- or flower- shaped materials like construction paper, foam, or felt along with some string, crayons, markers or stickers to create Valentine's Day decorations to hang on walls or give to friends.
4. Valentine’s Day Cookie Decorating
Baking cookies is a favorite activity for most kids that like to help in the kitchen. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, use a heart-shaped cookie recipe and let kids decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, or other edible decorations.
5. Read Valentine's Day Children’s Books
We love recommending books for kids. Reading love-themed books to kids is always a good time. For example, titles like Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! are popular favorites for toddlers ages 1-3 years old. Preschool-aged children might enjoy books like Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool (ages 3-6 years old) and Love from Bluey (ages 5-8 years old).
6. Throw a Dance Party with Children’s Valentine’s Day Songs
All you need is music to set the mood for a fun dance party! Build your own playlist with children’s Valentine’s Day songs to inspire – whether they are older hits like One Love by Bob Marley & The Wailers, Gimme Some Lovin’ by The Spencer Davis Group, Lovesong by the Cure, or Lovefool by The Cardigans, or newer hits like Love on Top by Beyonce, Electric Love by BORNS, Love You Like a Lovesong by Selena Gomez or Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift.
If you don’t feel up to playing DJ, check out pre-made playlists to groove to – for example, a list of 20 Valentine’s Day Songs for Kids on Spotify includes classic and contemporary hits that adults are just as likely to enjoy.