Make Valentine’s Day special this year for your family without spending a lot of time or money with these simple Valentine’s Day traditions for families. No stress…just lots of love!
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Valentine’s Day is coming! Have you thought about how you’re going to celebrate?
Often people focus on romantic love on Valentine’s Day, but I also like to use the holiday as a way to shower a little extra love on my kids…and to encourage them to spread love to those around them.
It doesn’t have to be stressful or take a lot of time or money to make Valentine’s Day special for your family either. In fact, I would argue it shouldn’t.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…
Holidays do NOT have to be complicated to be fun and meaningful.
Below are some of the fun ways that we have celebrated Valentine’s Day over the years as a family with young kids. These Valentine’s Day traditions are all ideas that can be prepped quickly, mostly with supplies you probably already have at home.
I hope you find a new tradition to love this year!
P.S.- If you’re coming here after watching the IG Live that Shani from Sunshine and Munchkins and I did on February 1, welcome! All the ideas we shared in that class are here for you, complete with free printables you’ll love. Enjoy!
Not an Instagram viewer? Be sure to follow me on Instagram so you’ll know about our free monthly classes. We promise to help you make parenting a little easier and more fun!
Okay, let’s get on with the ideas!
No-stress Valentine’s Day Traditions for Families
Heart attack your kids’ bedroom doors
Grab some colored paper (I always keep a big stack of this construction paper on hand) and cut out some simple paper hearts. Write on the hearts things you love about each of your children. After they go to sleep on the night before Valentine’s Day, quickly tape up the hearts on their bedroom doors.
Variations:
- Want to spread out the love? Make seven hearts for each child and add one heart to their door each day for the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.
- Have kids sharing a room? Assign each child a color of hearts, or make a big heart with their name and attach a ribbon to it to hang their hearts on.
Love Note Station
Encourage your family to show love to each other by setting up a simple love note station in your house. Just put a blank stack of these cute love notes (from Sunshine & Munchkins) in a little jar with a pen and let your family show their love for each other!
Valentine’s Day Breakfast
Start the day off with a special breakfast to get everybody in the mood to show love and kindness on Valentine’s Day. Our favorite menu is heart-shaped pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream! Just add a little red food coloring to your favorite pancake mix and pour them onto the griddle in a heart-shaped pattern. If they’re a little wonky-shaped, no worries!
When I was a kid, my mom would also leave a small gift on my plate for breakfast (like a small box of candy or something similarly inexpensive). Gifts certainly aren’t necessary for Valentine’s Day, but it can be fun…just keep it simple! One year, I gave each of my boys a new Hot Wheels car…only a dollar each, and they were thrilled!
Secret Code Valentine’s Jokes
Want to get a good giggle out of your kids? Surprise them after school or in the morning with these free printable Valentine’s Day love notes. We also printed extras to mail to our cousins who live far away. You could also deliver them to friends nearby along with a small treat or gift as a simple service activity to do together as a family.
Love the secret code love notes? You can get another set of printable secret code jokes from Sunshine & Munchkins! This set is a little more challenging and is especially good for older kids.
Valentine’s Day Kindness Countdown
This is a new Valentine’s Day tradition we’re starting this year. The idea is simple: combine the fun of an advent calendar with an invitation to be kind in a variety of ways in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. How it works: make a paper garland with 14 hearts, each of which has a kindness challenge on the back. Each morning from February 1-14, flip over a heart to reveal an idea for a simple act of kindness to do sometime during that day. Get the full details (and printables) here.
Even if you’re reading this after February first, you can still set up a 7-day or 5-day or however-many-days-you-have-left countdown for your family. Remember, something is better than nothing!
Related: 15 picture books about kindness to inspire your kids
Have a candlelit dinner for the whole family
As much as I love a good date night, getting a babysitter mid-week and going out to a fancy dinner on Valentine’s Day isn’t realistic for us, so we don’t bother! Instead of a romantic dinner just for two, we make Valentine’s dinner a family event!
Keep in mind, the meal itself doesn’t have to be fancy. Pick something you know everyone will like. Spaghetti is a fun option, or you could make mini heart shaped pizzas with refrigerated biscuit dough.
Make the meal feel extra special with a few simple decorations. I like to put out a red tablecloth, scatter some paper hearts down the center of the table, and dim the lights while we eat by candlelight. Grab a bottle of sparkling cider if you really want to wow the kids!
Want more Valentine’s Day fun?
Then you’ll love the Valentine’s Day Activity Bundle for kids!
It includes nine different print-and-play activities that will bring more laughter and love to your family this February…without the stress.
Just print them, keep them nearby, and pull out an activity anytime your kids need a boost of fun.
Easy peasy!
And don’t miss these Valentine’s Day ideas for kids!
- Free printable Play Doh valentines for kids
- Valentine’s Day marble painting for kids
- Heart monsters: simple Valentine’s Day craft for kids
- Valentine’s Day preschool games: 5 activities in 1!
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