How to Create a Memorable Valentine’s Day

I was never really big into Valentine’s Day until I had kids and now it has kind of become a big thing every year.  After the Christmas decorations come down, the house explodes in red and pink with hearts everywhere.  It should be a day filled with love from the moment you wake up.  Follow my plan for how to create a memorable Valentine’s Day for kids:

Decorations

Red and white decorations help put anyone in the lovey mood.  I find Dollar Tree to be a great place to pick up really cheap decorations that fill up the space in an instant.

I try to find a day to put up decorations while kids are out of the house, so when they come home it looks like Valentine’s Day threw up everywhere.  If you really want to get crazy, you could put all your decorations up the night before so they wake up to everything like it is Christmas morning.  There is something about the surprise element that I absolutely love!

Valentine’s Day Box

As Valentine’s Day approaches, help your kid make a box for all their valentines.  Not every school does this anymore unfortunately, but it is still really fun to create.  Plus, the kids will have a great place to store all that candy they bring home from school.

Look at Pinterest to try and find some inspiration.  I once created a box for my son that looked like a giant lego.  It was easy to put together by wrapping the box in red paper and gluing the bottom off of red Solo cups to the top.

My favorite box of my daughter’s was when we printed mini photos of her and made a whole gymnastics scene with her on the uneven bars.  Even if the kids don’t get to use them at school, they will have a lot of really fun memories getting creative and decorating the box. My daughter is a teenager now and still remembers making this Valentine’s box.

Breakfast

Every memorable Valentine’s Day starts with an amazing breakfast.  It sets the tone for the day and starts spreading the love right away.

An easy special treat in the morning is to cook Pilsbury cinnamon rolls as usual, but use food dye to turn the icing pink.  Try some strawberry milk and strawberries for breakfast as well!

Surprises Throughout the Day

The love shouldn’t just stop at breakfast time, but be spread throughout the day.  Surprise your kids with an extra special love note in their lunch.  My favorite to include are corny Valentine’s Day jokes.  You can also cut their sandwich in a heart shape or pack some Hershey kisses.

If you child’s school allows it, consider surprising them at lunch and eating with all their friends.  When they come home, you can also leave little hearts around their bathroom mirror with all the reasons you love them.

Exchange Valentine’s Day Cards

Valentine’s day shouldn’t just be one-sided.  Teach your kids to spread joy and love as well by exchanging Valentine’s Day cards with each other.  Have them create cards for you and their siblings.

This is a great activity for them to do on their own so they can “surprise” you with it later.  Plus, it gives you some free time to get other things done around the house.

Special Dinner

Just like breakfast, find a way to make dinner extra special.  Sometimes for us, this has been as simple as making our own pizzas in the shape of hearts.

Want something fun and interactive?  One of our favorite dinners is doing an at-home fondue night with melted pink chocolate.

Themed Movie Night

There is nothing more loving than snuggling together under a warm blanket and watching a movie.  Great kid Valentine’s Day movies might be Lady and the Tramp, Princess and the Frog, The Princess Bride, or Shrek.

Explore More: Check out my themed movie night post for how to create a themed menu based on the movie you are watching.

Dessert

The best part of any Valentine’s Day is the chocolate!  Surprise your kids with a big box of chocolates and laugh at each other’s expressions when you try different ones without knowing what is inside.

If you can’t decide on just one dessert, try putting together a festive charcuterie board complete with M&Ms, mini cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, and more!

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Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to be overly complicated.  Find little ways throughout the day to show your love.  In the long run, kids will remember how they felt that day not what you specifically did, and really that’s all that Valentine’s Day is about.

What are you doing to make your day a little extra special?