Valentine’s Day as a Family

Valentine’s Day is a great holiday to celebrate as a family. Most classrooms have some sort of celebration filled with sugary foods and hallmark-like folding Valentine’s cards but Valentine’s Day means more than that.

Creating traditions that you can do with your family year after year makes this time of year extra special for kids.

Here are some easy ideas of Valentine’s Day traditions you can do as a family:

Practice Random Acts of Kindness:

Valentine’s Day doesn’t just have to be about showing people you know love, show love to strangers! Buy Starbucks for someone in the line behind you, create essential kits for the homeless in your community, or stand outside of a busy store in your neighborhood and hold the door open for customers for 10 minutes. The important part is to get your kids to take the lead. These little acts of kindness will give them a great feeling and will encourage them to continue these practices throughout the year.

Make a Meal Together:

Cooking together is such a fun way to show love. Decide on a meal together that incorporates everyone’s favorite foods. If you have three kids you could make the appetizers with one child, the main dish with another and the desert with the third.

Reevaluate News Year’s Resolutions

Have a family check in and go over the resolutions you set in the New Year. Celebrate the successes and how far you have come so far and reevaluate goals going forward. This may mean you need to stretch your goal or make it a bit more realistic for your family.

Write Letters

It’s always fun to receive and send handwritten letters. Use Valentines as a time to connect with family members, near and far. Making the cards can be a fun project in itself. Plus, letter writing is a great way to practice address writing so that kids are prepared when they send snail-mail from camp.

Remember that the most important part about Valentine’s Day isn’t the yummy candy (although it is a nice bonus) but rather the connections and intentional kindness you show to those you love.

Happy Valentine’s to all!