How We Celebrate Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and here is how I celebrate with my little ones. Well, I guess just one of them since the baby would just eat all the paper.
Does anyone else feel like February never exists, like it just disappears and suddenly we are in March and realizing its almost bathing suit weather? Valentine’s Day sneaks up on me every year, and then I find my guilty self, rummaging in the seasonal aisle at the store picking out the saddest bag of candy and crappy box of Valentines. Raise your hand if you’ve been there.
Well, this activity box will help you plan ahead and the best part - throughout this post I’ll go through what I did with each of the activities and provide tips and tricks to make it even easier, giving you more time to spend crafting with your kiddos!
DIY VALENTINE’S CARDS
I love these little handmade Valentines for two reasons. First, they help develop little one’s fine motor skills. I remember in art class a teacher once told me that ripping up paper made you have better handwriting. Is that accurate? No idea - but I won’t lie I have pretty good handwriting and I remember always ripping up paper to make it better. Secondly, I love what the tiny humans blurt out for their responses, I am sure your kid or the one you are crafting with will give you a few belly laughs if they are over 3.
During a normal year I’d go all out for Valentine’s Day at my daughter’s school for her friends, but this year definitely looks a little different. You can still use these to share with friends or neighbors. I plan to have Blake mail hers to a few friends and family that we haven't been able to see recently!
Want to make these a little extra special? Click the links below to take the hassle out of forgetting the treats to go with your cards! Punch a hole in the top corner and tie a ribbon around a lollipop to attach to the card or tape them to a box of treats like candy hearts or gummies.
SUN CATCHER CRAFT
When I came across the idea for the watercolor doilies, I HAD to have the cute little artist palette shaped watercolors. They are perfect for a few crafts and I don’t feel bad tossing once they get too messy. We painted ours with a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old and both got the hang of it. But here’s a tip – use the different brushes to experiment but don’t let them soak the doilies too much or they will rip! Try and just lightly brush with water. String the hearts on the string included either horizontally or vertically and hang in a sunny window!
LOVE MICE
The second craft in the box are the little love mice, which were inspired by the book I bought my oldest, Blake for her first Valentine’s. The book was Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse by Laura Numeroff. She was maybe 5 months at the time, and obviously I couldn’t skip celebrating a holiday. My husband would argue somethings are silly to celebrate, but I do recall him purchasing said 5-month-old a 4-foot, stuffed dinosaur that was as big as her crib. For some weird reason that dinosaur has been the animal of choice for a bed buddy this week in our house. Regardless, these are super fun and quick to make and you can set them up on the counter, on their nightstand or really anywhere! Just don’t forget to stash that empty TP roll before you toss in the trash, you’ll need it. Otherwise, just use a piece of whatever kind of paper you have lying around or simply cut a paper towel roll in half!
HEART TREATS
Now, I know some of you hate baking. If you are this person this is for you. Homemade Rice Krispie Treats are my go-to when we need something interactive on the weekend and Blake loves to help me in the kitchen. It’s a great recipe with only 4 ingredients making it super simple to get your kids involved. Have them scoop and dump the cereal and marshmallows while practicing counting and getting them familiar with the concept of measuring! This time she was all over the M&Ms making sure they were up to standard before we mixed them in. I am indifferent about mixing these treats with chocolate but was pleasantly surprised with the little hidden M&Ms throughout! We added a little something to ours at the end with leftover writing icing & sprinkles from Christmas.
I really hope you enjoy these activity boxes as much as I do. Even the simplest tasks and crafts instill a sense of instruction in tiny minds and gives them the opportunity to explore different methods and materials that they may not get to interact with every day. Use the time to be intentional and sit down with them, explain what you are doing and let them play. The goal is to have fun together, and display something THEY made – even if it’s only for a tiny moment.
PS - Need a few ideas for a Valentine's Present for you kiddo that isn't all candy? See my recommendations below for a quick order and check that off your to-do list.
xM