They say even newborn babies understand the feeling of love. It’s a deep attachment, unconditional acceptance, and a warm comfort of affection. The love we have for our families is truly remarkable and provides the foundation that allows our children to develop secure relationships and emotional well-being.
Hurried lives and full schedules often take us away from the tender moments that allow us to share this love with our children and families. We trade time spent together for T.V. and devices, and rush childhood curiosity in favor of demanding extracurriculars. Taking time to slow down as a family gives us an opportunity to be present with our loved ones and show them how much we care. And while we aren’t always able to set aside the demands of daily lives, reserving special celebrations throughout the year encourages us to have fun together and be present during family activities.
Show your family extra love this Valentine’s Day by planning a family-friendly party together. We’ve gathered a few of our favorite family activities to help you create a fun day spent together with plenty of love.
Break Up Your Routine
Slight changes in your family’s routine can provide just the right amount of excitement and spontaneity to refresh everyday occurrences. If your family usually eats at the dining table, plan a special Valentine’s Day themed dinner or picnic in the playroom instead. Invite little ones to help you prepare festive treats such as these fruit and vegetable heart skewers, use heart shaped cookie cutters to create Valentine-inspired sandwiches, or treat yourselves to a special heart-shaped pizza party. Complete your celebration with pink strawberry milk or sparkling grape juice, and of course, it wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a little chocolate for dessert!
Create Together
Hand-crafted Valentines are a special way to encourage your children to show their love to friends and family. Grandparents, neighbors, even siblings will delight in receiving handmade creations and a special word of kindness. Your little ones will love the extra time spent together and the sense of pride developed by completing a project. Let your children’s interests guide the activity and source supplies from around the house to simplify the process. Scraps of paper, fabric, and felt can be transformed into this beautiful heart tree. Little dino fans will love making these fun and easy thumbprint dinosaur cards. And these DIY seed paper hearts add a hands-on science experiment to the experience that is perfect for little hands that love getting messy!
Start a Tradition
Family traditions provide a framework for our families that can be cherished for years to come, as they are passed from one generation to the next. Traditions can be as simple as Saturday morning pancakes or planting spring flowers together. For many families, keepsakes are an important part of traditions. A sturdy chest or wooden toy box can serve as a protective vessel to store cherished items. Encourage little ones to add their own treasures to the collection such as a favorite toy they’ve outgrown, handmade artwork, or seashells discovered during a family vacation. Take time to periodically explore the collection together as you share memories of time spent as a family.
Spread the Love
Of all the fun family activities you plan for your Valentine’s Day celebration, simply sharing your love with your family and community may be the most impactful one. You can practice this act by asking each person to share something they love about each other, write love notes to each other, or try this family love game as a fun way to break the ice.
Love is the essence that ties our families together. Expressing our love can look very different within each home, but the sentiment and intention always remains the same. How does your family share love? Are you affectionate huggers, curious adventurers, or thoughtful listeners? Do your family traditions include an annual vacation, beloved recipe, or funny sayings that only you understand? However your family shares their love, we hope these pastimes will remain cherished memories that you reflect on for years to come.
“Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing”