Fun Valentine's Day Activities for Kids

Valentine's Day isn't just reserved for romantic couples. Children love the excitement that comes along with the cheery holiday! Between school and home activities, the holiday is often a week long celebration. Here are a few ideas for activities to get the kids involved in celebrating Valentine's Day.

1) Make your own Valentine's Day cards. Children often enjoy trading Valentine's Day cards with friends at school. A few basic craft supplies are all you need to create some spectacular homemade cards that will outshine the coolest store-bought cards. Have them make a few extra cards for family members.

Start with construction paper or foam squares. Decorate the cards with glitter pens, markers, stamps, stickers, or whatever craft supplies you have on hand. Older children may enjoy making more detailed cards. Create a beautiful layered look with different patterned / textured scrapbook papers. Add finishing touches such as embellishments or ribbon. Children enjoying sharing their creative artwork with others. Personalizing Valentine's Day cards is a great way to let their creativity shine.

2) Design a Valentine's Day card "mailbox". Children have been crafting card "mailboxes" for decades! What a fun way to share and collect the cards at home or at school.

This craft is a simple one using basic supplies you probably already have at home.
~Start with a large shoebox.
~Wrap the lid and box separately with wrapping paper, wallpaper samples, construction paper or even the comics page.
~Cut a rectangular slot in the top of the box.
~Decorate with glitter, heart cut-outs, curling ribbon, stamps, embellishments, etc.
That's it! Your child will be proud to show off their "mailbox" to all their friends.

3) Spend an afternoon baking Valentine's Day goodies. Most children love baking with mom or dad. Depending on the age and attention span of your little helpers, you may choose to skip the "homemade" part and go with the ready to bake goodies. Set up a decoration station with sprinkles, icing and other toppings and let the kids go crazy.

4) Decorate the house! Decorations are not just for Christmas and Halloween. Spend a Saturday or rainy afternoon decorating a room or even the whole house. The possibilities here are endless. Here are a few simple ideas for adding some festivity to the house around Valentine's Day.

~ Construction paper chains are a breeze to make and make perfect homemade streamers. Cut pink, red and white construction paper into thin strips. Staple the first strip into a circle shape. Loop the next strip through and staple. Continue in a pattern until the chain is the desired length. In no time you will be stringing up your homemade streamers!

~ Decorate windows and doors with construction paper hearts. Cut out hearts in different shapes and colors and decorate. Sure, window clings are usually cheap to buy but homemade is always better and more fun!

These are just a few simple ideas to get children involved in Valentine's Day fun. Be creative, add your own ideas and make this Valentine's Day a memorable one.