1. Start Valentine’s Day for your family with a big surprise for each family member.
Everyone likes to get little gifts through out the day on Valentine’s Day. Make
small mailboxes to place on the back of each family member’s chair. This is a
craft that can be done the day before Valentine’s Day with your children. Use half
of a cereal box to make each mailbox. Cover the outside of the mailbox in either
red or pink construction paper. Decorate each mailbox with the person’s name and
cut out hearts and glitter to make it special for each person. Use a hole punch to
place two holes on the back of the mailbox. Use these holes to attach the mailbox
to the back of each person’s chair at the kitchen table with ribbon.
2. Before everyone gets up Valentine’s Day morning place a card and a small gift
into each person’s Valentine’s Day mailbox. The gift can be a small stuffed animal
or even a little bit of chocolate. The idea is to give each family member a small
surprise gift to start their Valentine’s Day off right. A great way to build on this
idea is to have each child place a special card from them in your spouse’s
mailbox.
3. Prepare a special Valentine’s Day breakfast for your family. This should be a big
meal that includes all of your family’s favorite breakfast foods. You will want to
make heart shaped pancakes for this event. You can attempt to make these by
hand or use stencils that they sell in cooking stores. You can place chocolate chips
in some of the pancakes for those in your family that enjoy chocolate. Make sure
to include fresh fruit like strawberries to place on the pancakes. You can also
make heart shaped toast. Once the toast is out of the toaster and buttered use a
heart shaped cookie cutter on them. Make eggs, bacon, and any other breakfast
favorites of your family.
4. Pack each family member their favorite lunch for the day. If Valentine’s Day falls
during the week, this is a great way to show your family members how much you
love them when they are away from you. Include a small desert to finish off your
loved one’s favorite lunch. A special thing to add to this Valentine’s lunch is a
little note from you that tells them that you love them and miss them. You can
pack this special lunch in their usual lunch bag so that is a surprise or use a brown
paper lunch bag that is decorated for Valentine’s Day.
5. If Valentine’s Day falls on a weekend, it is a good idea to do a family fun day.
One of the best things to do is to take your family to the park if the weather is
good. Even on a brisk day, a day out at the park can be a day for your family to
bond and explore nature. This is a fun and great exercise for you and your family.
Many parks have playgrounds for the younger children to play on. You can pack a
lunch or a special treat to have on your outing.
6. You could also have each family member choose an activity to do on Valentine’s
Day. This would give your family a fun way to try new things. It also helps you to
get to know your family members even better. Let your children choose whatever
they would like to do from the zoo to a movie. Make the only rule that the family
needs to follow is that you must do at least one thing that each family member
suggests. It is a good idea to plan this type of Valentine’s Day celebration in
advance so that you are sure to get to everyone’s ideas.
7. Finish your family’s Valentine’s Day fun with a special sit down dinner. Use your
best dishes to set the table and even place a centerpiece on the table to make the
dinner special. You can even go so far as to request each family member dress up
for the dinner. Make a homemade meal for your entire family to enjoy. You can go
around the table and share everyone’s favorite part of their Valentine’s Day. This
is one of the best things to do if you hand to spend Valentine’s Day away from
each day because it is a work and school day.
