By Jennifer Chung Kinsights.com
Valentine’s Day is a special day to focus on those you love. It’s a perfect opportunity to teach kids about the meaning of love within your own family as well as to perform acts of kindness for others. To help parents make this holiday a family affair, here’s a list of some fun, creative ways moms and dads can teach their kids about love through activities.
Eat with love. Make a Valentine’s dinner together using only foods that are red in color (before and/or after cooking). For example, for starters make a beet salad, red carrot salad, or tomato salad; for main dishes make lobster, steak, or red snapper fish; for dessert make strawberries, raspberry fruit salad, cherry pie, or raspberry sorbet. Drinks can include champagne with a dash of cranberry juice or wine for mom and dad, substitute sprite with grenadine or cranberry juice for the kids. Let the kids help chop, cook and decorate the table. Don’t forget to include kid friendly foods like red velvet cupcakes.
Family movie date night. After enjoying your special Valentine’s Day family dinner, why not end your night with a romantic family movie! Fortunately, there are many romantic movies that kids love such as Beauty and The Beast, Anastasia, Be My Valentine Charlie Brown, Cinderella, High School Musical, and many more. So grab some popcorn and cuddle up!
Sharing your love. Show your kids what love is truly all about by sharing it and volunteering together at a local food shelf, dog shelter or nursing home. The nursing home residents will love seeing the bright, happy young faces. Ahead of time, make special valentines to hand out.
Secret valentine exchange. Instead of a “Secret Santa” try a secret valentine exchange with small handmade gifts and candy. Ask each family member to pick a name. The gifts must all be Valentine’s Day themed. This will give you and your kids an opportunity to be crafty and creative. Think outside of the box to come up with the perfect gift for your valentine (think baking heart shaped cookies, red and pink hand made bracelets, V-day photo frames, etc.). Every member of the family will love having their very own special valentine!
Sweet treats scavenger hunt. A fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the kids is through a scavenger hunt. Provide them with a map or leave clues around the house that lead to yummy valentine’s treats and cards. If you have more than one child, try giving your kids different maps for different surprises to keep it interesting, competitive and fun.
Tree of love. Trees aren’t just for Christmas anymore. Pick up an artificial Christmas tree (you should be able to find one on clearance), spray it pink (or buy a white one) and decorate it as a family with handmade valentines, pink and red paper hearts, pink lights, and family photos. Creating the “ornaments” or love will ensure an afternoon of fun!
Valentine’s Day is a special time to teach kids important lessons about loving and serving others while at the same time creating meaningful family traditions. Modeling love through shared activities has a profound impact on kids and it is so easy to do. Happy Valentine’s Day!
About Mommy Chung
Parenting Expert and mom-of-one, Jennifer Chung, is the co-founder of Kinsights.com – part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to answer their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more. For more information on Kinsights, please visit their website, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.
