10 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Your Kids

Adults aren’t the only ones who enjoy expressing their love to those they care about this time of year! Here are some fun ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your children that will give them memories for a lifetime.

1. Make a Special Dinner

pizza heart

I love spending time with my littles in the kitchen. Kids love to get messy and create. Here is a fun recipe to celebrate Valentine’s Day together through food:

Heart Shaped Calzones:

2 cans Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust Dough
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese (shredded or freshly sliced)
Sliced pepperoni
Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp melted butter
Salt & pepper

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Unroll the cans of dough onto a work surface. Take a heart shaped cookie cutter and cut out several hearts (3-5 per roll). Take half of the dough hearts and layer with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, leave room around the ages to seal later. Take the remaining dough hearts and place on top of the layered ones. Crimp the edges of dough together with a fork. Set the hearts on the cookie sheet. Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, salt & pepper. Bake 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

2. Family Movie Night

movie night


What kid doesn’t love a movie night-in? Rent a movie and snuggle on the couch with some fresh popcorn and hot chocolate! Some great movie ideas:

Lady and the Tramp
The Princess Bride
Beauty and the Beast
Enchanted
Shrek
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

Want to support local? Try out Kernals Gourmet Popcorn and Mama Lee’s Gourmet Hot Chocolates, both of which can be ordered online.

3. Mommy and Me Spa Day

Take your little girl and spend some quality time getting pampered with custom manicures and pedicures. Every little girl loves some mommy & me time and to top it off with being able to stare at a plethora of colors and choose the very one she wants to wear will send her into a tizzy of joy.

 

We have pulled a few top-rated local spas across the middle Tennessee area according to Yelp for you!

A Moment’s Peace Salon and Spa
Spa Haus Nashville
The Rain Tree Salon

4. Make Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards and Show a Little Love

A child’s best asset is their imagination so let it run wild! Grab some construction paper, markers, glue, glitter and stickers so they can make cards from their hearts. You can set a goal of 20 cards (or however many you choose) to deliver to your local senior center or hospital to help make others feel loved and thought of on this special day.

5. Decorate Their Bedroom Door with Affection

Grab some construction paper, scissors and a Sharpie. Cut out several hearts, all different shapes and sizes. On each heart write a reason why you love them and why they are so special. Tape all the hearts on your child’s bedroom door early in the morning so when they wake up they get a sweet surprise.

6. Make DIY Gifts for Family and Friends

A Southern staple: The Mason Jar! Mason jars offer one of the most versatile ways to make a gift special. Make some yummy treats (cookies, flavored popcorn or candied pecans for just a few ideas) with your kids and place them in the jars. Decorate them by placing bright stickers all over them and attaching a label for the name of your recipient. Or buy some beautiful flowers from a flower shop to portion out among the jars. Tie a pretty ribbon around the top and attach a homemade card to each one. Deliver them to neighbors, family and friends to bring a big smile as they realize they are not forgotten this Valentine’s Day.

7. Have an Indoor Picnic

It’s too cold to go outside for lunch so how about building a fort inside and making a special lunch to share (heart shaped sandwiches anyone?).

8. Hide and Seek Love Notes

Kids love to play hide and seek. How much more fun will it become when each time they find what they are seeking, they receive words of love and encouragement? Write special notes that say why you love your little ones and hide them throughout the house. Make it a scavenger hunt by creating clues to help them find each note. When they find the last one they will know all the more just how much you love them.

9. Make a Kiddie Coupon Book

We’ve all done this for our significant others but what about our kids? Create a coupon book for them with a “get out of a chore for free” card or “good for one day at the park”. Other examples include:

Movie of your choice
Good for one family game night
Get to stay up 15 minutes late
Lunch at your favorite place
One free ice cream cone
30 extra minutes of television

10. Make a Valentine’s Day Milkshake

What you’ll need:

Strawberry ice cream
milk
red food coloring
frozen strawberries
your favorite toppings

Put a large scoop of ice cream and about a cup of milk with one drop of food coloring and some frozen strawberries in a blender. Blend until it’s thick and creamy. Serve in a milkshake glass and top with whipped cream and your favorite toppings.