Valentine’s Day is just next week! This is usually an ideal day for parents to plan a special date, have some alone time without kiddos and enjoying some much-needed time together. Becoming a parent tends to consume your day-to-day, so spending time connecting with each other on Valentine’s Day is extremely important! It is also a great time to teach your little ones all about love, appreciation and acknowledging one another.
Here’s a little history about Valentine’s Day cards from the History Channel:
In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.
Valentine’s Day Bubble Wands
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. Americans began exchanging handmade valentines around the early 1700s, and approximately 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually. This makes Valentine’s Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas. That’s a lot of paper floating around!
Paper store-bought valentines are fun, but you can take it up a notch this year and do something a little different! We made a super cute printable and (very easy) bubble wand DIY for you and your little one to do at home. The whole class is sure to love them!
What You Need
How You Make Them
- Print out the printable on sticker paper
- Cut out the stickers from the sheet
- Affix them to the bubble wands
- Have the kids pass them out to all their loved ones!
Princess Castle Pavillion
What princess doesn’t want to be swept off her feet by a handsome prince? This is the ultimate princess experience! Big enough for the whole neighborhood, kids can play with all of their toys and stuffed animals, put on a show, play dress up, blow bubbles and still have plenty of room left to dance. This unique hexagonal design and extra-large play area is easy to assemble and easy to clean. This play tent is made of peach skin and is fun for the whole family! No batteries or videos, just hours of great imaginative fun play time.
The Ultra-Mesh keeps bugs out and lets fresh ventilation in, making it perfect for playing with outdoors. The waterproof floor keeps dry when playing outdoors and makes spills super easy to clean. The sturdy carry bag is also included, perfect for storage or taking it on-the-go. A must have for every little princess!
Valentine’s Day Ideas for Kids
As you know, children love to be involved in absolutely everything. Whether you like it or not, this may even include your Valentine’s Day plans. If you’re looking to plan something special for your partner, there are ways you can still include your little one in making the day extra special. Not only will they feel included, but you will be teaching them valuable lessons on how to be treated and loving things to do later in life for their own partner one day!
Make a Craft
There are tons of crafts you can make with your little one to give to your partner! Even something as simple as a heart-shaped card or drawing to writing a short poem. If you have a little one who is still too young to make crafts, you can dip their feet or hands in paint for an adorable card your partner will keep forever.
As a bonus DIY craft, check out the Valentine’s cards that we made on the blog last year!
Pick a Bouquet
Take your little one to a garden, nursery or even the grocery store to hand-pick their own bouquet! They will be so proud of giving it to mom or dad, and they will be even more proud to receive it, knowing that it was custom picked just for them!
Appreciation Notes
Instead of making Valentine’s Day all about passing things out to the people they have a crush on, they can give a note about how much they appreciate them. For a more age-appropriate Valentine’s Day, have your little one write a few notes of appreciation. This can be anything from thanking their sibling for always sharing with them, to thanking Mom for always making soup when they are sick. One of the most important things about love is showing appreciation, so teaching them this lesson early will help them later in life!
Help with Planning
If you are planning a special date for your partner, get your little one involved with the planning! Keep them updated on all the happenings and have them help you pull off surprises. They will be so excited when it all comes together, and it will help teach them about keeping a secret and showing appreciation!
Give Them a Gift
One of the things I love most about Valentine’s Day is getting a bouquet of flowers every year from my dad, even now that I am in my 30’s. It always made me feel included and special when I was young, and even today it puts a huge smile on my face whenever I see them at my door. Giving your little one a special Valentine to keep them in the celebrations is a great idea, even if it’s something as simple as flowers or candy!
Let Us Know!
How do you get your little one involved with Valentine’s Day? Are you making the DIY bubble wands? Let us know in the comments below! Happy Valentine’s Day!