Key Takeaways

  • Valentine’s Day is a great time to develop fun yet meaningful traditions children will remember forever.
  • Young children learn to love through simple, hands-on activities, such as crafts and family time.
  • More than physical gifts, creative traditions help children practice kindness, gratitude, and emotional expression in age-appropriate ways.
  • Make these Valentine’s Day activities annual rituals that your family will look forward to every February.

When you think of Valentine’s Day, you likely think of flowers, chocolates, romantic cards, and fancy dinners. However, if you have babies, toddlers, or preschoolers at home, this February holiday can morph into a family-friendly event centered around togetherness, creativity, and teaching your kids acts of kindness.

More than physical gifts, simple, meaningful traditions hold more weight with children. Incorporate these playful, heart-warming Valentine’s Day traditions into your holiday to build a culture of love and kindness.

Hearts on the Door

As meaningful as it is easy, this tradition involves taping a paper heart to your child’s bedroom door each day, starting on February 1st. Each heart should feature a message about something you love about them, such as:

  • “I love how funny you are.”
  • “I cherish your curiosity.”
  • “I love how kind you are to your baby brother.”

By the time Valentine’s Day rolls around, their door is covered in loving notes that remind them every day what they mean to you.

Family Valentine Mailbox

Grab a spare shoebox, tissue box, or small bin and decorate it as a “family mailbox.” Everyone then creates cards and notes, and drops them in the slot each day leading up to the holiday.

On Valentine’s Day, gather together and open them up. This sentimental mailbox tradition not only teaches kids how to express appreciation and receive kind words, but also how fulfilling it is to see other people smile.

“Love-Themed” Breakfast

A lot of love is expressed in the kitchen. Get together with your kids and come up with silly themed meals built around Valentine’s Day, such as:

  • Heart-shaped pancakes or waffles
  • Smoothies or shakes in pink or red hues
  • Toast cut into cookie cutter hearts
  • Strawberries in the shape of a heart

Your kids can get in on the action by mixing, measuring, and decorating to make the meal even more meaningful.

Kindness Coupons

Create coupons with your child that they can give to siblings, parents, grandparents, or friends. Examples include:

  • “I will give you a big hug.”
  • “I will clean up my toys after dinner.”
  • “I will share the slides at the park.”
  • “I will read a bedtime story with you.”

This tradition models generosity and thoughtfulness, a great way to instill Valentine’s Day lessons.

Explore Shapes, Colors, and Feeling Through Crafts

Kids learn best when using their artistic skills and creativity. Create new Valentine’s Day craft traditions that help your kids explore shapes, colors, and feelings. Examples include:

  • Handprint or footprint hearts
  • Watercolor cards
  • Heart collages
  • Rocks painted with kind words
  • Heart garlands

 Family “Love Playlist”

Music helps kids feel connected and joyful. Come up with a custom playlist of upbeat, meaningful, or silly love songs and play them when doing crafts, dancing in the living room, or making breakfast. Every year, your kids will ask to listen to their favorite Valentine’s Day playlist!

Valentine’s Day Story Time

Love is often best understood, at least in small children, through stories and pictures. Buy or borrow some few Valentine-themed or love-focused books. Read them together while snuggled up on the couch before naptime or after bath time at night. You could also wrap a book each day leading up to the holiday so they can have the added joy of discovering a gift.

Family Love Jar

Grab a mason jar and cut up some slips of paper. Have your kids add simple notes detailing what they love about being a family. Examples include:

  • “I love when Mommy reads me bedtime stories.”
  • “I love when Daddy does puzzles with me.”
  • “I love family movie nights.”

Read all the notes together at bedtime, and talk about these expressions of gratitude and love.

Show Love Outside the Family

Valentine’s Day is also a great time to teach kids the value of others in their world, from the neighbor to the mailman to those less fortunate. You can:

  • Make cards for home bound neighbors
  • Deliver home baked goods to grandma and grandpa
  • Donate gently used toys
  • Bake brownies for a sick friend

These acts of kindness teach kids an important lesson: that we have to give love in addition to receiving it.

End-of-Day Family Tradition

Mark the end of Valentine’s Day with a touch of relaxation, such as a warm bath with pink bubbles for the kids or a special bedtime song. This is a peaceful way to end the day as you celebrate comfort and closeness with your children!