This one of the very best Valentine’s Day ideas for kids. I didn’t even realize how special this was to my kids until long after Valentine’s Day had come and gone. Your kids will feel all the love.
If you are looking for a special idea for your kids for the upcoming love-focused holiday, I have the best Valentine’s Day idea for you. I did this for my kids one year and they still remember it to this day. They will often comment, “hey mom, remember when you wrote a bunch of things you love about us on those hearts?” Clearly it resonated with them.
Often times when we are in mom-mode, we are task focused. We are reminding our kids of all the things they need to do, we are correcting their behaviors, we are busy taking care of all the tasks necessary to keep them fed, clean, healthy, clothed and driven to wherever they need to be. I love to find ways on both a daily basis and on special holidays to remind them how much I love them. This Valentine’s Day idea was as therapeutic for me as it was special for them.
Special Valentine’s Day Idea for Kids
Here’s how it works.
1. Either make or buy some 6-inch colored hearts. You can make them out of colored construction paper or you can buy these 6-inch colored foam hearts on Amazon. I bought these ones. Just note the quantity in the package. You will need 14 hearts for each child you have.
2. Beginning on the evening of January 31st (or whenever you begin this in February), write something you love about your child on one of the hearts. Make it something unique and extra special. Perhaps it’s something that you don’t tell them often but you frequently think about. Get creative and make it fun, and of course loving.
3. When your child is sleeping, tape the heart on the outside of their bedroom doorway so they will see it in the morning when they get up. They will get their first message on the morning of February 1st (or whenever you begin in February).
4. Repeat this with a unique and special message each day for 14 days in February leading up to Valentine’s Day.
As an important side note, I don’t recommend using the sticky adhesive on the back of the foam heart. It could remove the paint or stain from your door trim. For easy removal later, instead just use scotch tape in a circle to adhere the heart to your child’s doorway.
14 Days of Love-Filled Messages for Kids
Once Valentine’s Day arrives, your child will have multiple messages from you about many of the things you love about him or her. Each day when they walk in their bedroom, they will be reminded of how many different things you love about them.
All of the positive messages also give your child a confidence boost to remind them of all of their special talents and character traits.
What a refreshing aspect of motherhood (as opposed to being a constant task-master). I promise, this will fill your heart with as much love as it fills your child’s heart.
Some Examples
This was such a fun activity. I made sure to make every message unique to the individual child. I have three kiddos. Just a few examples of the messages I wrote throughout the 14 days are:
For my oldest (very responsible) son, I wrote things like:
- I love watching you play basketball. You always give it your all.
- I love how hard-working you are in school.
- I love talking with you. You always have a lot of interesting things to say.
- I love how you take care of your dog.
For my (very kind and thoughtful) daughter, I wrote things like:
- I love how kind you are to your brothers.
- I love watching you play soccer. You are a great teammate.
- I love how thoughtful you are to your friends.
- I love how positive and optimistic you are.
For my youngest (very spirited and slightly wild) son, I wrote things like:
- I love how much you make me laugh.
- I love your energy and your spirit.
- I love watching you play baseball. You had some great plays this year!
- I love the excitement you add to our family.
Feeling all the Love
This is truly the very best Valentine’s Day idea for kids. Those 14 hearts remained taped around their bedroom doors long after Valentine’s day had come and gone . When they eventually took them down many months later, they saved every one of those heart-shaped messages. One of my kids taped the hearts on a large sheet of art paper and hung the paper inside his closet. My other kids kept them in a stack in their bedrooms. I would occasionally catch them reading through their messages.
Expressing love and admiration for your children in writing is something that’s important to me. Give your child some extra love, self esteem, and confidence this year for Valentine’s Day. They will likely remember it many years later.
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For more articles on motherhood, you might also like Lean In.
