Making Valentine’s Day Fun for the Whole Family

If you checked out my New Year’s post for this year, you might notice that several of my goals center around being more intentional with family time – traveling more, doing crafts with the kids, having a monthly date night, etc. So what better way to make some memories than to create some valentine’s day fun for the whole family.

Even before my husband and I were married, we never celebrated Valentine’s Day with anything too major. Crowded restaurants are no fun and I don’t like chocolate (strange, I know). Our tradition has been to only do homemade gifts (this is mostly a DIY blog after all…) and to cook dinner and dessert together (he cooks, I bake). And now, with two kids, we need a different kind of Valentine’s Day fun.

Here are some easy things we’re doing to make this Valentine’s Day fun for the whole family.

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Leave Special Notes

Leave a note each night for your kids to find in the morning. My plan was to add a paper heart to my daughter’s bedroom door each night; buuut it was late and I ended up using Sharpie on the bathroom mirror. (Not every DIY project is photo worthy!) She loves it and can’t wait to see her new message each morning.

This activity is for adults too! My husband and I have an “I Love You” credit card that we take turns hiding for each other. Sometimes it’s obvious, other times it might be hidden for a few months. Either way, it’s a fun surprise and an easy way to make the other person feel special.

Make a Special Meal

Never underestimate the power of a heart-shaped cupcake and a container of sprinkles.

There are so many options here – using a heart-shaped mold, adding red food coloring, special sprinkles, etc. But it doesn’t just have to be for dessert. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Heart-shaped waffles
• Pancakes with red food coloring (*bonus if you add some powdered sugar or whipped cream and sprinkles on top!)
• Bacon Hearts
• Heart-shaped pizza
• Valentine’s Charcuterie board (with red and white snacks – think fruits, nuts, popcorn, etc)

You get the idea. Just a few minutes and some creative thinking and you can have some really sweet Valentine’s Day treats!

Festive Decorations

If you’re like me, you might still be un-decorating from Christmas. (Not gonna lie, my ceramic Christmas Tree has been on my laundry room counter for 1+ years…) Here’s the thing – you can keep things really simple and just use some festive plates and napkins. Anything out of your usual setup will make things feel special. Here are some of my recommendations – I tend to gravitate towards these items no matter the celebration (just change out the colors/prints):

DIY Gifts

I mentioned before that we try to only do DIY gifts for Valentine’s day. I don’t want to ruin any surprises for this year; but, here are some the DIY gifts we’ve done in the past:

• Bucket of Date Night Ideas to pick from throughout the year
• Handmade Headphone Case Keychain
• Set of framed paintings
• Decorated photo frame (Don’t forget to check the latest Shutterfly deals!)
• T-shirt quilts or pillows

There you have it – just a few of the ways we plan to make this Valentine’s Day fun for the whole family. And in case you need some more inspiration or really want to go all out – be sure to hop on over to Pinterest and check out the DIY Valentine’s Day board I loaded up with ideas for you. You’re welcome. ☺️