Valentine’s Day Activities Your Kids will Love

I have always loved celebrating Valentine’s Day with my kiddos. It doesn’t need to be fancy! You can throw together some fun Valentine’s Day activities to make the day fun and festive, without spending a lot of money or making it complicated. I’ve gathered up some of our favorite activities, handicrafts, books, and printables so that you have some fun ideas!

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Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids

Now before you read through this list, remember: you don’t need to do all of this or even any of it to have a special day with your kiddos. There are years I’ve done nothing but write a quick “I love you” note or thrown a Valentine’s Day tablecloth on the kitchen table. Do what’s in your capacity – guilt free!

Handicrafts/Decorations

History

Have a history lesson about where Valentine’s Day came from, how it began, and who St. Valentine was. This video below is fantastic:

This is another video that gives a good history of the background of Valentine’s Day.

This book about St. Valentine also gives a good history of Valentine’s Day.

Books

There are SO many books about Valentine’s Day out there, and honestly I find most of them to be a little cheesy, but there are a few we do like!

We usually tend to read non-holiday related books with my kiddos for Valentine’s Day. Instead, we read books about love, kindness, and friendship – books that aren’t specifically about Valentine’s Day, but are about showing love to friends and family. We also read books that talk about the source of all love.

• Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
• St. Valentine by Robert Sabuda – great book about the history of St. Valentine (this one is out of print and can be found used, but you can also watch/listen to this one on YouTube here)
• The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll (you can watch/listen to this one on YouTube here)
• Kindness (values to live by) by Jane Belk Moncure
• Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse
• Loved by Sally Lloyd-Jones
• The Value of Friendship (Value Tales series) by Ann Donegan Johnson
• Mommy Do You Love Me? by Jeanne Willis
• Even If I Did Something Awful? by Barbara Shook Hazen (this is out of print, so search around to find it at a good price, because it is such a good book about the unconditional love of a parent)
• Goodbye to Goodbyes by Lauren Chandler
• Love Can by Quina Aragon
• The Friend who Forgives by Dan DeWitt
• Arthur’s Great Big Valentine by Lillian Hoban

Scripture

These Bible verse coloring pages are a great way to focus on biblical love while also practicing Scripture memorization.

These studies of 1 Corinthians 13 are a great way to talk about how the Bible says we should love – and they’re designed to do together as a family!

Sensory activities

Playdough – make pink playdough and use with heart shaped cookie cutters. Write messages to each other in the playdough using popsicle sticks or stamps.

Sensory bins – fill bins or dishtubs with beans, seeds, etc. Add in heart shaped cookie cutters, funnels, felt hearts, wooden hearts, etc. If your kids are older, add in wooden letters that spell out the words “heart” or “love” and have your kids find the letters and build the words

Cooking – make heart shaped pancakes or cookies together. My kids like shaping this cookie dough into hearts and making heart cookies. Let your kids help mix the dough, add sprinkles, or smell the different ingredients.