I’m a sucker for every holiday. I love celebrating, and even more, love engaging my littles in the joy and love that holidays bring. Who can pass up a good excuse for a party, am I right?! Below I have listed some of our favorite go-to activities for Valentine’s Day. We will be trying some new ones out, too, this year. So, be sure to follow along for the fun!
Valentine’s Cards
This tray is such a simple invitation to get your littles creating and practicing their fine motor writing skills. The tray is from the dollar store, but any tray will work perfectly! I cut up some colored construction paper and folded it into cards, and set out some art supplies to get creating. Some of my favorite art supplies are: jumbo crayons (best for little hands to grasp), foam stickers with backing for peeling off, dot markers, kwik stixs tempura paint, and of course Elmer’s glue sticks. There are a few things this teacher will forever refuse to buy, and that’s off brand glue sticks and crayons. Trust me.
Tape Pull
Talk about EASY! When both my babes were able to stand and hold their own weight, I would whip out this fun, engaging activity. It’s as simple as putting strips of painters tape on the wall or window with a small tab for them to pull. This is perfect when you’re trying to whip up a meal or clean up the dishes. My favorite colored tape I use can be found here.
Tissue Paper Sun Catchers
These fun light catchers are no more than some contact paper taped onto the window (sticky side out) with some of that magical masking tape! Lay out a box of cut up tissue paper pieces, and you’ll have yourself a fun window decoration!
Letter/Name Heart Hunt
The best way for little learners to learn letters is by starting with the ones they’ll see the most! Which ones are those? Those that are in their name! Get them used to visually seeing and identifying their name as a whole, and the letters that belong to it. This fun little game is so simple. Write out 2 sets of the letters of your child’s name on some index cards. Hang one set on the wall, or lay them out on the ground. Tape the other letters sporadically around the house for your child to “hunt.” Once a letter is found, bring it back to the whole name, and have your child match up the letters. Give lots of praise for each letter, and watch their confidence soar. 😉
Valentine’s Day Snack Crunch
Talk about a fun holiday treat! I was inspired by Maegan over at TheBakerMama. You can find her recipe on this delicious snack here.
Frozen Flower Petal Ice Melt
I use this one for the valentines day flowers that are starting to frump over. Instead of tossing them in the trash, have your littles help you pull all of the petals off of the flowers. (Hello, perfect fine motor activity in itself!) Then put those flowers in a Tupperware dish with some water (add some food coloring if desired), and put it in the freezer overnight for a fun activity the next day. Once frozen, you can put the block of frozen flower petals in a bin or tray, add some bowls of warm water and salt to help your littles thaw out, or “free,” the petals.
Play Dough Tray
Are you team love or team hate with play dough? I giggle, because its such a controversial play item. My type A personality cringes when colors get mixed, but after that initial mix up, I just shrug and move on with it. you want brown? Perfect, here it is! As much as I hate the mixing of the beautiful colors, I love how enthralled my kids get when playing with it. It definitely is an activity that requires an adult to model how to play with it (rolling it out, smooshing it, cutting shapes, etc.). If you want your little to be a great independent player, they have to learn HOW to utilize certain skill sets to elongate the time of their play. We have used this play dough recipe for YEARS, and it is still going strong. Once the colors turn gross from mixing, we make a new batch together (another great activity to get the kids involved). Find our Play Dough Recipe here.
Sensory Box Play
Dried Noodle Play—These fun noodles I found at Homegoods, and then found some new ones at ALDI this year. I found these on amazon, too! So perfect, and such a fun sensory box filler! We added little heart gems to jazz up the box. You can find those here. This box I feel comfortable letting my 18m old explore with. To expand on this sensory play, you could easily add some pipe cleaners or string to make bracelets or jewelry. You can even have your little one sort the different heart noodles by color. The possibilities are endless.
Valentine Bean box—My middle kid is my sensory seeker. She is always asking for a new activity box, so together we made colored beans. This activity is NOT for littles who still put things in their mouths. We make sure it’s lid is on, when little brother is around for play. Simple to make, just a bag of dried northern beans, and a squirt of paint. Tempura will work, we used acrylic on ours, because of the colors we had on hand.
Rice Box Play—Hands down our littles favorite box filler. Also the messiest. LOL. Balance, right? Question is… have you ever put your hand in a big bag or container of raw rice?? It actually is SO soothing. If you haven’t ever done it, I encourage you to try it and let it fall through your fingers. We love a good theme box, so we have so many bags full of themed rice at this point. I grabbed the rice bag, and dumped it in the bin. I added a container of festive valentines sprinkles, and added in some heart gems. A crowd pleaser, for sure!
Paper-filler Sensory Box—I made this box up for my little girl, last year. She was in the thick of everything goes in your mouth, and everything is food. Now, I love making fun taste-safe boxes, but at some point, we don’t want them to put it in their mouth. I figured this box would be a strong YUCK, when she tried… and it was perfect for just that. This box is paper confetti filler you’d find for gift boxes, found at the Dollar Tree. I added in some colored pom-pom balls for added fun. I found these on amazon a few years ago, and they’re still going strong.
Balloon Play
If you have a baby, or even a toddler, do yourself a favor and grab some helium balloons, even regular balloons you blow up yourself, and have some balloon play! In the picture below, my little girl was about 5 months old, and gently tying balloons to her limbs mesmerized her for a while! They love to watch the balloons floating above them, and bonus, its help teaching them cause and effect early! If they move an arm or leg, the balloon moves, too! If you have a little bit older ones, who are mobile (walking). Grab some regular balloons and blow them up. Play toss and catch, keep off the floor, dodgeball, etc. Balloons just bring so much joy to little ones, and adults too! 😉
Valentine’s Day Morning Surprises
Do you give your kids Valentines? I love an opportunity to spoil my kids a little when I can. Its always a “Not today” at the store for toys, so when the occasion permits, we try to accept! Everything in their Valentine Boxes I found at the Dollar Tree or Dollar Spot at Target. Aside from one small gift for them that I might add. Last year it was their water bottles. It doesn’t have to be jazzy, or expensive. Just something thoughtful for them to get excited to give love to others all day long. ❤
I hope you and your family have a love-filled Valentine’s Day this year! As always, please reach out with any questions, and comment on the fun you choose to have this holiday! Tag us if you try any of the activities above, so we can see your fun! We’ll be sharing more of our fun in the next couple weeks on Instagram & Facebook! Happy Playing!
Making Beautiful Messes 