Simple Valentine’s Day Ideas for Kids

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with kids in special, but simple ways. You don’t need to do a lot. Just make it fun and let the family know you care.

I love doing up a holiday, but I also like staying in the black and not wearing myself out. As fun as crafts and sewing and making candy cute can be, I don’t think you should spend too much time or money to do it.

“Find a good deal and stock up for next year” is my motto, alternated with “Keep it simple, sweetheart.”

Don’t go out and spend a lot of time and money. There are plenty of simple gift ideas and valentine’s day ideas for kids that will make a festive celebration. 

Just put a little heart into it! Here are some of my favorite, simple Valentine’s Day Ideas for kids and families:

1. Bake someone happy.

Baking is always fun and tasty. Making something from scratch is so much less expensive than buying whatever the bakery has to offer. As cute as it may be there, you can make it just as cute at home for less!

Try one of these on for size:

• Shape scones or biscuits into hearts.
• Bake a pie. Vent the top with heart-shaped cutters.
• Make homemade individual pizzas. Shape the dough into small hearts.
• Serve pancakes for dinner, topping them with heart-shaped butter pats. Remember to tell them that they melt your heart!

2. Get your sprinkle on.

Kids love sprinkles. Fess up, you do, too. Sprinkles add a festive feel to anything mildly related to sweet.

You can grab a jar of Valentine sprinkles for a buck or two at the store. Then go to town by adding them into the simplest of dishes:

• a batch of rice crispy treats
• a bowl of oatmeal
• a scoop of ice cream
• a simple frosted cupcake
• chocolate dipped oreos cookies

Sprinkles make everything fun.

3. Deck the halls a bit.

Okay, so it’s not Christmas or anything, but I think kids get a real kick out of some kind of decor for festive events. It doesn’t have to be a big hoopla. It’s the little things, people.

If your kids are the kind that like to decorate, include them in the process!

Try one of these:

• a heart banner made from paper cut-outs
• take all the hearts out of a deck of cards and scatter them across the dinner table or other household surface – These Alice in Wonderland cards (pictured above) have a fun vibe!
• hang a heart-shaped picture frame of the family
• buy heart-shaped confetti and sprinkle it around
• Valentine’s wrapping paper (check the dollar spot of Target or the Dollar Store) used as a table runner

4. Make it pretty.

Take a page from Fancy Nancy and dress up the presentation a bit. When I worked in catering, the mantra was “presentation is everything”. That’s not really true, but it sure does change the experience.

There are loads of small touches that you can do throughout the day to make mealtimes a little more special on Valentine’s Day:

• Set a fancy table — even if you’re just serving hot dogs.
• Serve the meal on “real” dishes with silverware.
• Cut cake or bars into nice squares and serve in colorful muffin papers.
• Use that heart cutter to make bite-sized brownies. (Save the crumbs for a triple chocolate sundae.)
• Add whipped cream to dessert. And don’t forget the sprinkles!

5. Make homemade Valentine’s Day cards and crafts.

If you can keep it together and plan ahead, making homemade Valentine’s Day cards with the kids is a great way to push back against the overconsumption that surrounds us. In fact, we’ve got loads of free printable Valentines here on Life as Mom to make it easy for you!

Spend a few afternoons leading up to February 14 crafting together with your kids. Remind the kids and yourself that the cards don’t have to be perfect.

Creating a valentine by hand is actually how the tradition started, so lean in and skip the last minute trip to shop for junky cardboard cards. Origami hearts made from dollar bills are super fun!

6. Keep the gifts simple.

One of the reasons that Millenial moms are so exhausted is that they’ve been so extra with their arts and crafts over the years. Yes, this Gen X mom said it.

You don’t need to do much. You don’t need everything shaped into hearts. You don’t need build-a-bear or stuffed animals for every occasion.

A sweet valentines card or activity, a small candy at the dinner table — enough is good, my friend! Keep your celebrations simple and start acclimating your family to simpler celebrations. It will do you all good!

Valentine’s Day may be considered a couples-only, romantic, Hallmark holiday by some. But, it can just as easily be a fun little celebration of your family. 

Enjoy Valentine’s Day for kids in simple ways that keep you calm and peaceful!

More Budget Valentine’s Day Ideas

This post was originally published on February 13, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.