I really love how the month of February has turned into a month all about showing love. Of course, I do believe that it’s super important to show your appreciation and affection to your closest love on Valentine’s Day, but there seems to be a bit of a backlash against the whole romantic aspect of the holiday. How can a day built around love be so polarizing? But, there you have it. It is what it is.That said, I think that between the fact that January is a rough month for lots of people (overwhelming resolutions + goes on forever + COLD + dreary = wop wop) and February is when Valentine’s Day pops up, people welcome more hearts, love, and appreciation into their lives when the calendar flips. So, today I’m sharing some ways that you can show your family some extra love when Valentine’s Day rolls around. Feel free to take an idea or two...or to share your own ideas in the comments below!Flowers and candy...or some other silly show of love. After my father passed away when we were kids, my grandfather kind of took over the role of showing my sister and I what a gentleman looks like (much like our dad was in real life). This included the gift of a card, heart-shaped box of candy, and single rose every Valentine’s Day. It sounds cheesy, but a memory like this will last a child their whole life long. Even just a flower centerpiece at dinnertime every year could be a special thing to mark the day. And it's surprising how a child will remember the small things.Do a heart craft or make dessert - together! Our 5- and 2-year-old love helping in the kitchen. Even if it’s a boxed brownie mix or pre-made cookie dough, making something together is a great way to connect (plus, eating it is pretty fun). You could also make some sort of heart craft, be it a garland of hearts to decorate for dinnertime, just heart cut-outs that the kids can color and decorate (this is probably a good time to pull out the dreaded glitter), or just coloring a picture of your family. I shared a few different ideas here, too.Have a date with your family. It doesn’t have to mean going out (although it totally could if you want to), but just spending a special evening together with your family having a favorite meal slows everybody down enough to think about how lucky you are to have each other. Show your appreciation for their uniqueness. Not that we don’t tell our kids that we love them already, but sometimes we get busy and it falls to the wayside. So, you can do this verbally or you can get creative. Be specific about what’s so special and awesome about your kids. Cover their bedroom doors with hearts that each say one great thing about them, or give them a jar filled with sweet truths (they can pull one out every time they have a bit of self doubt or just a bad day). Watch a sweet, fun movie together. Make some popcorn and throw some pillows and blankets on the floor. Let your child pick out a movie or give them some suggestions to choose from. I like the suggestions here and here, but of course depending on your little ones’ ages, feel free to go younger (or older). (I’m loving the idea of Lady and the Tramp, The Parent Trap (the original is my favorite), and The Sound of Music. We’re clearly into classics.)Read some “love” books. There are SO many family-friendly books that talk about love. Here’s one list...here’s another good one. (Someday had me crying in the middle of Barnes and Noble recently!) Sometimes a book can tell others how we feel better than we can, y’know? These are just a handful of ways to show your family some love on Valentine’s Day. If you’re interested in any other Valentine’s Day activities, check out some of our old posts, like these cute DIY Valentines.
