On February 14, all around the country and in other places worldwide, people will share gifts of candy, flowers and more with loved ones. According to National Geographic, Valentine’s Day cards have been exchanged since the Middle Ages, which lasted from the 5th to 15th centuries!
In 2021, we may be celebrating Valentine’s Day in different ways than usual. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to make the day extra special — and here are three fun ideas to consider.
#1 Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards
Thanks to Pinterest, there is no shortage of inspiration for Valentine’s Day card ideas. This is in fact an ideal time to find what craft supplies you have at home and work with your children to turn these materials into unique cards that Grandma and Grandpa (and more) will love.
This can be as simple as providing your child with paper and crayons. Add in a few more easily found supplies and your child can follow this video to make a perfect heart-shaped card. There are also plenty of free printables that can provide your child with a structure for the card, such as these from Better Homes and Gardens — and there are also some pretty elaborate options found on Pinterest and other places online.
If your children will not physically be in school for the holiday this year, perhaps the teacher will arrange a way for parents to mail their children’s Valentine’s Day cards to classmates. These, too, can be handmade with plenty of love.
#2 Bake Treats Together
This can be the perfect time of year for the family to make special treats together, such as these Valentine’s Marshmallow Pops. Ingredients include:
- Bag of strawberry marshmallows
- Melting chocolate
- Colorful sprinkles
- M&Ms (ideally in Valentine colors)
- Plastic cups
- Cellophane
- Popsicle sticks
As for directions, push a lollipop stick into each marshmallow. Melt chocolate (the article recommends Ghirardelli from the baking aisle) and then dip the top of each marshmallow into the melted chocolate. Make sure there isn’t excess chocolate on the marshmallows and then put sprinkles on the concoction you’re creating. Put the dipped/sprinkled marshmallows in a cup, stick side down, and put the cup into the refrigerator or freezer, long enough for all to set.
Put M&Ms into individual plastic cups. Then, once the marshmallows are ready, put one in each of the cups. If these treats won’t be enjoyed for a while, wrap them in cellophane.
For an extra special touch, serve with hot chocolate.
#3 Create a Scavenger Hunt for Gifts
There are plenty of scavenger hunt techniques that can be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Perhaps you’ll hide a gift for each child and then provide clues to help them find their gifts. TeachMama.com provides examples of rhyming clues that will help your children develop an ear for language while enjoying the hunt.
For example, she writes:
Start here and don’t go far,
Walk over to where Owen plays with his cars.
All of his cars are in a big pile;
Put them in color lines–it will only take a short while.
After the child successfully completes a task, they can be given the next clue, with the last one leading to the present.
The sky's the limit when it comes to creativity designing Valentine’s Day scavenger hunts — and this is also true for gifts and prizes your children can find at the end of the search.
