My little boy asked me the other day “Mummy, what is Valentine’s Day?” I answered “It’s a day of love,” short and sweet but I didn’t think it needed more explanation. 

It got me thinking though, if it’s a day of love then why not share it with our nearest and dearest rather than just our partners, as per the commercial instructions!

Usually I whack out some glitter and let the kids do some valentines crafts which is always very well received, but this year I thought I might spread the love a little further than that. My husband and I don’t ‘do’ valentines, like so many, I/we don’t feel we need a day commercialised by the card industry. Aside from that though, there has got to be something to be celebrated about a day of love right?

So, this Valentine’s Day, I’m going to tell them. I’m going to make it positive. I’m going to take this opportunity to empower them and perhaps start a little tradition.

Recently I’ve noticed in the run up to Valentine’s Day more and more people are turning their attention to their children and you know what? I think it’s a really lovely idea.

Here’s 5 ideas for things you could do on Valentine’s Day with your children

1. Write them a letter

Tell them how proud of them you are. What you love most about them. Even if they can’t read, you can read it to them and save it so that one day they can read it themselves. Do this every year, make a collection, see how they’ve evolved. It would be lovely to read them all together one day. How would you feel if someone did this for you?

2. Do a treasure hunt

My lovely friend Lucy (aka tate and fable) does a valentines treasure hunt with a treat at the end which I think is a lovely idea, a great way of giving them something to look forward to and an annual tradition.

3. Valentines breakfast or dinner together

Why not plan a simple breakfast or evening dinner that you can all eat together and maybe you could give them their letters or a small token then. What could be a greater gift than the gift of your time?

4. Encourage the children to think of  acts of kindness

What kind things could they do or say to people on Valentine’s Day, what do they love about their friends. Could they tell them today what they think makes them special. They might come up with some of their own ideas, kindness is a snowball effect after all. Once you start thinking of kind things to do, they often keep popping into your mind, but it also encourages others to be kind.

5. Get creative

Maybe you could do some crafts together, show small ones how to cut around heart shapes, teach them how to draw a heart. Decorate a biscuit with some icing sugar. Encourage them to paint, stick, have fun with junk modelling. Maybe they could make daddy a valentines card? If you’re stuck for ideas, I have loads on my pinterest board here.