Family
Celebrating Valentine’s Day with the Entire Family hile some might consider Valentine’s Day just a Hallmark holiday, it’s actually a great opportunity to have some fun with your children and shower them with love! Not just for lovers anymore, February 14th is the perfect day to teach your children about the importance of caring for others. Celebrate with a simple “I love you” first thing in the morning and then try out some of these other ideas throughout the day…your children will benefit from the extra attention and the focus on love!
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TALK LOVE Make it a point to have at least one family meal on Valentine’s Day, whether it be breakfast or dinner. During the meal, talk about Valentine’s Day and love…spend that precious time together telling them how much you love them and how much they mean to you. Talk about what love really is and what it means to you. Talk about the love you have you have for your spouse, your family, your friends…and how those loves are different, but so meaningful and important. Ask them what they love and how they show it, and what ways they like to be shown they are loved in return. You might be surprised with what they have to say! READ LOVE Take some time beforehand and find a few special books about Valentine’s Day and about love. Share them with your children and have a story hour at home reading about love. Or, take them to the library and let them pick out a few books of their own. Either way, keep the focus on reading and sharing the stories about love…the snuggles and the stories about love are worth their weight in gold.
4 | Anna LifeAndLuxuryMagazine.com
EAT LOVE Make a special Valentine’s Day treat to enjoy after school or for dinner. You can get creative by decorating heart shaped cookies or making a heart shaped pizza. Or you can keep it simple and make a sandwich and then using a heart shaped cookie cutter to remove the crusts. Again, the focus is on love and finding ways to show that to one another. SHOW LOVE The most important thing you can teach your children is what it means to love others – and the best way to do this is to model that behavior! Make it a point to give your child extra hugs and kisses. Tell your child about your favorite memory of them…the story about the day they were born or the moment you were most proud of them. Or find your favorite photo of them, write on the back of it why it’s your favorite and frame it for their room…it’s a wonderful reminder every day of your love for them. You can also show them how to care for others and the world around them… volunteering to help those in need, being kind and/or donating to causes that are important to your family. Through these actions, your child will learn the value of love and compassion. PLAY LOVE Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to let loose and just have fun with your children! Keep the focus on love-themed activities. Sing your favorite love songs together, play a game of Pin the Heart on Cupid, or enjoy some time together decorating Valentine’s Day cards to give to their classmates, friends and family. These moments will make for some great memories and the love you share will carry over all year long!
