12 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day for Kids

Not sure how to create a special Valentine’s Day for kids? Holidays offer ideal opportunities to create traditions your kids will remember for life. Creating Valentine’s Day activities for kids is a win-win for both parents and children alike. Start making those special holiday memories and creating your own family Valentine’s Day traditions.

Here are 12 fun Valentine’s Day Ideas for Kids to make the day extra special:

  1. Make memorable meals.

    Create signature dishes you will have every family Valentine’s Day from here on out. Some delicious ideas to get you thinking:
Valentines Day Ideas for Kids

  1. Create Valentine’s Day decoration together.

    They are bound to pull at your heartstrings when you pull them out each year. For an easy, simple Valentine’s Day activity for kids, make paper chains to hang from the ceiling

  1. Decorate their duds for a festive day.

    We love these simple heart button covers and these, too. Or how about a red dotted bow tie?

  1. Celebrate with a little pampering by giving mini manis and pedis.

    Another fun family Valentine’s Day activity – draw teeny hearts with nail art pens!

  2. Host a perfect Valentine’s Day party

    Follow these tips and the neighbors will all be raving about the perfect Valentine’s Day party you hosted or have the kids host a special tea party for favorite friends, real of imaginary. A tea party takes snack time to a whole new level. Serve finger sandwiches spread with strawberry cream cheese or jam, cookies and tea, of course.

  3. Share the love with Valentine’s Day ideas for kids.

    Load up your table with craft paper, doilies, foils, markers, crayons and paints to create homemade cards to deliver to Mom or Dad, a favorite sitter, and the grandparents.

  1. Have a photo shoot.

    This Valentine’s Day Photo Shoot will give you some good ideas on how to use props to mark the day. Try some fun props, such as a chalkboard, balloons, streamers, or candy.

  1. Get crafty.

    Who doesn’t love making crafts out of hearts? Check out UrbanSitter’s Fun Valentine’s Day Crafts. If you need more ideas, you’ll love Martha Stewart’s roundup. Or tell kids Valentine’s Day jokes!

valentines day ideas for kids

  1. Do good.

    Do you know an elderly neighbor or friend who might not have a Valentine to celebrate with this year? Make their day by delivering a bouquet of flowers and a homemade card.

  1. Snuggle in for family movie night.

    There are many cute Valentine’s Day movies for kids, including: “Beauty and the Beast,” “Ever After,” “Lady and the Tramp,” and a sweet compilation of some of Disney’s best couples – “Mickey & Minnie’s Sweetheart Stories.”

  2. Whip up a special dessert to enjoy after dinner.

    You can’t go wrong with these impressive-to-look-at, even-more-impressive-once-you-bite them brownies from Smitten Kitchen. For something simpler, try Raspberry Cream Cheese Heart Tarts from Weelicious.

Valentine's Day for Kids Family Valentine's Day

  1. Choose a few Valentine’s Day books to read together before bed.

Finally after a full day of making special memories with your children, plan a night out with your partner or friends. Be sure to book a Valentine’s Day sitter early using these tips. Interested in what it’ll cost you to go out on that special night? Here’s a look at babysitting rates on Valentine’s Day.

Looking for a babysitter for Valentine’s Day? Visit UrbanSitter to find a caregiver nearby.

Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

How about arming your babysitter with Valentine’s Day craft ideas and supplies for your kids to create special treats for family and friends? You’ll have happily occupied kids, a grateful babysitter and a few special gifts, too.

Here are five sweet ideas for your little ones to get crafty:

1) Fun Craft for Bigger Kids – Matchbox Valentine Boxes

matchbox valentines by inchmark.squarespace.com

Kids love tiny things, and who can blame them? These tiny packages made out of matchboxes and filled with candy are adorable. (You’ll want one, too!) Easy to create, the boxes can be customized with as much or as little as your crafter likes. Tape a strip of craft paper to cover them [Cut a piece of paper 2″ high (or the height of your matchbox) and about 4″ long (enough to wrap it around)], slap on some stickers, or paint or draw your own decorations… and tie with a bow. Since they are so teeny, a bag of candy is all you’ll need to fill a whole slew of them. M&Ms work well, and you can buy the pink and red ones for VDay.

2) Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards with Crazy Crayons

crazycrayons by innerchildfun.com

We love this crazy cute Valentine, particularly because it includes a kid-approved treat that isn’t candy – Crazy Crayons. Here’s the perfect use of all the bits and pieces of broken crayons you undoubtedly have at the bottom of your arts and crafts box. Crazy Crayons take what’s old and turn it into colorful, useful, Valentine gifts for classmates and friends. Your kids will love the crayon “demo” and the big reveal (once the bits bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then chill in the frig). A heart muffin tin is especially cute to use, and these free printables stapled to the top of a Ziploc bag make the Valentine especially easy to package.

3) The Perfect Project for Preschoolers – Heart Flowers

Photo by Puttisworld

You’ll need red, pink and green construction paper, craft or popsicle sticks, glue, scissors and a couple of markers to create these happy Heart Flowers. Your sitter can help by cutting out four red/pink hearts for the flower and two smaller green hearts for the leaves of each flower. Your child can glue them to the paper, overlapping to form a flower, adding the stick for a stem and leaves, too. Once dry, draw a face and any Valentine’s Day message you choose. Instructions and photos here, thanks to Putti’s World.

4) Get Cooking for a Tasty Snack (or Gift)

Photo by Workathomegal.com

Take it easy on your sitter by leaving her all the trappings for a low-fuss treat she and the kids can bake and decorate. Depending on your child’s age and familiarity with baking, choose either a roll of refrigerated cookie dough, a boxed mix for cupcakes, or the easiest route – premade, undecorated cookies or cupcakes from the bakery or grocery store. Most will agree the best part of baking holiday treats is decorating them, so go all out on decorations. You could include several colors of candy sprinkles or sugars, maraschino cherries, dried coconut, tubes of frosting, chocolate chips, and candy hearts.

5) Home-Crafted Decoration to Resurrect Each Year

Photo by Kaboose

We know, we know, it’s another craft with crayons, but we couldn’t help ourselves. This craft is worth picking up an extra set of crayons so you can tackle it, as well as the melted crayon Valentines. So pretty to hang in a window, these stained glass hearts are a perfect way to brighten dreary winter days. You can make them by melting crayon shavings between waxed paper using an iron set on low. Hang them with a loop of string or ribbon after cutting out hearts. Experiment with different color combinations, and make sure the sitter knows not to take her eyes off the hot iron or melted paper until they have cooled.

Hope you, your kids and your sitter love these Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids as much as we do!

5 Tips for Finding a Babysitter for Valentine’s Day

Photo: tinkernoonoo

Valentine’s Day is still a few weeks away, but if you hope to land a babysitter so you can celebrate without kids in tow, you’ll need to get a head start. Veteran parents insist finding a babysitter for Valentine’s Day is even tougher than scoring one for New Year’s Eve. Here are a few tips on how you can be sure to score a sitter for the big night (or day):

1. Start your search early. Now is not too soon!

You have to figure your sitter could likely land a hot date that night, too. If not, she’s bound to be bombarded with requests from parents who, just like you, would love to hand her the kids so they can sneak away for this romantic occasion. UrbanSitter makes it easy for both parents and sitters to connect by allowing sitters to post their availability well in advance, which gives parents the convenience of seeing who’s free and allows them to send an immediate job request.

2. Make your own holiday… another day.

If you can’t get away for the actual holiday, rest easy knowing you’ll have a much easier time securing a babysitter the weekend before or the weekend after the real holiday.  Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Thursday this year, it’s pretty reasonable to choose the weekend before, or the Friday or Saturday after to celebrate. You’ll likely have an easier time scoring a dinner reservation at a hot spot, too!

3. Share the love.

This is a fantastic opportunity to share a babysitter.  You can send your kids to a friend or neighbor’s house and have a beloved babysitter of yours or hers babysit the whole bunch. The sitter likely won’t charge twice her normal rate, but it’s nice to make it worth her while by paying a bit more for this popular night. If you offer a higher rate upfront, you might just entice her to accommodate your request regardless of her previous plans. And… there’s the added bonus of the night being extra fun for the kids, too. It’s a big playdate!

4. Be an Early Bird.

Who said Valentine’s Day has to be a romantic dinner? How about a lovely brunch together, or lunch after a round of golf or nice hike for two? Even if the babysitter has plans that night, she might be willing to help you out earlier in the day in order to earn some extra money.

5. Make it a romantic night at home.

If you are like most parents, the thought of having your own home to yourselves, sans kids, is too good to pass up. Have your babysitter take the kids out to an early movie and pizza (which might just be more fun for her, too) while you stay home and treat your Valentine to a homemade meal.

If your husband or wife likes to cook, let him or her share in the cooking and make it part of the fun. Otherwise, book the sitter a little earlier so you can prep and prepare. Don’t forget to chill a nice bottle of wine and light some candles so it feels like a truly special tête-à-tête, and not like just another meal at home. Here are a few favorite recipes that make the perfect feast for two:

  • Latin American-Style Mussels: Adds a little zest and a little spice to your night!

  • Photo by Browneyedbaker.com

    Steak for Two Dinner: Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon, Creamed Spinach and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes rival the menu at your favorite steak house, but take surprisingly little time or effort to create.

  • Gooey Chocolate Cakes. Even if you aren’t a baker, you can pull these off, and no one will soon to forget! Top the rich chocolate with a scoop of ice cream and a handful of perfectly ripe berries. It looks and tastes like love on a plate!

Who is more deserving of a romantic break than two harried parents? Book a babysitter on UrbanSitter and don’t let Valentine’s Day pass you by!

Our Favorite Pins for Hosting the Perfect Valentine’s Day Party

Image from Andersruff.com

There are so many delightful, inspiring ideas for Valentine’s Day decorations, crafts and treats out there! We’ve pulled together some of our favorites to show you how to host a truly adorable Valentine’s Day Party. Keep the guest list small – think of it as a pumped up play date for a few friends – and choose from these awesome ideas you can make yourself (or with the help of a handy babysitter!). Before you know it, you’ll have the makings of an unforgettable party.

We’ve pinned our favorite ideas to our UrbanSitter Pinterest Boards: Kid’s Party Ideas, DIY Holiday, Crafts for Kids, Sweet Treats and Printables Pinterest Boards. Check them out!

Where’s the Party!?

Welcome your guest with a hint at what’s inside by decorating your front door with an eye-catching pop of festive color. This DIY wreath is made out of burlap and paper roses. Click here for the tutorial. 

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“Homemade” Valentines

Why resort to a box of store-bought Valentines when you can print or make your own? Take your pick from several gorgeous Valentines offered as free printables. We especially like the one with a mini bottle of bubbles (instead of more candy!). For those with patience and handy kids, get the kids involved and make your own, like these super awesome hearts made from bit and pieces of broken crayons.

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Decorations 

There’s no shortage of inspiring party decor photos out there, but we especially like this one that shows you sweet simple can be.

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Fun Crafts for the Entertainment

Create some bling with this wildly popular craft idea from Mom On TimeOut. Especially good if you have a party of girls, you need only Hershey kisses and pipe cleaners to whip up a few of these! Have a mixed crowd or slightly older kids, try these Valentine Cala Lillies, which can be taken home for a gift for Mom, Dad or the babysitter.

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The Menu

Make it a dessert-only party, which is oh so fitting for this sweet holiday.

  • Cupcakes, (but, of course!) – Inspiration for an easy treat – top pre-made (store-bought) cupcakes with whipped cream and candy hearts.
  • Pudding Cups – Make little cups of pudding extra tempting by dipping the cup rims in melted chocolate and then rolling them in pink and red sprinkles.
  • Melon Hearts – Easily sneak in a little healthy to your feast with these melon hearts.
  • Beverages – You can click on this Pin to order printables to embellish drinks, or you can simply glue paper hearts to the outside of water bottles or plastic tumblers, and even insert a straw through one. Our advice as veteran parents – with all the sugar in the treats, no need to serve a sugary beverage, too. Stick to water or milk!

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Take-Home Treats & Party Favors

Order a simple sewing pattern from Craftsy to create magical wands & crown that are sure to thrill any of the little princesses attending. Stick them in a vase for instant decoration, too. Rely on free printables to embellish bags of candy for a tasty take-home.

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