When you have children, Valentine’s Day isn’t all about intimate candle‐lit dinners, romantic picnics or moonlight strolls anymore.
In fact, unless you hire a babysitter (which can be especially costly on such a popular date night), you’re more likely to spend it at home with your family. But you don’t have to stick to your usual daily routine. Rather, you can make your home a haven to express your love for your children, your partner, your parents, or anyone else who is special in your life.
Aimee Miller, Marketing and Sales Manager of online retailer Teljoy, says there are many ways you can make Valentine’s Day a special, happy time at home with your family.
“There are lots of free or inexpensive activities that you can do together, many of which cost less than a night out on the town for two. You can also use this special occasion to invest in items that will ensure quality family time for the long‐term,” says Miller.
So, how many ways can you celebrate with your loved ones this February? Miller shares her tips for how to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and the month of love, as a family.
Get crafting
Grab some colourful stationery (crayons, ink pads, glitter pens) and go wild. It might get a little messy, but that’s part of the fun. Help your kids make Valentine’s cards for mom, dad, teachers, friends, or each other. You can also make fingerprint trees or hand and footprints to commemorate the occasion. Or why not decorate your house with cut‐out paper hearts?
Plan a date day
Have a family date day at home by throwing your usual routine out the window and instead scheduling in some fun quality time. You can do this by making breakfast together (pancakes, waffles or french toast are all good to get everyone mucking in), have a picnic or camp out in your garden, play board games or charades, or simply do whatever it is you love doing as a family but don’t always make the time for.
Cook a family feast
Cook a celebratory meal, set a table and then feast together. You could make a family favourite, use a new recipe you’ve been wanting to try or learn a new skill together like making homemade pasta or ice cream from scratch.
Just be sure to include everyone in the process. Don’t let little ones loose around the oven, of course, but you can get everyone involved washing vegetables, making a salad, mashing potatoes, or even washing up. Baking together is also a great way to get everyone involved with stirring, mixing and, of course, eating half of the batter before you’ve actually made anything.
Watch a movie
Plan a family movie night, complete with tubs of popcorn, sweets and drinks and settle in for laughter, tears and quality time. Choose a good family‐friendly romantic comedy like The Princess Bride, Ever After, You’ve Got Mail, While You Were Sleeping or animated classics like Beauty and the Beast, Lady and the Tramp, Aladdin or Gnomeo and Juliet, to name a few.
Story time
It’s said that there is no app that can replace your lap. Jolabokaflod is a tradition in Iceland where people exchange books as gifts on Christmas Eve. But there’s no reason it couldn’t become a Valentine’s Day tradition for your family. There are many Valentine’s themed books for children, or simply choose books you know your loved ones will enjoy.
Leave little love notes
All you need for this is paper, a pen and your own creativity. Leave hand‐written messages around your home for your family, tucked away in the places you know they are likely to look. Perhaps put them in your partner’s sock drawer, in the kitchen cupboard next to the mugs, or in your child’s lunch box.
Whatever you decide to do this month of romance, make it a time you and your family will never forget!
