This past Christmas I shared so many of our favorite family traditions from taking our family photos in October and our yearly Fall Feast to our Secret Santa and New Year’s Eve traditions and it’s safe to say you guys LOVED it! I was getting messages from other moms sharing the ways they started incorporating some of our favorite traditions into their own family’s Christmas season. Wow!
I’m honored that you guys not only love hearing about them but also want to know more about how to implement these traditions in your own family. And as always, I’m an open book for you!
Today, I’m excited to share our favorite Valentine’s Day traditions for your littles. This blog is all about how you can make your littles feel loved this Valentine’s Day.
This list was made just by simply sharing all the sweet traditions my mom did for us growing up and we looked forward to every year! I hope they bring a little extra love into your home too!
Take Little Girls to Have Nails Done
My mom, sister & I have been going for as long as I can remember to get our nails done. Always such a fun way to get into the Valentine’s Day feel with a fresh coat of pink polish (and maybe a little heart design!).
You can just as easily buy a pink polish and have a little mommy-girls night at home and make this a special moment for you and your girls.
Make Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
Such an easy and fun way to kick off the celebration. We use THIS sugar cookie recipe, heart-shaped cutouts, a little pink frosting, and some sprinkles… yum! Let the kids go to town with it!
Decorating With Fresh Flowers… Take The Pressure Off Dad
My Mom was always good about letting my dad off the hook here and it made a fun memory for us kids by going and picking out our own bouquet. For almost all the big holidays we loved running over to Trader Joe’s and picking up a pretty bouquet to decorate the house.
Making Valentines Together For The Family
Our family has both gone to a public school & been homeschooled. So I remember having the class parties passing our Valentines to everyone. When we came home we were old enough not to miss that, however, for the homeschoolers, you can easily bring this concept home by crafting a few valentines for the family and passing them out at dinner.
Totally Red Dinner
This was our favorite Valentine’s Day tradition growing up! Every year my mom would make a totally red dinner! We would decorate the table with a deep red tablecloth, red candles, red napkins, and hearts all over. And for dinner, she would make spaghetti and meatballs with red wine (for the adults) and all red sides: chocolate-covered strawberries, red apples, red grapes, cherry tomatoes, and red bell peppers. She gets an A+ for creativity! And us kids went crazy over it!
Love Note on the Table
Before we sat down to dinner, my mom would surprise us with a GIANT Hersey’s Kiss next to our place setting. And with it, she would leave a note written on pink and red paper in the shape of a heart. She usually included a bible verse and words that she thought described us.
You can also print off a picture either of just your little one or you with them and add that to the note with the candy. And if the thought of actually printing off your favorite photos feels a schoosh daunting, then be sure to grab my free BG Checklist that walks you through it step by step (the simplest way possible!)
Side Note: If you’re looking for a yummy chocolate that has less sugar and is healthier we love Enjoy Life Chocolate or for no sugar Lilly’s is my all-time fave!!
Strength Bombardment at Dinner
This is a tradition my family does on birthdays, however, I think it could be really sweet to do it during dinner on Valentine’s Day.
It’s called a strength bombardment. You go around in a circle and share all the ways and things you are proud of that person for, things you admire, and things you enjoy. You share the way God has blessed you by having them in your life. Bring your tissues to the party… It’s a tearjerker.
We live in a world that is constantly either telling people lies, knocking them down, or forgetting to acknowledge each other. And it is so incredibly powerful to take a few minutes to tell people just how much you love them!
Maybe for Valentine’s Day, you go around giving each person a turn in the hotspot, taking turns sharing a few of the ways you love them.
We’ve revised this a bit for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day (since my Mom’s birthday is only a week from Mother’s Day), we go in a circle and share our favorite memory with that person. This usually makes for a really fun evening full of laughter!
Saying, “I Love You”
Last but not least, the simple act of saying I love you goes a long way. This could be lots of hugs, back rubs, and kisses! May these sweet touches just be a little extra in your home on Valentine’s Day!
I love this quote I saw the other day,
“Parenting is the art of loving fiercely, teaching gently, and nurturing endlessly; it’s a love that knows no bounds and grows stronger with each passing day.”
May Valentine’s Day only emphasize the love that is already in your home! I hope these few traditions that our family loves give you a few ideas on how to get creative with celebrating Valentine’s Day. And if you have any traditions you love, I would love to hear them! Go ahead and leave them in the comments below to share with others!
Here’s to all the parents loving their kiddos well! It’s not always an easy jo loving fiercely, teaching gently, and nurturing endlessly, but you moms make it look easy.
Good work Mama!
