Fun Ideas For a Homeschool Valentine's Day

We homeschoolers just love to make things educational. And why not? Even holidays such as Valentine's Day are great opportunities for learning (see the article Teaching Love: A Homeschool Valentine's Day for Children for some ideas on creative ways to show children how to love others). But even die-hard academics have to take a break from time to time and just have some fun! With a day set aside specifically to show our loved ones just how much they mean to us, there’s no better time to get creative and simply enjoy our kids. Here are some fun ideas to make a homeschool Valentine's Day special:

• Show your child how “mad” you are about him or her. This fun idea from Disney Family Fun involves wrapping up mad libs with special messages on hearts for each child. This is a perfect Valentine’s Day gift to have waiting at the breakfast table for older kids!
• Make cards for others. Have your kids make a Valentine’s Day card for their father, sibling, or friend. Check out this cute stained glass window card as one fun idea!
• Make a special breakfast. Check out these cute red and golden heart pancakes for a festive Valentine’s Day morning meal. Or make these Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.
• Create some Valentine’s Day decorations. Deck the halls together to bring out Valentine’s Day cheer! Consider this Salt Dough Heart Wreath for a simple yet fun decoration multiple ages can enjoy making.
• Bake some Valentine’s Day treats. What is Valentine’s Day without a little sugar? Kids will love to make these Valentine’s Day Stained Glass Cookies, which are beautiful as well as tasty! Or try making these Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts for peanut butter chocolate lovers!
• Put up mailboxes for the family. Purchase small mailboxes (such as the ones at The Terpblog) or make your own (such as the ideas at FamilyCorner.com) and put them up in a central location in the home the week prior to Valentine’s Day. Encourage each family member to deliver valentines to each member of the family throughout the week, telling each family member what they love about him or her! Open the mailboxes and read the valentines on February 14^th.
• Give some love coupons. Create some coupons (or print out ones like those at Unfortunately Oh!) and write a special thing on each that you can give to or do for each child. The child must cash in the coupon to get the special! Some examples: Go on a special one-on-one date with the child, a free pass from doing an expected chore, a back rub, a special dessert or treat, movie night, etc.
• Host a Valentine’s Day tea for the children. This idea is especially wonderful for little girls. Homespun With Love offers photos and ideas for a wonderful Valentine’s Day tea to make the day super special.
• Make a Valentine’s Day pencil holder. Have too many pencils lying around? Try this fun pencil holder craft to organize your homeschool supplies and celebrate Valentine’s Day at the same time!
• Make Rolo Wraps. This cute idea from Shauna Younge (scroll down to the bottom of the page) involves rolling Rolo candies with wrapping paper, and writing a special message to the child on the inside.
• Create paper flowers. Make these tissue paper flowers with your children, or make one flower ahead of time for each child. Place the paper flower at the child’s breakfast place on Valentine’s Day, along with a note of something specific that you love about him or her.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!