Kids & Company Blog

Finding Balance Between Gift Giving and Acts of Love on Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day is often associated with extravagant gifts and romantic gestures, but at its core, it's about celebrating love in all its forms. In this blog, we'll explore how to strike a balance between gift-giving and emphasizing the true essence of Valentine's Day – love, friendship, and family.

A Short History of Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day, originally a Christian feast day honoring Saint Valentine, has evolved over centuries into a celebration of romantic love and affection. The true identity of Saint Valentine is unclear, but one popular legend suggests that Saint Valentine was a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II's decree against marriages for young men, secretly marrying couples in love. He was eventually martyred for his actions, and his feast day, February 14th, has been celebrated as Valentine's Day since the Middle Ages. We still celebrate this day, and it is a great opportunity to teach our children about love, kindness, and friendships!

Thoughtful Gift-Giving

While gift-giving is a common tradition on Valentine's Day, it's important to share with children why we give gifts. Gift giving expresses our love and appreciation for others, and shows them that we’re thinking about them. This means that instead of solely focusing on extravagant presents, budget-friendly gift ideas that hold sentimental value can leave a lasting impact - sometimes more than an expensive one! 

This year, work with your child on creating personalized gifts, handmade crafts, or making thoughtful gestures to their loved ones. Check out this blog to get some ideas for Crafting Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day Gifts!

 

Thinking of Loved Ones

Valentine's Day is often associated with romantic love, but it's also a great opportunity to celebrate all forms of love, including friendship and familial bonds. Friends and family play a crucial role in our lives by providing love, support and companionship through both joyful moments and challenging times, which fosters a wonderful sense of belonging and connection.

While you and your child brainstorm how to celebrate Valentine’s Day, help them write out a list of special people in their life that they’d like to show love and appreciation to. From their friends in child care to their grandparents, this list can be as long as they’d like!

 

Handwritten Notes

One gift that can very clearly express love and affection is a handwritten note. You can spark some ideas by asking your child what were some moments of gratitude or appreciation they had for the recipient, such as preparing a favorite meal, offering their favorite toy, or simply being a good friend. Giving thanks for these special memories will show the recipient how much you appreciate them. 

 

The Gift of Time: Celebrating with Friends and Family

Valentine's Day presents a great opportunity for children to get creative in sharing their love. From crafting handmade cards to baking delicious treats, there are plenty of activities to keep children engaged and entertained on this special day that the whole family can do to spend quality time together! 

Here are some ideas: 

1. Valentine's Day Card Making: Children can get creative with paper, markers, stickers, and glitter to craft personalized cards for family members and friends.
2. Baking Valentine's Day Treats: children can help bake heart-shaped cookies, cupcakes, or brownies and decorate them with pink and red frosting, sprinkles, and candy hearts.
3. Valentine's Day Crafts: Try creating homemade heart suncatchers (like the one in this video here), creating a love-filled collage, making friendship bracelets, or decorating photo frames to give to loved ones.
4. Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt: Set up a scavenger hunt around the house or yard with clues leading to Valentine's Day-themed surprises and treats.
5. Valentine's Day Storytime: Read Valentine's Day-themed books together as a family, or encourage children to write and illustrate their own stories about love and friendship.
6. Valentine's Day Dance Party: Create a playlist of love-themed songs and have a dance party at home with the whole family.
7. Valentine's Day Movie Night: Snuggle up together and watch a family-friendly Valentine's Day movie, complete with popcorn and cozy blankets.

The idea with each of these activities is to foster creativity, kindness, and love in children, making Valentine's Day a memorable and meaningful celebration for the whole family. The most important part: spending quality time together!

 

Random Acts of Kindness

Did you know that “random acts of kindness” day is February 17th? It ties in perfectly with Valentine’s Day in February- a month dedicated to sharing the love! Here are some random acts that you and your child can try this month to show love and appreciation to the planet, family friends, community and other loved ones:

1. Clean up litter in your neighborhood or park
2. Visit a local nursing home to spend time with elderly residents
3. Bake cookies for a friend or neighbor
4. Donate gently used toys or clothes to a local charity or shelter
5. Something as simple as holding the door open!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

As Valentine's Day approaches, let's shift our focus away from material gifts, and instead, towards meaningful connections. As we celebrate this day, remind your children that gift-giving is not the only way to show someone that you love them. Teach them the joy of creating meaningful memories and expressing love through simple yet heartfelt gestures.  Wishing you a happy and love-filled Valentine's Day!

Posted on: Monday February 12th, 2024

Posted by: Kids & Company