Once Christmas is over, Valentine’s Day is the next big gift-giving event and is one that everyone can get involved in – including young children. So, there is no time like the present to plan the perfect Valentine’s Day party for your kids.
PinHow to Plan a Valentine’s Day Party for Kids
Many people think that Valentine’s Day is just for lovers, but this is not true as love can mean different things to different people. Where children are concerned, Valentine’s Day is something they learn about at an early age and is all about friendship and giving gifts to those around them, such as mother, father, siblings, and friends. A Valentine’s party is therefore a great way for them to celebrate the event. Here are some fun Valentine’s Day party ideas for families!
Plan your party well in advance
To ensure that your party goes to plan, make sure that you plan ahead. Buy a notebook and jot everything down that you would like to include in the party. Make lists for food, decorations, games and even music – don’t get caught out!
Make sure that your party is age-specific
Before planning any party, make sure that you consider the ages of the children very carefully, as you will need to think about the music, the games, the food, the drink, the length of the party, and the amount of supervision that will be required – a house full of five-year-olds, for example, could be pretty exhausting with limited adult supervision!
Does your child have a birthday on or around Valentine’s Day?
If your child has a birthday at this time, it could be the perfect time to incorporate it with Valentine’s Day. A Valentine’s birthday party would have all the excitement of any other party, and have a great theme to go with it. You could even consider making it fancy dress so that all your party guests can come along in any attire they wish, as long as it is linked to Valentine’s Day.
PinHow much space will you need?
This is an important consideration, as the younger the children are the more space they will require to run around in. If you have limited space, you may have to consider a small party or a different location. Alternatively, if you live in an area where you can depend on the weather during the month of February, then you will always have the option of having your party outdoors.
Decide on a suitable day for the party
You don’t need to have your party on Valentine’s Day itself for it to be a great Valentine’s party. It may be that the 14th falls on a school day, so you may need to consider having the party on one of the nearest weekend days
Invitations
Don’t buy your Valentine’s Day invitations, use this essential part of your party planning as a way of keeping your child, and possibly siblings too, occupied by allowing them to use their creativity. Buy some card, red paper, small decorations, coloured letters, etc., or even find some useful items from around the house that could be used to make great Valentine’s invitations – remember that they don’t all need to be the same, and they will look even better if they are made by the child themselves. You may need to help young children a little, particularly with some supervision where things like scissors are concerned, and you may need to start them well in advance of the party to ensure that they are all finished in plenty of time! Don’t forget to include RSVPs to ensure that you know how many children are coming.
PinDecorations
You will of course be able to purchase a variety of Valentine’s Day decorations, but, once again, if you have enough time, this could be another opening to enable your child/children to use some creativity – they could possibly even get their friends involved in this too. Whatever decorations you put up, remember to think about where you position them and what you attach them to if you are inviting young children – accidents can easily happen, and no one wants anything like that to spoil their party.
PinParty food
Party food is an area where you, and even your children, can let your imaginations run wild. Heart-shaped sandwiches, jellies and cookies are a must, and don’t forget the large heart-shaped cake with candles. You can even make the conventional sausage roll into a heart shaped pastry filled with sausage meat, and cut pieces of cheese into hearts before adding grapes pineapple, etc. – the ideas are endless!
Drinks
You can have lots of fun with Valentine’s Day drinks too. Try adding natural red food colouring to lemonade, or add a little strawberry or raspberry jam, vanilla extract and a drop of red colouring to milk. A variety of red juices can also be mixed together to make fruit cocktails, such as cranberry, cherry, and red grape. Decorate your drinks too by dipping the rims in sherbet or pink sugar and popping in a heart-shaped piece of fruit on a stick – again, take care with sharp objects where very young children are concerned
PinGames
Valentine’s Day game ideas are endless, so you will never be stuck for ideas. It is best to have more games planned than you think you will need, just in case one or two don’t last as long as you expect them to. It is also worth remembering that young children have a short attention span, so make sure that each game doesn’t last too long.
The games you choose will again depend on the age range of the children, but games like musical chairs set out in a heart shape, a heart-shaped pass the parcel game, and hide-and-seek where the children have to find all the heart-shaped gifts hidden around the room, house or garden, will always go down well with young children. You can also play a match-the-heart game where cardboard hearts are decorated and then cut in half. Each person then has to find the person with the heart that matches theirs. If you want a few quieter games to wind everyone down a bit, then you could play pin the arrow on the heart, instead of pinning the tail on the donkey. Colouring competitions to see who can produce the best heart, and who can find the most words on the valentine’s word search, can also be fun games to play.
Music
Plan your music beforehand. If you don’t want to compile a CD of suitable valentine’s songs, then you can always buy a CD, such as Valentine’s Day Songs for Kids, which includes songs like Be My Valentine, All My Love, Love Story, and Let Me Call You Sweetheart.
When it’s time to go home
PinWhen the party comes to an end, don’t forget about those Valentine’s Day party favours. Little mesh bags can easily be made by cutting out squares of mesh material, filling them with heart-shaped chocolates, love heart sweets, or any other Valentine’s Day treats, and then tying them up with red or pink ribbons – the perfect end to the perfect party!
It’s nice