Is a giant teddy bear or a box of chocolates the best way to show love to our children on Valentine’s Day? There’s nothing wrong with tangible gifts if you have the means and get joy out of it. However, I think there are more impactful ways to show your love in place of or in addition to toys and candy.
I enjoy taking any opportunity to celebrate God’s gifts and remind my family how much I love them, but we are right on the heels of Christmas. If your kids are like mine, the last thing they need is more toys to stuff into their overflowing toy bins. Gifts from the Valentine’s aisle at your local store are usually cheap, useless items anyway. The gifts our children really need (and secretly want, even though they may not realize it) are our time, attention, and affection.
Here are four gift ideas that will impact their hearts and minds long after the thrill of the giant teddy bear has dissipated and the chocolates are gone.
1. Quality time coupons
Your children would love a book of coupons they can cash in for your time and attention. You can make your own or use this free printable coupon book. Your coupons can cater to each child’s interest. It’s a good idea, too, to add some activities they may not have tried before. It could spur a new interest in your child. Plus, and most importantly, it gives your child permission and a way to ask for what they really want – time, attention, affirmation, and affection. Some children may not know they can ask you for that, or they don’t know how. This gives them an easy opening.
This printable includes coupons for one-on-one activities with each parent and the whole family, as well as a few blank cards to write your own ideas.
2. One-on-one date invitation or calendar
Maybe you can plan a date night (or afternoon) with each of your children. Especially if you have multiple littles, it can be hard to give personal attention to just one. So, 2-3 hours dedicated to each child can go a long way in building bonds.
Maybe you plan an outing with you, your spouse, and one child at a time, while the other two stay with a family member or babysitter. Maybe you can work out a time when mom and dad individually can spend time with each child.
To make it extra special, buy or make an invitation and give it to the child. Or, make a huge posterboard sign asking them for an evening out. If it works for prom dates, it can work for parent-child dates, right?
Can you plan these parent-child dates months or even a year in advance? How neat would it be to give your child a calendar that already has the dates written in, so they can look forward to that time together?
3. Fun family outing
A family outing could be as simple as a day at the park (if it’s warm enough) or as elaborate as a trip to the zoo. But planning some time the whole family can spend together, undistracted by work, video games, school, and other obligations, can be a wonderful opportunity to make core memories and build your relationship with your kids. Here are a few ideas to get your mind thinking:
- Park day with a picnic, bicycles or scooters, playground time, and football
- Zoo
- Aquarium
- Visit a new city or part of a city you’ve never been
- Hiking
- Overnight camping (backyard or camp ground)
- Amusement park
What kind of outings does your family like to take together?
4. Love notes
“Love notes” sounds cheesy, but hear me out. Many people like the idea of making a “heart attack” on your child’s bedroom door on Valentine’s Day. This is where you write something you love about your child on dozens of paper hearts and stick them to your child’s door. I honestly love this idea, too. If words of affirmation are your child’s love language, this could be very meaningful to them. I still have encouraging notes my mom wrote to me when I was a child and teenager.
At the same time, I’m afraid my boys might get a little embarrassed. If that’s also the case with you, maybe you could write all the wonderful things about your child on pieces of paper and give them in a more private, less attention-grabbing manner. You could slip them into his or her notebook, backpack, and lunchbox. Or hide them around their room where they will eventually find them (mirror, sock drawer, closet, etc.). You might put the love notes in a pretty jar or write them in a notebook to give them on Valentine’s Day. The best part about the latter two options is you can add to the jar or notebook each year. As they grow, they will have a growing list of little love notes from their parents to look back on.
Do you have other fun or unique ways to love on your kids for Valentine’s Day? Share them in the comments or let me know if you try one of these!
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