Holidays are my favorite, and it is really important to me to make them fun and memorable for my kids. On Valentines Day, I really want my kids to feel extra loved with simple traditions that we can keep going year after year. My husband would probably say I am a little over the top for holidays, but I say it’s just right.
Instead of going out on Valentines Day and fighting the crazy crowds, we have a special Valentines meal at home. It changes each year depending on what works for our schedule that year. But it’s typically either breakfast or dinner. If I do breakfast, I make chocolate chip pancakes and bacon with plenty of berries and whipped cream. If I do dinner, I usually go for steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus. When I set the table, I add Valentines Placemats and a small treat. My mom always bought us one of those small heart shaped chocolate boxes every year. It was something simple that I looked forward to each year, so I try to get a small chocolate box or something similar for my kids. I also love to make floats to have for desert on Valentines (I’ll share a recipe for that next week! So watch for that!)
Today I’m sharing how I make a quick and easy Valentines Placemat that your whole family will love! You probably have everything you need for it already! And after the ‘tutorial’ I’ve included a few valentines gift ideas for your kids.
Heart Placemat
A few years ago, I was trying to come up with something sweet to add to our Valentines Day breakfast. It was last minute (literally late the night before) so I needed something that I had all the materials for already. I came up with these super simple hearts! They are so simple so I’ve kept making them each year. And my kids absolutely LOVE them too! Here is what you need:
- Cardstock Paper – one piece of paper for each member of your family, including yourself. (You could use regular printer paper as well if that is what you’ve got, I just prefer thicker cardstock for these)
- Scissors
- Sharpie
- Pen
To start, fold your paper in half hamburger style (okay did you learn to fold things hamburger and hot dog style in school too? Or was that just a weird Wyoming thing). Once it’s folded, draw half a heart on the fold. Then grab your scissors and cut out the heart. Repeat for each piece of paper.
When you have a heart cut for each family member, use the sharpie to write a family members name in the middle of the heart. Do this for each heart.
Now you should have a heart for each family member with their name on it. Next, go through each heart and with your pen write inside the heart all the things you love about that person! (For the heart with my name on it, I hand it to my husband or I fill it with all the things I love about myself).
Once you’re done, you’ve got heart “placemats!” Sometimes I put them under the plates, but I also really like to just put them on top of their empty plates. Then they can read their hearts while I load up their plates. After Valentines Day, we put them on our fridge for a couple weeks. My kids love to see them there and will re-read them often. I’ve also punched holes in them and strung them up in our living room for a bit. You could also include some crayons on next to the plates so your kids can color their hearts while they read them.
Valentines Gift Ideas For Your Kids
To top off the placemats, I like to include a small gift for each kid. The gift is almost always a small, heart shaped box of chocolates for each of them. You could also do a different small treat, jewelry, small lego set, or a stuffed animal.
I hope this makes your Valentines Day extra special for your kids this year!
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