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My son’s first Valentine’s Day at school in Germany left me scrambling at the last minute. I’d made it to the base Exchange too late — the traditional boxes of themed sign-and-tear cards I remember giving away to my classmates when I was a little girl had long-since been sold out. So, I did what any slightly frazzled mom with good intentions would do … I took a deep breath, brushed off my frustration and improvised.
Still trying to come up with a Valentine’s Day card game plan for your child’s class? Let me help.
1. Download free printables.
Pinterest — the resource moms tend to either love or hate for its endless amount of inspiration — has free printable Valentine’s Day cards for kids. Simply download, print, sign and cut! If you feel like going the extra mile, you can even attach it to a piece of your child’s favorite candy.
2. Say cheese.
Snap a photo of your child with his or her arm outstretched (as if he/she is holding an invisible balloon). Upload it to a free editing program like Picmonkey.com, and add text and clipart to your liking. Print the image at an instant kiosk (if you don’t know where to find one in your community, ask crafting gurus on a local Facebook page). Cut a thin line on the top and bottom of your child’s photographed fist with an X-Acto knife or a sharp pair of scissors. Insert lollipop, and your child is ready to pass them out to his or her friends. Check out this adorable example on JugglingWithKids.com.
3. Get crafty.
Take an inventory of what you already have around the house (construction paper, homemade Playdoh ingredients, crayons, paint, snacks, bags of leftover candy, etc.) and come up with a quick-and-easy craft activity. You get to spend quality time with your child while he or she gets to make unique Valentine’s Day cards to share with friends. Win-win. Visit SavingByDesign.com for inspiration.
Looking for food-free alternatives? There are tons of crafty ideas on LilAllergyAdvocates.com.
4. Bake a batch.
Encourage your child to help you bake a batch of his or her favorite sweet treat (cookies, brownies, rice cereal treats, etc.). Once they’ve cooled, place them in bags and attach a homemade label. Easy peasy.
5. Give a healthy sweet treat.
Attach pairs of googly eyes to oranges or bananas. You can even draw faces or write messages on the skins with a permanent marker. Or bag them and attach clever sayings. My favorites for bananas are “I’ve picked you for my Valentine” and “Let’s never split!” For oranges, choose something like “Orange you glad we’re friends?” or “Peel the love, Valentine!”
