We’ve put together a list of creative Valentine’s Day gift ideas that will last longer than another heart-shaped box of chocolates - and make your child feel loved and special!
1. Experience Gifts - Show your kids that you have been paying attention to their interests by planning a special outing to somewhere in line with their hobbies or interests – the batting cages for your baseball fan or a farm tour for your animal lover. Create a “coupon book” specific to your child with “tickets” they can cash in for simple experiences that show you appreciate their uniqueness and spending time together. The experiences don’t have to be anything expensive, just things that make your child feel special like a one-on-one trip to their favorite ice cream shop, a visit to a favorite playground, or a pass for extra screen time.
2. Handwritten Notes - Our kids love to give us handmade gifts and we love to receive them. Why not take a cue from our kids and give them something handmade? You don’t have to be a writer or an artist to create something your child will love. One year I taped paper hearts with handwritten messages on my children’s bedroom doors the first 14 mornings of February. Some hearts just had a simple “I love you” but others were more personalized with notes like “You are a helpful big sister” or “You are a considerate friend.” These little notes helped them to know that the little parts of their day and aspects of their personalities were important.
3. Photo Scrapbooks - We’ve all got a thousand photos on our phones, but for most of us they stay on our devices and rarely get printed. One year my children received the sweetest gift from a family member of blank scrapbooks and stacks of 4x6 prints of family memories. The kids had the best time remembering fun-filled days together as they looked through the photos. They spent hours cutting, gluing and decorating their own personal scrapbooks and still pull them out years later to enjoy silly baby photos of themselves and seeing how much our family has changed in such a few short years. This simple gift is twofold – providing a fun activity for a rainy day indoors and creating a lasting memory book they will cherish forever.
4. Keepsake Hand-Me-Downs - For a gift idea that won’t cost a thing but will be infinitely valuable for your child, consider a special keepsake hand-me-down of something you already own. My girls’ grandmother recently gave them sweet charm bracelets from the 1960s that belonged to her and her sister as children, and contained fun charms from places they visited and memorable milestones. My girls got to learn about their grandmother and it was extra special that these bracelets came from another set of sisters just like them. Most of us have memory boxes of things from our past stored away up on a top shelf of a closet. They may not contain things of monetary value but sharing them and the personal history behind the items is an invaluable gift our children can enjoy which connects them to the past and the people they love.
5. Family Fun Night - Planning a special family Valentine’s Day celebration at home is an easy way to let our kids know we value spending time with them. You can celebrate in any way your family enjoys spending time together, whether that is a family board game night, crafting time or baking a special treat together. The important thing is keeping it simple and stress-free. Dress up their favorite kid-friendly meal by pulling out your fancy dishes and tableware, even if you are just serving up chicken nuggets and apple juice.
6. Meaningful Books - No matter the occasion, books always make for a special gift. Books about love, kindness and family time are great choices for Valentine’s Day. Instead of a traditional card, write a personalized message inside the front cover of a print book. If you want to take your book giving to the next level, Make Momentos offers keepsake e-books for children that you can personalize with a special video message and the gift of your own voice narrating the story. Have you ever saved the voicemail of a loved one and found comfort in hearing their voice long after the message was sent? With Make Momentos, the personalized recordings of a loved one’s voice reading a sweet story becomes a cherished keepsake that can be listened to over and over and passed down to future generations.