Many of us moms have children still at home and kids at school. Some of us have toddlers and some of us home school older kids- but whatever the reason is for having kids at home I think we can all agree that it makes us a little sad inside every time a holiday comes up and they don’t get to celebrate it with their peers. It upsets me so much that I try to go the extra mile on holidays because I want my kids to have fun too. Here are some ideas I have found that you can do with your kids at home- that might even be fun for you too!!
Mail Valentines
Just because you aren’t in school doesn’t mean you can’t give your friends Valentines! My son is three and he is old enough to enjoy going to the store and buying his own set of Valentines. Lots of toddlers would enjoy putting stickers on Valentines for their friends or cousins and talking about each person while they make their Valentine. They can even poke that little heart shaped sucker through the card. (Fine motor skills practice, amiright??) They may need your help with addressing envelopes and writing names though..
Bake and Make!
If you are cringing at the number of stamps it would take to send 20 something Valentine’s through the mail, try something a little different. Like making cookies! When is making cookies a bad idea? Luckily for you, I have the BEST sugar cookie recipe EVER. It’s always worth another mention because everyone’s belly needs to be blessed by these cookies. The great thing about them is they are perfect for decorating. All you need to buy is a heart shaped cookie cutter! You can also share the extra cookies with your neighbors or friends. (if there are any…)
Here’s a recipe for Strawberry floats my family makes every year- they are so good and kids who aren’t “cookie people” always go for these babies!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- cherries (optional)
- vanilla ice cream
- strawberry soda
- cool whip (optional)
Directions:
- put two scoops of vanilla ice cream into a cup
- pour strawberry soda on top (like you would a root beer float)
- garnish the top with cool whip and cherries! (keep in mind that some kids will be turned off by the fact that there is an actual cherry on top even though the whole drink is flavored like cherries) 😉
Decorate!
If you don’t want to risk a messy kitchen, or use all your stamps, pull out your craft box! All you really need is some construction paper cut in the shapes of hearts! Let your kids decorate the house for the special day. Coloring hearts and cutting out other decorations are sure to keep them occupied for a while. You can also use that construction paper to make cards for grandparents rather than all your cousins!
About Brittany:
Brittany was born and raised in Alabama. She is a Wife and Mama of two sweet babies- her son John is two years old and her daughter Annie is ten months old. She has her degree in Home and Family Studies with an emphasis on Child Development from BYU.
