If you're anything like us, you're constantly looking for ways to make holidays and celebrations more fun and meaningful. 

BUT. We know some people really love to hate everything about Valentine's Day. The commercialization. The pink and red. The candy. The hearts on everything. The loooooove. 

But we are not those people. We love Valentine's Day. Not just because of how much we love pink and red together (my dream), any excuse to eat more candy (Irene's dream), but because we love any opportunity to tell our friends and family how much we love them.

Whether you're a lover or hater of the national Day of Love, here are 6 small ways to make Valentine's Day special with your littlest loves.

1. Bake (or buy) a sweet treat together.

Whipping up something festive in the kitchen is a really fun way to make their Valentine's Day a little sweeter. Now, we're not talking about pastry-chef status if you don't enjoy baking. Feel free to grab an easy cookie mix from Target or even the love-themed Break-And-Bakes from the refrigerated section. If you can't face another kitchen mess, swing by a local bakery and grab the goods from the professionals. Any way you do it, it should be fun!

If you're feeling ambitious and are a fan of Crumbl, I wholeheartedly recommend these Copycat Crumbl Pink Sugar Cookies. 

 

2. Bring them in on the Class Valentines prep.

Allow your kids to be part of the fun of exchanging Valentines with their classmates. Whether you're a store-bought Valentine mom, a DIY-er (bless you), or a Persnickety Class Valentine mom (did you see our candy-free Class Valentines?!), let your littles write their classmates' names (if they can), sign them with their own names, or add stickers and scribbles if that's more age-appropriate. They'll be even more excited to pass them out at school if they get to be part of it! 

Plus, who doesn't love their wild and entirely disproportionate handwriting?

 

3. Delight them with a little gift.

Turns out, parents are more likely to gift their children something than their spouse on Valentine's Day. According to a survey the Today show conducted a few years ago, 59% of spouses planned on giving their partner a Valentine's Day gift while 85% of parents planned to give their children a Valentine's Day gift. 

This is precisely why we launched SEVEN themed Valentine's Bundles to make their Valentine's Day a little extra special this year. Each bundle features two or three gifts and a coordinating (and punny) Valentine's Card, complete with a fill-in on the back for you to keep. 

Full of treasures you'll both adore and puns to warm your heart, you'll show your littles ones how much you love them—without buying gifts you'll end up hating.

 

4. Read, read, read.

If you've been around awhile, you know we love to read. And we especially love a themed read. Here are a few of our Valentine's Day favorites: I Love You Like No Otter, Guess How Much I Love You, I'll Love you Till The Cows Come Home, Love You Forever, Happy Valentine's Day, Curious George, Love From The Crayons, and Little Blue Truck's Valentine.

 

5. Get crafty.

If you're a crafty mama, you know what to do. Hop on Pinterest and pick a fun craft to do together!

If you're a no-so-crafty mama, grab a craft kit like this fun felt craft, this love bug kit, or this paint-your-own heart trinket box. 

 

6. Share the love.

At one meal on Valentine's Day, go around the table telling each other one thing you love about each member of your crew. From the small quirks to big personality traits, this practice will spark some heartwarming (and probably funny) memories! 

See? Valentine's Day doesn't have to be all about romantic love. It can be filled with family fun!