A Life In Review

Last year I had so much fun writing two separate holiday activity posts, so I figured I would continue this year with another holiday. Valentine’s Day isn’t a huge deal around here, but as Georgia (our toddler) gets older, I feel like we will do more, for her sake. Here you will find 5 super fun activities to do with your kiddos. Each activity is laid out with what you will need for the activity and directions for said activity.

** Also, just a quick shameless plug to check out last years Valentine’s Day date ideas post. It was one of my top posts of 2021. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner it’s time to plan something fun for a day of love. You can find that post here. **

** Also, Also, there are no pictures, you’ll have to use your imagination. I know some bloggers are good about taking pictures of every activity, and one day that’s my goal, but for now I will over explain and try to give you a verbal visual. I promise these are super easy and you won’t need a picture to figure them out. **

1. Valentine’s Day Box: This is probably the easiest and most well known Valentine’s Day activity/craft. I made one for my toddler so that she has it to use year after year. Of course if you are letting your kiddo decorate their own, it will LOOK like a kid decorated it.
What You’ll Need: Small shoe box or bin with a lid || Construction paper || Holiday
stickers || Markers (and a sharpie for you) || Glue or Tape || Ribbon
Directions: Each kid will get their own box to decorate. The idea of this box is to collect
all of their Valentine’s for the day, in one place. Make sure to write their name on it
and just have fun. If you are brave, glitter is always super cute for projects like this one. I
usually have my daughter’s sitting on the counter for the morning of Valentine’s Day with
a little something inside of it. That way when she wakes up she gets a little treat to start
her day.

2. Heart Stacking Contest: This is another super easy activity, especially if you have a competitive family. Adding a prize is a great way to get everyone involved. Picture literally stacking conversation hearts.
What You’ll Need: Conversation Hearts (1 box per person playing) || Tweezers (cheap
ones from the dollar store would work) || A tournament bracket sheet (linked here) ||
A flat surface || A timer || Small box of chocolate hearts (for a prize)
Directions: Start by filling in the bracket sheet (if you have a super small family, then you
can just use a scoring sheet. Remember, this is supposed to be fun, but still a
competition. Pair up and face off. The goal is to stack as many conversation hearts as you
can before 30 seconds are up. If your stack falls, you have to start over. You cannot use
your fingers and you must use the tweezers (ahead of time, you may have to stretch the
tweezers out a bit to make sure that they are wide enough to pick up the hearts). Follow
the bracket until you have a winner. Make sure that there is a fun prize for the winner
(since it’s Valentine’s Day, I just suggested a box of chocolates).

3. Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin: This is a great one for your littler kiddos. I’ve seen lots of examples of holiday sensory bins and they seem super simple to set up and use (I have yet to try one of these because my toddler has been known to put everything in her mouth still). Usually I would suggest doing this outside since it can get messy, but since it’s winter here in the USA and it’s cold in most places, you’ll have to get creative and maybe use a tarp under the table. I highly recommend going to your local dollar store to find most, if not all of the things you need for this activity to keep the cost reasonable.
What You’ll Need: Medium sized bin || White rice || Red food dye || Ziplock
Bag || Wax Paper || 1 Tbls Vinegar || Measuring cups || Candy Hearts || Valentine
Cards (small) || Foam Heart Cutouts
Directions: To start you will pour 5 cups of white rice into a plastic bag. Add a few drops
of food coloring and the vinegar, to the rice and seal the bag. Shake the rice around in
the bag until you see that all (or most) of the rice has turned pink. Lay out the wax paper
on a flat surface that won’t be used for a few hours. Pour the rice out over the wax paper
and let it dry for 5-6 hours occasionally stirring the rice around to make sure that the rice
is fully drying. If you do not fully dry the rice, the kids will have their hands dyed while
playing. Once the rice is dry pour it into a bin. This is when you will add the sensory
objects. I gave some ideas above, but there are so many objects you can add for
more fun! Once everything has been added, let your kids at it. Just make sure to
supervise any little ones because obviously rice is a choking hazard.

4. Rice Krispy Tic-Tac-Toe: I am a huge fan of Rice Krispy Treats, but I always feel like I need a reason to make them. So this is my gift to you, a wonderful reason to make Rice Krispy Treats. This is kind of a two part activity, but it’s something you can do with your smaller kiddos. You can make the Rice Krispy Treats before lunch and play the game after!
What You’ll Need for Rice Krispy Treats: 1 box of Krispy Cereal || 2 tbls Margarine || 1
Package of Marshmallows || Red Food Coloring || Non-Stick Spray || X & O Cookie
Cutters || Parchment Paper || Rolling Pin || Glass Bowl
What You’ll Need for Tic-Tac-Toe: Parchment paper || Marker
Directions: In a large bowl (sprayed with non-stick spray), add 6 cups of Rice Krispy
cereal. Keep the cereal out in case you need to add more to the mixture. In a glass bowl
(sprayed well with non-stick spray), heat the package of marshmallows and margarine
for 2 minutes (check the microwave periodically to make sure that it doesn’t overflow).
When you pull out the marshmallows, drop in a few drops of food coloring (add food
coloring until marshmallow is the desired color). Stir well. Add the colored marshmallow
to the bowl of cereal. Stir well. If you don’t want them to be too marshmallowy (that’s a
word right?) add more cereal. Once mixed, scoop the treats onto parchment paper and
roll them out into a 1 – 1.5 inch sheet with a greased rolling pin. Let it sit for 1 hour. Come
back and use the cookie cutters to cut out at least five X’s and five O’s. Let those sit for
another hour or so until they are more firm and won’t be floppy when handled by the
kids. Once firm, roll out another sheet of parchment paper and draw a tic-tac-toe board
onto the paper making sure that the board will fit your X’s and O’s. If you have more kid,
you can make as many boards/ pieces as you want.

5. Marshmallow Toothpick Structures: I have done this activity both as a student and as a teacher. It is so so simple but also fun. This is a really inexpensive activity and you can use it as a snack time activity too because they can totally eat their creation when it’s complete. If you have older kids, I’ll add a note at the bottom with a great way to make this competitive.
What You’ll Need: Heart Shaped Marshmallows (1/2 – 1 bag per kid) || Toothpicks (500
count should do it) || Parchment Paper or Paper Plate
Directions: Give each kid a BUNCH of toothpicks and 1/2 to 1 bag of the marshmallows.
My suggestion is to have them build their structures on top of a plate or parchment
paper because this can get sticky. If they are little, you may need to help them. Prompt
them with ideas if needed on what to build (a truck, a house, a horse, a sleigh). This is
just a creative idea that could give you a few minutes of solace while the kids are busy.
For Older Kids: Let’s make this fun for the big kids too. You can either have a prize, or
the prize can just be epic bragging rights. They will still build structures, but you will give
them a time limit with the goal of making the tallest marshmallow/ toothpick structure (I
suggest about 15 minutes). Just know that you will probably need extra materials if you
are doing this competition.

I know that there seems to be no rhyme or reason to this blog, but family is my passion and creating fun ways for families to spend time together, fills my heart. I hope that these activities bring you joy even on the smallest of “holidays”. And as always, if you wind up doing one of these be sure to share it and tag me on social media!