Kid's Valentine Party!

If you are hosting a Valentine's Day party for your kid's friends, or inviting several families over, or would just love to celebrate in a special way with your own kids, we have just the right ideas and products to make the celebration sweet and adorable! The excitement begins long before the event when you send out a sassy and clever invitation! Here are some ideas to do just that!

We offer a darling invitation that is bursting with red hearts to request your guest's presence at your event. It is our Valentine's Hearts Invitation.

For a crafty and unique invitation, cut a large heart shape out of a piece of red poster board. Write the party information on the front, then cut it into pieces, making a jigsaw puzzle. Put the puzzle pieces in an envelope and mail. When your guests put the pieces together, the message can be read!

See more crafts - click here!     Valentine's Day recipes

Kid's Valentines Party Decorations

Because children love candy and they all agree that "sweeter is better", there is a whole product line that is sure to have their mouths watering and their spirits flying high! The traditional candy conversation hearts are always a favorite, and we have the following suggestions to make sure your children have a blast during your sweet celebration!

Give the kids a warm welcome to your party by placing some Candy Heart Yard Signs in your front yard or next to the sidewalk leading into the party site.

Hang a couple of the Indoor/Outdoor Hanging Hearts from the front porch or over the front door for added excitement.

As the kids arrive, present them with an adorable Candy Heart Badge and a Candy Heart Funtoo to make them feel special and privileged to be attending your celebration of love!

You will definitely want to hang the 18" corrugated Candy Hearts from your ceilings throughout your party location. Stagger the hearts and hang red, pink, and white Balloons in groupings between them. Groups of 5 or 7 balloons look best together and make a huge impact at a very low cost!

If you will have a focal point, such as a food table or stage at your party, place 4' Candy Hearts on either side for a playful but sweet twist to your decorations.

Decorate walls, doorways, or tables with red and silver Die-Cut Hearts enhanced with your own wording written with a paint pen. As an activity, the children could write some of the sayings and then hang them wherever they choose! The more hearts you use, the love-lier the effect!

Purchase a large styrofoam cone and stick red, pink, and white lollipops into it. Tie each lollipop with a red ribbon before placing on the cone. This serves as a cute decoration and an easy way to give treats out to the kids at the end of the party!

The best way to cover your tables when kids are going to present is with Paper Table Covers. Nothing is more convenient and it looks great in either pink or red! Use Candy Heart Confetti to brighten up the table and tie together all of the decorations!

Valentine Party Decorations at ReasonToParty.Makesparties.com

Kid's Valentine Party Activities

Kids absolutely love games and crafts that relate to love, hearts, and candy! Here are a few ideas that could be done either in a classroom setting or at home with your own kids! Remember, half of the fun is the time spent together during this celebration of love!

St. Valentine Says
This game is just like "Simon says", only use "St. Valentine" instead. In case your memory isn't up to speed, here is how you play: An adult will call out commands like, "St. Valentine says, 'Lift your left leg!'" and everyone lifts their left leg. The only commands that the kids do not follow are those that St. Valentine did not say! You are out when you don't follow St. Valentine, or if you do something that he did not command. The last person still in the game wins!

Musical Hearts
Tape large red Die Cut Hearts to the floor, one for each child. Every child begins by standing on a heart. Start the music and have the children walk around the room. When the music stops they need to stand on a heart or they are out. Remove one heart after each musical segment.

Mirror Candy Relay
Divide the group into teams. The first child on each team holds a cup on their head. The child looks into the mirror that is held by another team member (or it can be mounted on the wall) and tries to fill their cup with Valentine candy. When the cup is filled, they dump the candy back in the bowl and pass the cup to the next person. The first team that finishes filling their cups wins!

Sweet Fortune
Kids and grownups alike are crazy for sweets. This activity is a fun version of fortune-telling that involves a big bowl of Valentine candy! Have your guests grab a small handful of candy from the bowl and interpret their fortune according to the list below. The more of each color, the greater the influence will be in your life. The great part of this game is if you don't like your fortune, eat it up and try your luck again!

Red: Love
Pink: Friendship
White: Popularity and Power
Purple: Loneliness
Green: Wishes - For each green one, you can make a wish that will come true!
Blue: Wealth

Valentine Scramble
See how many words the guests can make out of the words "Valentine's Day" in five minutes.

Matchmaker Memory Game
Sit in a circle and have each player take five conversation hearts. One person starts a story with a few lines using all of the words on their hearts. The next person in the circle continues the story using their words. Each player must use all the heart words in their lines. Once you have gone around the whole circle, you can eat your words at the end!

Pass The Heart:
Divide into even groups of 5 or 10 and make them stand in a straight line.
The first person of each group wears a long Valentine necklace (one that goes down to the waist).
Now on the clue to start, the first person has to pass the necklace to another using only their head (no hands allowed).
The next person passes it on to another until the end of the line.
The last person has to return it to the first person in line in the reverse order.
The first group that can do it quickly without dropping the necklace is the winner.

Make Valentine's Day Pins
What You Need:
Plaster of Paris
Water
Measuring cup with a pour spout
Mixing spoon
Plastic heart shaped candy mold
Pin backs
Paint
Paintbrushes
Clear spray paint
Follow the instructions on the back of the plaster of Paris carton and prepare a small portion at a time.
1. Pour the mixture into the heart-shaped candy mold but do not over fill.
2. As soon as you fill one heart, place a pin back into the plaster of Paris. Hold until it stands freely.
3. Let dry overnight. Pop out the pins when dry and let your children paint them. When the paint is dry, an adult can spray a glossy clear paint on the pin to finish.

Make Your Own Valentines
Have a table set up for the kids to make their own valentines. Include lots of pink and red paper, doilies, markers, glitter, small heart shaped candies, stickers, and lace.

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Kid's Valentine Party Food and Cake Ideas:

The key to a successful menu for a party like this is to be sure that everything you serve is very kid-friendly! Usually this means that food should stay on the simple side, nothing too gourmet! It is always fun, however, to add a bit of festive spirit into the food that you serve and it is the small touches that make the biggest impact. Here are just a couple of suggestions to make your food look even love-lier!

Use pink and red food coloring in as much food as you can! This works especially great in a variety of desserts like cake or mousse!

Cut sandwiches into hearts and X's and O's

Go to a gourmet cooking supply store and look for edible hearts and cupids to adorn your kid's favorite foods!

Make easy heart-shaped cupcakes to thrill your little love bugs. Place liners in your muffin pan and fill them half way full with cake mix. Place a marble in between the liner and the pan to create the niche in the heart. Decorate them with pink frosting and heart sprinkles.

Kids love popcorn and marshmallows - combined they make a great Valentine's treat!
What you need:
10 C. popped popcorn
3 T. margarine
1 10 - ounce pkg. marshmallows
Red food coloring
Place popped popcorn in a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan and keep warm in a 300 degree F. oven while making marshmallow mixture. In a large saucepan melt margarine over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Stir in red food coloring. Stir in popped popcorn, half at a time. Cool until easy to handle (10 to 15 minutes). Press mixture into greased individual heart-shaped pans. Cool. Remove from pans. Sprinkle with red colored sugar. Wrap each heart in plastic wrap. Makes 9 hearts.

If you don't have a heart-shaped pan to bake a cake in, don't fret - it is simple to make one of your own! Simply bake a standard round cake as well as a square 8 x 8 cake. After they have cooled, cut the round cake in half and place each half next to two sides of the square cake to create the heart shape. Decorate it with either pink or white frosting and red hot candies! Use a cookie cutter as a guide to frost smaller hearts around the edge.

Valentine Party Supplies, Gifts and Favors at Plum Party

Kid's Valentine Party Favors/Prizes

Half of the fun of a party for kids is the anticipation of what kind of treats they will get to take home! Make them smile by presenting them with one of the following:

The Sparkling Heart Headbands are adorable favors to give out early into the party for the kids to enjoy throughout the celebration!

Load up the Valentine's Day Stadium Cups with heart-shaped chocolates and treats to "sweeten up" your guests.

Purchase waffle cones and fill them with assorted Valentine candy and wrap the entire cone with red Cellophane. Tie the top with White Curling Ribbon.

Nothing thrills little girls like jewelry! Give them a treat this Valentine's Day with Red Heart Beads.

There are so many balloons for Valentine's Day that we have a hard time choosing our favorites. So, take a look at the selection and decide for yourself which ones you would like to give to the children that joined you in your party fun! 

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Valentine's Ideas

Valentine's Crafts and Activities

Whether you are organizing a party for a classroom, a birthday party centered around a Valentine theme, or hosting a Sweetheart get-together for those you hold dearest…you'll enjoy these simple but fun activities!

HEART PUZZLE WREATH OR FRAME – Cut hearts out of cardboard (approximately 5" in height). Cut the center out of the heart, leaving a "frame" shape. Gather enough small puzzle pieces to fill the outline of the heart, with some of the pieces overlapping. Prior to your party, spray paint the puzzle pieces with red paint, allowing plenty of time for the paint to dry. Glue the puzzle pieces onto the cardboard heart one layer at a time, until the heart is filled with randomly placed pieces. Attach a tag with curling ribbon that reads, "Valentine, you hold all the pieces to my heart!" If you are planning to use this craft as a picture frame, simply cut a 4" X 6" photograph to fit the outline of the heart, and glue it to the back of the cardboard frame. Add a 1" strip of magnetic tape to the back of the frame and you'll have an adorable fridge magnet! (Ages 4-12)

VALENTINE SMOOSHIES – Use any of our heart shaped latex balloons to let children make the perfect Valentine gift for their parents…a stress relieving heart shaped smooshie! Stretch each balloon for a few minutes before filling it with flour. Flour works best, but in a pinch, sand will also work. Using a small funnel, fill each balloon with one (1) cup of flour. As the flour is added, gently tap the balloon so the flour packs tightly. Remove as much air as possible, and tie the balloon. Children love this activity, as they love working with any material with the potential to make a mess! Set one of our plastic tablecovers under your work area, and clean up will be a snap! (Ages 4-12)

HEARTS, HEARTS & MORE HEARTS –Cut heart shapes out of clean kitchen sponges and use them to stamp red, pink or purple hearts on inexpensive white t-shirts or boxer shorts. Both make great pajamas long after Valentine's Day has passed! If you choose this craft for a classroom activity, ask each parent to contribute $2.00. (T-shirts or Boxers can be purchased in the boys or men's underwear department of discount stores at a cost of approximately 3/$5.00.) Provide each child with a piece of waxed paper, paper towel, and a small amount of acrylic fabric paint. Dip the heart sponge into the paint, and then lightly sponge onto the paper towel a couple of times to remove excess paint. Craft stores carry pre-cut heart shaped sponges, but the kitchen sponges create a really interesting pattern. The same sponges can be used prior to the party to decorate plain napkins, goody bags, plate edges, streamers, and paper tablecloths. Choose a plain color of party goods from our All Occasion Store, and add your own heart-filled touch. With minimal effort, you'll get lots of ooohs and aaahs! (Ages 4-14)

FUN FRAMES – Nothing could be sweeter to give or receive than a framed picture of a loved one on Valentine's Day. For each party guest, you'll need a clear plastic acrylic frame, a supply of candy conversation hearts and some tacky glue. Glue the candy hearts to the outside edge of the frame, and allow time for the glue to dry. Our acrylic frames (check out our Personalized Favors & Gifts Store) can be imprinted with your special message for as little as $1.75/frame. Large quantities are even less expensive. As an alternative to using candy hearts, cut shapes out of pink and red fun foam and glue them to the frame. The Polaroid™ Pop-Shots camera provides a terrific way to take pictures at a party, and allow guests to take home a frame filled with a precious picture to give as a gift. (Ages 3-12)

Valentine Hearts Party goods at BirthdayInABox

LUV BUGS – Make adorable bugs out of red and pink pom poms (3/4" – 1 ½" size), red and pink pipe cleaners (bend to create antennae), wiggle eyes, and fun foam cut in the shape of hearts for wings. Fill a small baggie for each child with assorted goodies, provide the glue, and let them be creative! For a fun touch, add a piece of magnetic tape to the back of each bug…an adorable fridge magnet! (Ages 3-9)

See more crafts - click here!

VALENTINE FUNTOOS/FINGERNAILS – Kids love face painting, and our Valentine Funtoos are inexpensive, and much less messy than face painting. This is a great activity for a classroom party. If you are entertaining young girls, paint their fingernails pink with a quick drying nail polish (most will dry in 1 minute). Add red hearts to each nail using a toothpick and red quick drying nail polish. Both are guaranteed to delight the kids! (Ages 3-14)

SUGAR COOKIE FUN – This activity can do double duty – when guests are finished decorating the cookies, they can eat them as a snack! Have a station set up with plenty of sugar cookies cut out in hearts or cupid shapes. On each individual plate, place one cookie and a plastic knife. Provide pink and white frosting, sprinkles, red hots, red shoestring licorice and other goodies. This has worked equally well with 2 year-old preschoolers and with 5^th graders. (Ages 2-12)

CUPID'S CANDY CATERPILLAR – What you'll need for each caterpillar: 3' of pink plastic wrap, 49" of red or white curling ribbon, 6 Valentine "candies", (Hershey's Kisses, foil covered hearts, mini-sized Snickers™ or Mars™ Bars, etc.) glue, 1 pipe cleaner cut into 2 pieces, 2 wiggle eyes, and construction paper. Cut the curling ribbon into seven - 7" sections. Lay the plastic wrap on a table. Lay the candy down the center of the plastic wrap, leaving a 2" space between each candy, and a 3" space at each end. Roll the long sides of the plastic wrap around the candy, being careful not to let the candy shift. Tie pieces of ribbon between the "bags" of candy, and at each end. Curl the ribbon with scissors. Cut a heart shaped head from the construction paper, form antennae out of the pipe cleaners, and attach the wiggle eyes. Glue the head to the front of the caterpillar. This craft can also be modified to make a candy necklace. Instead of adding a head, simply tie the two 3" ends together and add extra curling ribbon to the knot. Adorable and easy! (Ages 6-10)

FORTUNES OF LOVE Make homemade fortune cookies, and then personalize the fortunes for family and friends to wish them lots of love, good health, and much happiness for Valentine's Day. Package them in our Heart Party Boxes (just like little Chinese carryout cartons) or in one of our Valentine Stadium Cups. Both can be found in our Valentine's Store. Fill the cup or box with red metallic shred, and add the cookies...inexpensive, thoughtful and easy! Here's a recipe to make 48 cookies:

3/4 cup egg whites
1-2/3 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup flour
3/4 cup very finely chopped blanched almonds
1/2 tsp. vanilla
48 fortunes written on 3" X 3/4" strips of red or pink paper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first three ingredients in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir in remaining ingredients, one at a time until well blended. Drop dough by level teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Allow 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove cookies, one at a time, from baking sheet. Place 1 fortune in the center of each cookie; fold cookie in half; pinch sides together. Work quickly before cookies cool and harden. (Adults & ages 7-12 with adult supervision)

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GOODY BAGS – Check out the All Occasion Store to find goody bags in assorted sizes and colors. Let kids decorate the bags with markers, stickers, die-cut hearts, wiggle eyes, pompoms, etc.…they love to be creative! The bags can be used to take Valentine cards and treats home from the party. (Ages 2-9)

SEEDS OF FRIENDSHIP Paint little 3" clay flowerpots to use as placecards/favors at a Valentine's Day table. Fill the pots with mini sized Valentine candy, metallic shred, or votive candles. Add a package of seeds – "Zinnias" for friendship, "Forget Me Nots" for true love, or Sweet Peas for someone sweet! The pots can be sponge painted as outlined in the "Hearts, Hearts & More Hearts" section above. Add names to the pots, written with a paint pen, or around the top rim write the phrase "Seeds of Love", "Seeds of Friendship", "Sweet Pea", or "If friends were flowers, I'd pick you!" (Ages 5 to Adult)

SWEET-TOTE - Make one of the sweetest and most heartwarming crafts this year…a photo quilt or totebag. Craft and computer accessory stores are selling photo transfer fabric, along with instructions on how to use it in your computer. Make a simple quilt using photos of loved ones and special events. Use rich velvets, brocades and corded trims to create a gorgeous family heirloom. A simple tote bag with a treasured photo can be a terrific gift for a loved one. (Ages 12-adult)

Valentine Party Decorations at ReasonToParty.Makesparties.com

Kid's Valentine Party Games

"PIN THE KISS ON THE LIPS" - Borrowing from the concept of the tried and true game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, we suggest a fun game of "Pin the Kiss on the Lips"! Using a large piece of red or pink poster board, draw an outline of a large pair of lips (or to make it more challenging, several little sets of lips.) Use foil wrapped Hershey's Kisses™ as the kisses, and masking tape to attach them to the board. Blindfold each participant as his/her turn arrives, spin, point in the right direction, and let the kissing begin. Everyone is a winner, as they get to eat their candy kiss regardless of where it lands! (Ages 3-12)

"BROKEN HEARTS" – Divide guests into two equal groups. Place two bags of inflated heart shaped balloons about 10-15 yards away. In our Valentine's Store, we carry candy heart balloons, red, white and pink heart shaped balloons, and Pooh Valentine heart balloons. The balloons should be overinflated to make popping easier. At the sound of a whistle, the first two relay contestants, (one from each team) run to the bag, and remove one balloon heart. Each must sit on it until it pops. Once the heart is broken, the players run back to the starting line, and tag the next player in line. The first team to complete the course wins. If you have children who are afraid of the sound of popping balloons, offer a grown-up stand-in. Not a quiet game…but a guaranteed favorite! (Ages 4-adult)

"BACKWARD VALENTINE BINGO"- Prior to your party, make a grid of nine squares on red or pink cardstock paper (like a tic-tac-toe board) for each player. Purchase enough candy hearts, so that each player can have at least 9 hearts, and the "caller" will have duplicates of each saying. Give each player 9 candy conversation hearts. To begin the game, each player puts a heart, words facing up, on each square of his or her board. The caller selects a heart, and reads it aloud. For example, the caller might pick a heart saying, "BE MINE". Any player with a "BE MINE" heart can remove that piece from his or her grid. The first player to clear a line down, across or diagonally wins the game! Play the game several times so that many guests have the opportunity to win the game – offer a replenishment of candy at some point in the game – they'll love the variety, and some of the candy will inevitably be consumed! (Reading age-age 12)

"HOW DO I LOVE THEE?" - Give each player a bag with 10 small valentine treasures in it (candy, chocolates, little favors). Have bags labeled with players' names, so they don't get mixed up. Let players know at the start of the game exactly when the game will be ending—this game can be played throughout an entire party if you so choose. The object of the game is to catch fellow players saying one of the following words or phrases:

To help players, post the words prominently on a board where they can be seen often. If someone is caught saying one of the words on the list, that person has to give up a treasure from their stash. The player with the biggest haul of goodies at the end of the game is the winner! This game is always a big hit. (Ages 7-Adult)

"SWEET CHARADES"- Play a fun game of Charades using candy conversation hearts. Fill a bowl with candy, and have one person draw a heart from the bowl…"No way", "I'm yours", "Dear one", "Be True", etc. They act out the message written on the heart, until someone guesses the correct answer. The person who deciphers the heart is the next to draw from the bowl. A winner every time! (Ages 7-Adult)

"HAVE A HEART" – Before the party purchase two bags of candy conversation hearts. Divide your group into two teams. Players race around a specific course with a heaping pile of candy hearts, before handing them off to a teammate. Dropped candies must be retrieved before the handoff. The first team to complete the course wins. (Ages 4 to 12—you may want to give players over the age of 10 lots of additional hearts to carry to make the game more challenging)

"SWEETHEART SLURP" – Cut ten little hearts out of red or pink paper. The hearts need to be about the size of a Ritz™ cracker. Place the shapes in a pile beside a small bowl, or heart shaped candy box. Have straws available for each player, along with a stopwatch, or a watch with a second hand. Using the straw as a vacuum, each contestant tries to pick up the hearts and drop them into the bowl. The player with the fastest time wins. (Ages 5-12)

"HEARTS AFIRE!"- Using a stuffed or balloon heart as your blazingly hot heart, play this Valentine variation on the classic Hot Potato game. Have players sit in a circle, and pass the heart until the music stops. The player left holding the heart when the music stops is out. Keep passing the heart until only one player is left. (Ages 3-9)

"HEART-Y HANDOFF!"- Divide guests into two teams and have them form two lines. Blow up two of our 3-foot wide balloons (or use a standard sized balloon or a stuffed animal). At the signal to "go", the gift is to be passed from person to person. The catch is that they can use any part of their bodies except their hands. If the balloon touches the ground at any time, it must go back to the beginning of the line again. Whichever team manages to get the balloon to the end of the line first wins the game. (Ages 5-adult)

Valentine Party Decorations at ReasonToParty.Makesparties.com

HEART SHAPED PIZZA – Follow the manufacturer's directions for baking one package of Pillsbury Hungry Jack™ Biscuits. Before baking, shape the biscuits into "hearts" and press to approximately ½" thickness. They are quite easy to mold into whatever shape you like. Add pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and any toppings your heart desires. So easy to make, and they'll delight young and old alike!

HEARTS, HEARTS & MORE HEARTS- Make sandwiches using favorite ingredients, and cut out hearts using full-sized metal Valentine heart cookie cutters. For a healthier classroom party, or a meal at home that differs from the standard "junk-food feast" that is part of every holiday, cut lots of different foods into heart shapes using a variety of heart sizes! Try watermelon, white block cheese, or a block of cream cheese for a dip, (cover with raspberry jam or salsa and serve with crackers) as they cut well and look terrific!

SWEET JELLO™ TREATS= Young children always enjoy Jell-O™ Jigglers, and cutting red Jell-O into red hearts is an easy way make a Valentine treat. Add piped Cool Whip™ to the outside edge for an extra special treat. To impress even the most jaded of hearts, suspend a large red gummy heart inside pink Jell-O! Use one plastic cup (or our glass stemware would work perfectly) for each guest. Prepare the Jell-O according to the directions on the box, and fill cups or glassware with the mixture. Let the Jell-O set in the fridge until it starts to thicken. Add one large gummy heart to the center of the cup. The heart shouldn't sink. Allow the gelatin to set completely before serving. Top with Cool Whip.

RICE CRISPY POPS- To make 16 pops, you'll need 1-12 oz. bag of white "chocolate" chips, 16 ready made Crispy Treats (or make your own if you have the time—cut into 2 ½" X 4" pieces), 16 pretzel rods, and some red and pink colored sprinkles. Cutting little holes with a knife, stick the pretzel rods into the narrow end of the Crispy Treats. Melt the entire bag of candy chips for one minute in the microwave, and stir. Dip the end of the "pop" into the melted chocolate, and then sprinkle with festive sprinkles. Set pops on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, and refrigerate until the chocolate sets. If you will be using these as take home favors, or sending them to school, cover the crispy treat portion with pink plastic wrap and tie with satin or curling ribbon. These look especially adorable with Rice Crispy Treats cut into heart shapes with a heart shaped cookie cutter. If you choose this shape, dip either the top of the heart, or one side of the heart into the chocolate. Sugar cookies on Popsicle sticks can also be decorated and wrapped in the same manner. Always a big hit!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES- Clean 1-1/2 pounds of large strawberries, and set on paper towels to dry. Leave stems intact. In a microwave oven, melt one 12-oz. Bag of Nestle's™ Chocolate Chips. Stir well. Dip strawberries into the chocolate by holding the stems. Cover about ¾ of each berry. Place the strawberries on waxed paper in the refrigerator to allow chocolate to set. Looks rich and decadent…and like you went to a lot of effort!

PINK HEART PANCAKES- Add red food coloring to any pancake batter. Spoon the pink batter onto a hot griddle into a heart shape, squeeze the batter out of a squeeze bottle for small hearts, or place a metal heart shaped cookie cutter directly onto the griddle.

ICE CREAM SUNDAE WITH SECRET MESSAGE- Make ice cream sundaes using strawberry or vanilla ice cream, and provide all the toppings so each person can create his or her own masterpiece. Purchase Pepperidge Farms™ Pirouette cookies.Cut hearts out of white or pink paper, and write a special sweet message using permanent marker on each one – one for each guest or family member. Roll the message hearts up, and slip one into each cookie. Add one cookie to each completed sundae…a perfect Valentine treat with a sweet secret!

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TREE OF LOVE - Bake and decorate heart shaped sugar cookies. The ready-made Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough™ can be rolled and used to make cutouts if your time is limited. Put each individual cookie into a little plastic baggie (not zip variety), and tie with red or pink curling ribbon. Find a good-sized tree branch, tie the cookies with curling ribbon to the branches, and you'll have a "tree of love" centerpiece to snack from! For a truly special effect, add twinkle lights to the branches before adding the cookies.

Decorate the home with hearts and cupids. So often we save the Valentine's decorating to schools and businesses. Why not bring a touch of love home for Valentine's? Adorn the house in die cut heart, tissue hearts, Happy Valentine's banners and red cupids. Swag red and pink gossamer around the windows, doors and chairs. Dangle hearts and garlands from the lights and ceiling. Create the feeling of love to all that enter.

Using caution around younger children, think romance and love and light candles for all meals. Float heart candles in water or light votive candles. Have glassware candles imprinted with the family name and place them on the table and in the kitchen.

Have napkins imprinted with your family name and a big heart. Use them throughout the month of February (random acts of kindness month) to celebrate the love your family shares. The kids will love seeing their name in print.

Present each child with a valentine's balloon bouquet when they get up on Valentine's morning. Let them know how special they are to you.

Decorate a wall with a giant corrugated red heart. Have everyone's picture taken in front of the heart. Make simple Valentine's for family and friends who live far away.

Using plastic Valentine's Stadium cups, create simple treats for your family. Fill the stadium cups with candy, confetti, hearts and other small gifts. Place them at the table for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Create a "Cup of Kindness." Using corrugated paper, create a giant teacup and saucer. Using die cut hearts, fill the cups with hearts of love. Each time you see someone performing a random act of kindness, write down the act on a die cut heart and place it in the Cup of Kindness on the wall. Keep your eyes open and soon your cup will be spilling over.

Take turns being queen or king for Valentine's Day. Give everyone an opportunity to feel special. Select a rhinestone tiara with a heart (cascading heart tiara or heart tiara) and a red crown. At each meal and throughout the day announce that you have a new king or queen and transfer the crown/tiara. Whoever has the tiara/crown on gets to decide what to do, eat, watch, play etc. Keep the tiara and crown for each Valentine's Day.

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