Celebrating Valentine's Day With Teenagers

 I never had a valentine on Valentine's Day while at school. It was painful. Many high school teenagers dread Valentine's Day, this lovely day, a source of colorful cards, class parties, and candy. A teen without a valentine has that feeling he/she is the only one who is not walking hand-in-hand with an adoring boyfriend or girlfriend. 

Valentine's Day is an opportunity for parents to show teenagers how to celebrate this lovable day even without a valentine. Host a Single for a Purpose Party. Have your teenage son/daughter invite friends who are not dating or involved in a relationship.

Have games for individual or group participation, so the teenagers can enjoy the party without the pressure of needing to be paired as couples. A good example would be to have a questions/answers game, where participants can answer such questions as "What is your favorite candy?" and "What is the strangest Valentine's Day stories you have heard?"

Celebrating Valentine's Day With School Age Children

 I loved treasure hunts when I was a child. Have a treasure hunt with your child. 

Cut out a large heart from a construction paper. On one side of the heart, print words of love. The children may decorate the heart with markers, crayons, valentine stickers, and other art supplies. On the other side draw intersecting lines and cut them into puzzle pieces. Have the children in a separate room, hide the puzzle pieces with several valentine candies. Have the children hunt for the puzzle pieces and the candies.

After all the puzzle pieces are found, have the children reassemble the heart.

Celebrating Valentine's Day With Preschoolers

Should preschoolers participate in celebrating Valentine's Day? If you have a preschooler and you think your child should participate, here is an activity for that important loving day.

Materials

An index card, an envelope, a pencil, and a sheet of construction paper.

Preparation

Write a message of love to your daughter/son on the index card and place it in the envelope.

Activity

1. Hold your child on your lap. Hold up the envelope you prepared earlier. Tell your child it contains a very important message. Open the envelope and read the message.
2. Next, spread out the construction paper on a table. Trace the hands of your child so the thumbs of the traced hands touch.
3. Draw a large heart around the outlined hands.
4. You can hang this big heart on the wall in your child's room.