I asked my 8 year old son, "What does Valentine's Day mean to you?" He pauses for a bit and says "It's about giving people gifts and at school they share, like, little mini cards". I respond "but what does it mean?" "Uh ... for almost being thankful for one another" he replies.
I asked the same question of my 6 year old daughter.
"Sharing gifts with the whole ... people?" she says.
"Anything else?" I reply.
"Sharing with my family?" she says.
So that was a dead end with her. She has a tendency to copy her big brother.
The two year old had no comment.
Valentine's Day should be a fun time for kids. I think mine have the right idea. To share with others and learn the importance of love and family and friends, not just about getting this or that. We do buy each child a small gift for Valentine's Day, but the best thing about the holiday is spending time with each one of them. For kids, that can be a little daunting, but I have a few ideas to make it fun.
1. Do a craft together. There are tons of websites to find all sorts of neat crafts that will make the day a little more special.
2. Print out some coloring pages and color! It'll make you feel like a kid again too.
3. Bake some cookies. Or a cake. Decorate them with fun sprinkles and other accessories. Then chow down! It may be messy, but the memories will last forever.
4. Share some of the goodies you've just made (from the above 3) with another loved one. Grandparents love this kinda stuff * hint, hint *
5. Watch one of your favorite movies together. Does not have to be lovey-dovey, but something you all will enjoy.
The great thing about all these activities is that you can do them all year round and I'm sure plenty of you already do. It's another way to show the kids that there is love to spread all year round.
Source by Susan Fischer
No comments:
Post a Comment