While I realize that Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about romance, my husband and I have never been really big on celebrating it. Don’t get me wrong – I love getting chocolates, or a nice bouquet of flowers but overall that’s not really important to me. And as a result, I am unfortunately NOT the person to come to for ideas on how to make Valentine’s special for your significant other, however I do really enjoy doing something special for my kids (and my husband usually benefits too). So here are a few easy ideas for how to show the love and share the fun with the whole family on February 14th!
ENJOY THE LOVE LIGHTS
The Capilano Suspension Bridge has been expanding on their season of awesome light displays by putting on “Love Lights” from February 2 – 25. Surrounded by gorgeous lights in hues of pink, red and more, you can take the family on a stroll over the Suspension Bridge, enter Cliffwalk’s “Arc de Lumina” light tunnel and pose under the chandelier in the rainforest. Additionally, on weekends, visit Raptors Ridge, enjoy live music and interactive games.
GO FOR A FAMILY SKATE
Hitting up one of Vancouver’s free outdoor rinks seems like a lovely Valentine’s activity to do with the family. The Shipyards Skate Plaza in North Vancouver is open for the rest of February daily between 1 pm and 8 pm. Robson Square Ice Rink in downtown Vancouver is also open until the end of February daily between 9 am and 9 pm. Both of these rinks are free to use if you have your own skates. Ice skate and helmet rentals are available for a fee. I highly recommend a family skate and then a cosy hot chocolate to follow!
CREATE A YUMMY VALENTINE’S BOUQUET
We are big fans of gummy candies in our house, so I have loved making these gummy candy bouquets for my kids in the past. All you need to do is buy an assortment of gummies. I love finding Valentine themed hearts and red lips etc. Then you need long skewers, the type you would use to make bbq shish kebabs, and poke the ends of the skewers into the gummies. Continue until you have a handful, then gather them together with some tissue paper and ribbon so the gummies poke out the top like a bouquet of flowers, while the skewers are the stems.
MAKE A HEART THEMED BREAKFAST
This is one I do pretty much every year. Sometimes it isn’t easy on a weekday when you are rushing to get everyone out the door in time for school/daycare/work. But I try and pre-cut the fruit the night before so that is ready to go. I love making heart shaped pancakes or waffles, cutting some hearts out of pineapple and using strawberries and whipping cream to decorate the plates! I usually throw some chocolate chips into the pancake batter too.
DECORATE YOUR KIDS DOOR
This is an idea I have seen other parents do, and I am following suit and doing it for my own kids this year. The idea is to decorate your kid’s bedroom doors with hearts and on them write some of the things you love about your child. Some people add one per day leading up to Feb 14, others do them all at once and have them ready on Valentine’s morning. I’m planning on doing the latter and having them ready as a surprise when they wake up on Feb 14. I think they will love reading them!
