To Valentine or not to Valentine… some heartfelt ideas to celebrate love with children

Here we are at the begining of our playgroup term, we are in peak summer and the energy is as high as the sun is warm. Valentines day falls within the first few weeks of term and is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the love between parent and child and for showing and modelling gratitude for the world around us. I know the commercial side of valentines day focuses on romantic love and lavish gifts, but, I cant help but feel that something gets lost in between?

I have always celebrated love and kindness on valentines day with my own children and in my playgroups . It is a fantastic opportunity to shower your little one with love, bridge connection and model kindness. The best thing is, the simplest gestures of love and kindness often are the ones that have a lasting effect on our hearts. I am a true believer that everything is up to interpretation, even valentines day! How you choose to cultivate the energy of the day is how it will be received, and children thrive on connection, feeling seen, heard, LOVED and appreciated, I mean at the end of the day don’t we all?!

 

Love themed potion play

 

Now you are excited about celebrating valentines day with your littlest loves, below you will find some heartfelt ideas to get you started!

Heart shaped pancakes in the morning for breakfast and noticing the heart within a strawberry is the simplest act, yet somehow feels magical. How long has it been since you noticed that when you cut a strawberry down the middle it looks like a heart lives in side? Starting your day intentionally and with a mindfully prepared breakfast can really set your day up.

Continue the heart theme on a nature walk, can you find heart shaped rocks on a beach walk? Heart shaped clouds in the sky? heart shaped leaves? Noticing the magic in the natural world is a wonderful way to connect. And once you have seen how many hearts there is out there I promise you will see hearts all the time!

Sharing a foot bath with your little one can also be a special connection tool and a way to foster mindfulness and model self care, and love. Prepare two big bowls with warm water with slices of lemon and lavender oil, even some floating flowers. Take them outside into the garden and sit side by side enjoying the aromatherapy and the joyful bustle of nature all around you while you soak your feet and have a chat. Cups of tea definitely an option!

Simpler still, it could even be that you spend time picking flowers to put in a vase for the kitchen table, so you have something to admire while sharing a meal with your children.

For older children, you could each write down a nice memory or something you each like about one another, pop it in a jar and read them aloud at dinner time. Whatever you choose to do, one thing is for sure, making time for ritual in our daily life gives sharing our days together a little bit of magic!

Above I have popped an image of some love themed potion play, freeze some flowers and colour some water get some old pots and pans and head to the garden. Other ideas could be magic watercolour paintings, writing love notes or just spending some quality time together with no pressure to do anything else but have cozy cuddles on the couch!

What ever you do I know it will be magical and special to you and your littlest love.  I have written a newsletter with some songs and stories keep an eye out for it as a pop up.

 

Much Love,

Heidi x

 

Magic hearts, white crayon drawings, painted over with water colour