Valentine’s Day Treats with Your Sweeties

Valentine’s Day is coming soon, and it may be time for some special valentine’s day treat for you and your family. Typically kids are in school and celebrate this day with their classmates trading friendly Valentine’s Day cards and treats. Now that remote learning is the norm, your kids may feel lonely on Valentine’s Day without these special surprises. Here are some ways you can create an at-home, love-filled day with your kids to keep their spirits up and bring smiles to their faces.

First, you can make sure your kids start their day off right with a lovely breakfast. Try making heart-shaped waffles or pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream on top. You can let your kids decorate their creation with red, pink and white sprinkles on top, too. 

Next, get crafty with them. Pinterest has a fount of Valentine’s Day arts and crafts ideas. We like Valentine’s Day Headbands from www.eventstocelebrate.net.  All you need is a package of adhesive backed foam hearts that are various sizes, a white poster board, and pink pipe cleaners. Cut the poster into strips and measure it around your child’s head. Next, let the kids decorate their headband with markers and stickers. Then, twirl the pink pipe cleaners and staple the whole thing together. Place the headbands on their heads and let your kids be the kings and queens of Valentine’s Day!

Another way for your kids to shower their love on friends, family, or neighbors is to create their own Valentine’s Day cards to deliver. Simply pick out some red, pink, and white construction paper, Valentine’s Day stickers, markers and/or crayons. Parents can write the prompt: “You’re special to me because…” and let your children finish the sentence in their best handwriting to each person. They can decorate each card and deliver it with a homemade treat, like the ones below. Or, if you’d rather not get out of the house during the pandemic, you can send e-cards to friends and family using www.hallmarkecards.com or www.americangreetings.com. Allow your kids to pick out their favorite e-card and send a sweet message of joy to loved ones near and far. 

What’s Valentine’s Day without some delicious baked goodies? Even better, you and your kids can bake together. One simple idea is chocolate covered strawberries. You will need a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a pound of strawberries. You can melt the chocolate on the stove in a saucepan over medium low heat or in the microwave, stirring until evenly melted. Next, dip your strawberries in the melted chocolate and let them cool on parchment paper. Wrap a few chocolate covered strawberries in a cute valentine’s gift bag for delivery. Or, if you’re feeling more inspired, try these chocolate covered strawberry brownies from www.closetcooking.com:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound strawberries, sliced

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Melt the chocolate into the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and let cool.

Mix the sugar into the eggs along with the vanilla extract.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

Mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture followed by the flour mixture.

Pour the batter into a greased (optionally foil lined) 8 inch baking pan and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until a toothpick pushed into the centre comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

Sprinkle the strawberries on top of the brownies.

Melt the chocolate over medium-low heat on the stove or in a microwave, pour it over the strawberries and let cool until the chocolate is set, about 30-60 minutes.

Some simple cake ideas can be just as fun. Pick up a yellow cake package, white cream cheese frosting, sweetheart candies, red twizzlers, and pink or red sprinkles from the store. Bake the cake according to package instructions and then add frosting. Next cut up the twizzlers so your kids can use them to write a message on the cake. Use the candies and sprinkles to decorate. Finally, take a picture of your creation before you dig in. 

Next on the agenda, dinner and a movie! Let the kids pick what’s for dinner, turn on their greatest hits station, and dance while cooking. Having a dance party at home can be just as fun as the traditional Valentine’s Day dances at school. Sometimes, even more fun when the whole family participates. Once dinner is complete, everyone gathers in the family room for the movie. Kids can sit on your lap or lay down their cozy blankets to watch the movie. Finally, end the special day with s’mores by a campfire. While your kids are roasting marshmallows on the fire, be sure to gaze up at the stars and talk about each other’s favorite part of the day – and let them know your favorite part was simply being with them. 

We’d love to hear about your at-home Valentine’s Day celebrations and what valentine’s day treats did you create. Will you share your photos or videos with us? Connect with us on Instagram @MapsCookingKids or on Twitter @MapsCookingKids. Until next time, agape, be kind, and happy parenting.