Building Valentine’s Day traditions with your family and loved ones can start at birth and turn into cherished memories that will help you create a continued loving environment throughout the year. Valentine’s activities truly do not have to be store bought or over the top. Children really thrive when we give them our time. Its true for all of us that when we spend time together, we grow together, we thrive and become better individuals in our daily lives.
Here are some Valentine’s activities from Brighton Center that can be done every day, or just some days, to show love this season.
Hug and cuddle your newborn baby. Hugging them causes your brain to release the bonding hormone oxytocin. Valentine’s activities such as these create a strong bond that builds confidence, security, and emotional wellbeing.
Talk to your baby and place their hands on your face so they can feel, this type of touch is a form of communication for them. You can help instill in them positive exploration and help them feel safe.
Sing with them songs your parents sang to you. These should be songs that make you smile and make you feel special. With Valentine’s activities such as these, incorporate movement by helping hand over hand to make larger movements with their body.
Let your baby explore an empty Heart shaped chocolate box. For instance, you can play peek a poo hiding toys in the box allowing them to open and close to find a toy they love inside.
Make valentines for family using family photos current and old. Indeed, this is an example of long-lasting Valentine’s activities where you can remember great moments and keep memories alive year to year.
Make hearts with crayons. Furthermore, you can incorporate language to discuss colors and various sizes. Additionally, use words like big, small, same, different, red, pink, and purple.
Use Heart cookie cutters with homemade play dough recipe (see below) to cut out shapes and explore textures. These are great Valentine’s activities which allow your child to discover manipulating items and tools.
Homemade Playdough Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour.
- ¼ cup salt.
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil.
- dry tempera or food coloring (optional)
- 1 cup water.
We hope you and your loved ones enjoy these Valentine’s activities during this special time of the year.