MomViews.net: Traditional Valentine's Day Party

Written By: Lisa Kothari
Ms. Kothari is the founder and president of Peppers and Pollywogs, a kids' party planning company that provides parents with ideas, entertainers, and interesting web-based tools (customized rhymes and cards for your invitations!) to make kids' party planning easy.

She has recently written and published Dear Peppers and Pollywogs, What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids' Parties which is available at Amazon.com and Peppers and Pollywogs. See below to purchase.

If you are planning a Valentine’s Day party this year, your mind has probably already turned to planning a hearts-galore celebration. This party can take place either at home or in a school, daycare, or playgroup setting.

If the party will be in a school setting, make sure all of the kids have created a crafty box or bag to hold all the valentines they will be getting. This is an exciting moment in the school day, and a big part of Valentine’s Day fun for kids.

For a Valentine Invitation, use red construction paper, doilies, red pipe cleaners, and pink and red glitter to make and decorate large hearts that can be delivered to your guests. If you are hand-delivering the invitations, you can send them tied to candies or a red balloon to kick off the festive party.

Another idea to decorate your heart-shaped invitations: adorn them with red hots, conversation hearts, and red licorice. They will be yummy!

For Decorations:

    * Fill your room with red, pink, and pearly white balloons. Add in a few thematic Mylar balloons for added fun.
    * Hang a banner that says, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
    * Place Cupid figurines throughout the party area.
    * Hang festive pink, white, and red streamers.
    * Use a red table cover for your party table. Cover it with heart confetti, conversation hearts, and Hershey Kisses to add festive confetti.
    * Use pink, red, and white plates, cups, and utensils. As a pre-dining activity, have the kids draw hearts on their cups and napkins.
    * Have a big stuffed animal in the center of your table with a few balloons tied to one of his plush arms.

For Activities:

    * Make large tags with words on them that relate to Valentine’s Day, such as “heart,” “flower,” “chocolate,” etc. Place these tags on the guests’ backs so they cannot see the word written on the tag. Have the other party guests give them clues until they guess what word is on their back.
    * Have the kids make their own Valentines. Provide all of the materials needed (paper, confetti, glitter glue, markers, crayons, etc.) for kids to design and decorate party Valentines.
    * Exchange Valentines. This would most likely be a classroom activity.
    * Bake a batch of heart-shaped cookies and have the kids decorate them with pink frosting and candy toppings.
    * Play Pin the Bow on Cupid.
    * Have a Heart Ring Toss: make a large heart about 25-30 inches wide, and create a face on it using craft items or candies. Fasten arrows to the back that stand out to the kids for easy for tossing. Make rings out of pipe cleaners, and have the kids toss them on the giant heart. The kids who gets it around the target wins a chocolate!
    * Place conversation hearts in a jar and have the kids guess how many are inside.
    * Hide Hershey’s Kisses around the party area, and give the kids two minutes to find as many as they can.
    * Play Musical Hearts: make a red paper heart or a stuffed animal heart. Have the kids stand in a circle. When the music plays, instruct them to pass the heart. When it stops, the person directly to the left of the person holding the heart is out. The game continues until there is only one person left holding the heart. Give the winner a small box of chocolates.
    * Play “Can You Please be my Valentine, Please Smile:” Have the kids sit in a circle, and designate one guest as “it.” This child must go up to a person in the circle and say, “Can you please be my Valentine, please smile.” Without smiling, the child being asked must reply, “No I cannot be your Valentine, I cannot smile.” If he smiles, he becomes “It” and the game continues.

Create a Valentine Scavenger Hunt. Use these creative clues surrounding all things Valentine for inspiration:

    * Red Rose: Red and perfect, smells pretty too, and comes before those violets blue.
    * Heart: Shaped like two swans’ necks paired together, it’s brimming with joy always and forever.
    * Valentine: I may be red or pink, come in an envelope or a box, never mind it’s what this day is all about!
    * Chocolate: Whether milk or dark, filled with caramel, nougat, or cream, I am a part of every Valentine dream!
    * Candy Hearts: Whether pink, green, or blue, with a hard crunch or two, share these with your friends to learn their feelings true.
    * Candle: Strike a match and watch me flicker, quickly I alight and shine forth light.
    * Stuffed Bear: Soft, plush, and darling to hold, I am all yours.
    * Poem: A few lines here and there, but my few words will pack a punch and leave you with no more than a care.
    * Cupid: I shoot my arrow with a bow to make your heart grow!

      Hide these items throughout your home or party area so the kids can uncover Valentine’s treasures.

For the Party Menu:

    * Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make small sandwiches, cut-up fruits, and red Jell-O Jigglers.
    * Make Valentine’s Roll-Ups: place strawberry cream cheese, lunch meat, lettuce, and a slice of cheese into a flour tortilla and roll it up.
    * Make a heart-shaped pizza with lots of yummy toppings. Pepperoni and red pepper are two good Valentine’s Day choices.
    * Make chocolate fondue and have the kids dip fruit, small pieces of cheesecake and pound cake, and marshmallows in it.
    * Make Valentine’s Rice Krispie Pops: Make a batch of Rice Krispie treats, roll them into a heart shape, and place a Popsicle stick inside. You also may want to dip one side in milk chocolate.
    * Mix one package of cherry Kool-Aid and one package of strawberry Kool-Aid with sugar and water. Add one frozen can of orange juice and lemonade. Mix until the juices are thawed. Finally, add in one quart of ginger ale for a frothy Valentine’s Day drink.

For the Goody:

Make a Valentine’s cup by cutting out hearts from red and pink construction paper and gluing them onto a white paper cup. Fill it with all kinds of festive candies, heart stickers, a blinking heart necklace, lip gloss, etc.

Happy Valentine’s Day!