Kids can celebrate love with fun and creative activities on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate love and friendship with your children.
Whether you’re planning at-home family fun or a small classroom party, there are plenty of playful ways to get kids in the Valentine spirit.
I’ve rounded up 10 delightful activities for toddlers to early elementary kids (around 2–8 years old).
These ideas focus on fun, learning, and togetherness – and they’re mostly indoor-friendly (with a few outdoor twists if weather permits).
Why Valentine’s Day Activities Are Worth It
Fun activities give children a chance to explore their creativity, practice problem-solving, and build important social skills, all while celebrating love, friendship, and kindness.
Doing simple crafts, games, or baking projects together also helps kids feel included and valued.
You can even check out some cute Valentine’s crafts for kids for more inspiration and easy hands-on ideas.
These moments encourage teamwork, laughter, and connection, and they often become memories that kids carry with them for years.
Plus, Valentine’s Day activities are a gentle way to teach important lessons – about sharing, giving, and expressing appreciation – without it feeling like a lesson at all.
By creating playful, hands-on experiences, you’re helping children understand the true spirit of the holiday while having a lot of fun along the way.
10 Must Try Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids That Make February Extra Fun
Here are 10 fun and easy Valentine’s Day activities for kids that are full of heart and perfect for keeping little hands busy.
Whether you’re at home, in the classroom, or just looking for something to make the day extra sweet, these ideas are simple, creative, and lots of fun.
1. Bake Heart-Shaped Treats Together
Nothing warms a winter day like baking something sweet with your kids.
Turn your kitchen into a Valentine’s workshop by making heart-shaped treats – for example, cut-out heart cookies or even pink pancakes.
Little ones can help pour, mix, and add sprinkles.
It’s not just tasty fun; it also sneaks in some math and fine motor practice through measuring and stirring.
You can also try an adorable baby Valentine’s craft alongside your baking for extra creative fun with little ones.
When your goodies are done, enjoy them together as a family or share a few with neighbors to spread the cheer.
2. Valentine’s Day Dance Party (Musical Hearts)
Get the wiggles out with a festive dance party! Musical Hearts is a Valentine’s twist on musical chairs.
Cut out large paper hearts and tape them to the floor around your living room.
Play your kids’ favorite tunes and have everyone dance, hop, or twirl until the music stops. Then each player quickly finds a heart to stand on.
For added fun, you can call out a silly action for each round (“dance like a robot!” or “hop like a bunny!”)
Little ones will love showing off their moves, and older kids can help think of funny dance moves or even take turns pausing the music.
This game is a fantastic way to burn off energy indoors with plenty of laughter.
3. Valentine’s Heart Scavenger Hunt
Kids adore a good treasure hunt. Hide paper hearts around your home – in easy spots for toddlers and trickier spots for older kids.
Give them a basket or bag and a checklist of how many hearts to find, then let the hunt begin!
You can even add simple clues for an extra challenge (“Look under where you rest your head” for a heart under a pillow).
This activity gets kids moving and thinking, and it’s easy to adapt for a group by letting kids team up to search.
A little Valentine sticker or high-five for finding all the hearts makes a perfect prize at the end.
4. Love Notes and Kindness Cards
Valentine’s Day is all about sharing love and kindness. Encourage your kids to create simple “love notes” or kindness cards for family members or friends.
It can be as basic as a crayon drawing with a heart sticker – it’s the thought that counts!
Older kids might write a short message or list things they love about the person.
The goal is to focus on appreciation and making someone smile.
For a fun twist, help your child hide these notes for the recipients to discover later (in a lunchbox, under a pillow, etc.).
This activity sparks creativity and teaches the joy of giving – a perfect little Valentine’s lesson.
You can also explore more homemade Valentine’s gifts ideas to make the day even sweeter.
5. Cozy Valentine’s Storytime Picnic
Slow down with a Valentine’s storytime. Gather a few picture books about love, friendship, or kindness, and set up a cozy reading nook.
Spread a blanket on the living room floor for an “indoor picnic” feel, add some pillows and maybe a favorite stuffed animal.
Then snuggle up and read together.
Reading aloud is a wonderful way to bond with your child, and Valentine’s Day is a perfect excuse for extra cuddles with a heartwarming story.
You can choose classics like Guess How Much I Love You or any story that celebrates caring and family.
This calm activity reminds kids that Valentine’s Day is about love in all forms – not just candy and cards – and lets everyone relax together.
6. Heart Hopscotch (Active Play)
Turn active play into a Valentine adventure with heart-themed games.
One idea is Heart Hopscotch: cut out paper hearts, number them 1–10, and tape them in a hopscotch path on the floor.
Give your child a beanbag (or a balled-up sock) to toss and hop through the numbered hearts.
It’s a fun way to practice numbers and balance indoors. If weather allows, you can draw chalk hearts outside for a driveway hopscotch.
This kind of playful, hands-on game is similar to the creativity and movement you find in wonder-filled forest school activities.
This game gets kids moving and laughing, and it’s quick to set up with minimal supplies.
7. Candy Heart Science Experiment
Add a dash of STEM fun to Valentine’s Day.
Try the “dancing hearts” experiment: fill a clear glass with fizzy clear soda (like Sprite) and drop in a few conversation candy hearts.
Watch as the hearts bob up and down in a fizzy dance! The bubbles carry the candy hearts up, then burst and let them sink again.
Little ones will be amazed at this “magic” trick, while older kids might learn about gas bubbles and buoyancy.
(For more hands-on fun, you can also try DIY sensory activities for toddlers to explore similar concepts in a playful, safe way.)
For another experiment, let your child plop candy hearts into different liquids (water, vinegar, juice) to see which dissolves them fastest.
It’s a fun, hands-on way to show that science can pop up in everyday play – even with Valentine candy.
8. Build a Heart Tower (STEM Challenge)
Combine Valentine’s Day with a bit of engineering fun.
Gather some toothpicks and heart-shaped candies like gummy hearts or marshmallows.
Challenge your kids to build the tallest heart tower by connecting candies with toothpicks.
Toddlers will practice fine motor skills just by sticking pieces together, while older kids can strategize to make a sturdier, taller structure.
See who can go higher or create the coolest heart-shaped design before it topples.
(Snap a quick photo of their candy engineering masterpiece before anyone eats it!)
This STEM-style activity encourages problem-solving and creativity, and kids won’t even realize they’re learning because it feels like pure play.
9. Valentine’s Day Bingo
For a calmer activity, try a Valentine-themed bingo game.
Create or print bingo cards with Valentine symbols (hearts, cupids, flowers, etc.), and use candy hearts or stickers as markers.
Each time you call out a symbol or simple word, kids mark their boards.
The first to get a line can shout “Happy Valentine’s Day!” instead of “Bingo” for a festive touch.
This game works well for preschoolers and up, since it builds listening and matching skills in a playful way.
Both games are easy to set up and perfect for family fun. Give the winners a little prize or high-five to celebrate.
10. Valentine’s Dress-Up Photo Booth
Add some imagination to the mix with a DIY Valentine’s photo booth.
Hang up a simple backdrop (like a pink sheet or a wall of paper hearts) in a corner of the room.
Fill a box with fun props like heart-shaped sunglasses, silly hats, boas, and costume jewelry.
Let the kids dress up and pose with their favorite props – they can even hold a big paper heart frame for the camera.
If you have an older child, let them play photographer for a while as the little ones say “cheese.”
A photo booth is a fantastic way to keep kids entertained, and you’ll end up with priceless snapshots of your mini-Valentines being goofy and sweet.
(For more creative, hands-on fun, you can also check out DIY New Year’s crafts for kids to inspire other playful, themed activities throughout the year.)
It’s a memory-maker the whole family will enjoy.
Making Valentine’s Day Memories Together
Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples – it’s a chance to create joyful memories with your kids.
By trying these fun activities, you’ll be celebrating love and kindness as a family.
Remember, the goal is to laugh and bond, not to have a “perfect” Pinterest-worthy day.
So embrace the mess in the kitchen, dance with abandon, and delight in the little moments of connection.
Your children will cherish the time spent together, and you’ll be starting a tradition of family Valentine fun.
Which of these activities are you excited to try with your kids? Do you have other Valentine’s Day ideas up your sleeve?
Let us know in the comments below – we’d love to hear how you spread the love!
FAQs
1. Are these Valentine’s activities suitable for toddlers as well as older kids?
Yes! All the activities above can be adapted for different ages. For toddlers (ages 2–3), keep things simple and hands-on – they’ll enjoy sensory fun like dancing, finding easily hidden hearts, or stirring ingredients. Older kids (ages 6–8) can take on more complex tasks or rules.
In a game like Musical Hearts, for example, toddlers might just dance and grab a heart, while older children can follow action prompts written on each heart. Likewise, older siblings can help the little ones during a scavenger hunt or read a story aloud.
The key is to let each child participate at their own level.
2. How can I adapt these activities for a classroom or group setting?
For a group or classroom party, a little planning goes a long way. One idea is to set up activity stations and have small groups of kids rotate through them.
For instance, you could have one station for cookie decorating, one for a game (like heart toss or bingo), one for a craft or card-making table, and one for storytime. Small group stations keep everyone engaged and prevent chaos.
Also encourage teamwork – kids can work in pairs for scavenger hunts or building challenges so everyone gets involved. Have a couple of simple table activities (Valentine coloring pages or playdough with heart-shaped cutters) ready for early finishers or those who prefer quiet play.
3. What are some outdoor Valentine’s Day activities if the weather allows?
If you’re lucky enough to have mild weather, take the Valentine fun outside! A favorite idea is a nature heart hunt – go on a walk and look for heart shapes in nature (heart-shaped rocks, leaves, puddles, even clouds).
You could also draw a big heart maze or hopscotch on the driveway with sidewalk chalk and have the kids run or hop through it.
Another idea is a “Cupid’s Relay”: have kids pretend to be Cupid delivering valentines – they can race while carrying a Valentine card or balloon and hand it off to the next player without dropping it. Just remember to bundle up if it’s chilly!
4. How can I incorporate learning into these Valentine’s Day activities?
Many of these activities naturally sneak in learning. Baking involves measuring and counting (math skills) and following steps (sequencing). You can have kids count out loud as they add ingredients.
For a quick math game, let them sort candy hearts by color and count how many are in each pile. The scavenger hunt builds problem-solving and – if you use written clues – reading skills. Storytime boosts listening and vocabulary.
Even the games have learning benefits: Heart Hopscotch reinforces number recognition and gross motor coordination, and Valentine Bingo can help with listening skills. The key is to keep it fun – kids will learn without even realizing it when they’re enjoying an activity!
5. What if I want to avoid too much candy or sweets during these activities?
That’s a great idea – Valentine’s Day fun doesn’t need a sugar rush. You can make healthy, non-candy substitutions. For instance, instead of cookies try heart-shaped sandwiches or fruit cut into heart shapes. Use stickers, pencils, or little toys as game prizes instead of candy.
If you do a heart tower or toss game, use foam hearts or beanbags in place of candy. And if you use candy for a science experiment or game, treat it as a “tool” or prop rather than a snack – then offer a healthy treat afterward. By focusing on activities and time together, you’ll ensure the day isn’t all about sweets.
