So maybe this year you won’t be hiring a babysitter and going out for a Valentine’s Day dinner, but that doesn’t mean that Valentine’s Day has to be a bust! There are plenty of unique and fun ideas you can try at home this year. Whether you still want a little romantic time with your husband or you want to celebrate as a family. Either way, check out these 10 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Home with the Kids
My husband and I love a good rendezvous, but maybe this year it’s time to switch it up and make Valentine’s Day a celebration with the whole family. Or, maybe that’s your family tradition anyway, and this year you need some fun Valentine’s ideas to do at home. Here I’m sharing 6 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home that are perfect for the whole family!
1. Table Top Grilling and Fondue
This one is at the top for our family. We used to use our table top grill as a newly married couple with other young couples, and then we put it away for quite some time while we had toddlers. Just recently we started pulling it out again with our own children, and they think it is the best thing ever. We reserve it for special occasions, so this would be the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. You can read more about our indoor grill and chocolate fondue experiences here.
Make it extra special for Valentine’s Day by using these adorable Valentine’s themed paper straws to hold marshmallows and candies to sprinkle on your fondue.
2. Make Valentine’s Together
Make your family Valentine’s celebration about others and celebrating them. Collect all your odds and ends craft items at home, or snag a few of these items below, and have an evening of creating encouraging notes for neighbors, friends and family. There are all sorts of creative ideas for diy Valentine’s Day cards that you can find online.
3. Baking Party
This is a favorite for my kids. All of my kids like to bake. Have a Valentine’s baking party and make all the fun treats like sugar cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels, chocolate dipped strawberries, red velvet cupcakes, or whatever else you can come up with. You can find all sorts of decadent holiday desserts in this post from Delish.
4. Movie Night
Make this movie night extra special. Toss in some Valentine’s M&M’s with the popcorn. Make a special pink punch. Make all your movie night snacks Valentine’s themed. And of course, choose a movie with a little bit of love in it, but still appropriate and fun for the kiddos.
5. Tea Party
This is a great option especially if you are at home with the kids during the day right now. Carve out a little time in the afternoon to have a special celebration with your kids. Deck out the table for the perfect tea party with tablecloth, real tea set, flowers and china, and have some special sweet treats. Make the treats yourself or pick some up from a local bakery. Tea party favors would be a great treat for Valentine’s Day. You can pick up items like a tablecloth, odds and ends teacups and saucers, etc. at second hand stores if you don’t want to buy something new. Also check your local Dollar Tree for table decorations.
Wondering what to do at a tea party? Well, drink tea and have treats of course. But here are a few other ideas as well:
- Play tea party games
- Tell “favorite memories” stories
- Create a family bucket list for the next year
- Bring the dolls and stuffed animals along
- Make a simple craft
6. Make A Pop Tart House
You make a gingerbread house for Christmas, so why not make a Pop Tart house for Valentine’s Day? You can get instructions here, or just freestyle it!
Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Home with your Spouse
If you have children at home, this one could be a little trickier to pull off without the kids, but still it’s possible. Check out these creative ideas for how to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home with your spouse, but without the kids. At home date night ideas are possible, even with kids in the house.
1. Hire a virtual babysitter
Did you even know this was a thing? I just discovered it recently myself, but it’s true, it’s a real thing! Now, if you have babies or toddlers this one probably isn’t going to work for you. But, if you have kids that are a little older but you still don’t want them closed in a room without any supervision, a virtual babysitter might be just what you need to give you and your spouse some time alone at home.
Send the kids to the playroom, bedroom, whatever, and set them up with their virtual babysitter, and then proceed with your special Valentine’s night with the spouse. Whether that be a fancy homemade dinner, delivery, a movie night. Whatever you like to do, you can still have a little space and a special night with your spouse while also having some peace of mind about the kids.
Now I realize this won’t be a good fit for every family, but for some of you it might be perfect! You can check out more details about virtual babysitters at VeeBee or Virtual Babysitter’s Club.
2. Movie night after the kids have gone to bed
This is the time you can watch an adult movie without the kiddos. Maybe even watch a movie with the kids earlier in the evening, and then have your own one-on-one time after you’ve put the kids to bed. Pull out your favorite drinks and snacks. You know, the ones you hide from the kids and try to sneak on occasion so they don’t see and want some. This is their time to shine! Do a little something extra on this movie night to make it special for you and your spouse. Maybe a special drink you don’t have often at home, chocolate covered strawberries, or creme brulee (our personal favorite).
3. Date Night Dinner after the kids have gone to bed
If you don’t mind eating later, then plan for a special candle lit dinner at home after the kids have gone to bed. If it’s me and I’d been working all day, cooking dinner for the kids and getting them to bed, I would opt for carry out from a favorite restaurant. But if you’re inspired to make a homemade meal for you and your spouse, by all means go for it. Pull out the steak and seafood, pasta, or whatever your favorite food is.
Try a new recipe, cook together! Cooking together can be a great date night. Maybe even do an online cooking class together! Now that sounds like my kind of at home date night idea. Get a private cooking class via Skype from The Chef and the Dish.
4. Swap babysitting nights with someone in your “circle”
If you’ve been staying away from the general public but have a small circle of close neighbors, friends or family that you’ve been in contact with this may be a perfect option for you. Offer to swap babysitting nights with one of those close families. You take all the kids one night, and they take them another night, so you have some actual alone time. If you don’t want to go out on the town for the night, then drop the kids off and head back home! Cook a nice meal together or order delivery or carry out from your favorite restaurant. Spend the evening doing whatever you’d like to do at home without the kids there!
You can find some great at-home date night ideas from Cornerstone Confessions.
Recap of 10 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Home
Now let’s recap these 10 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home. Whether it’s a fun celebration with the kids or at home date ideas you’re looking for, you’ve got some great ideas to choose from here.
- Hire a virtual babysitter
- Movie night after the kids have gone to bed
- Date night dinner after the kids have gone to bed
- Swap babysitting nights with another family
- Table top grilling and fondue
- Make Valentine’s together
- Baking party
- Movie night
- Tea party
- Make Pop Tart houses
Choose a Pin to Save for Later!
