Saint Valentine's day on February 14 is a wonderful chance for grandparents to bond with their grandchildren. Surely, the day has mostly been notarized for the expression of love between a boy and girl. With long ago roots in Christianity, the the traditional exchange of flowers, chocolates, and of course, the Valentine's card are now a global phenomenon. In fact, nearly 1 Billion Valentine cards are sent each year. So before your grandchildren are exchanging hearts with their teenage boyfriends/girlfriends, why not make the holiday a special one between grandparent and grandchild?
"Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine! "
--Thomas Hood
Younger children in school these days will typically help the teacher decorate the classroom, create Valentine cards and eat a treat or two. I remember building a Valentine's day "post-office" in my Kindergarten class in the 70's. Oh, the anticipation of who might give me a Valentine...Don't want to be like Charlie Brown, no sir! While typically every kid gives every other kid a Valentine...it does not diminish that warm fuzzy sensation of discovering your Valentine's day loot! The feeling of being appreciated.
Your grandchildren will love getting a Valentine card from you as well. Add some traditional Valentine Flowers & Treats...and I imagine your thoughtfulness will be a Valentine hit this year.
On this page, you'll find a number of new and creative ideas to connect with your grandchild. Make this Valentine's day special with a "warm fuzzy"for your little one to cherish.
Valentine Ideas for your Grandchildren
Mail a Valentine card:Boring? Sure, it's simple. But doesn't just everyone love to get a surprise in the mailbox?! Even if you will see your grandchild face-to-face, take the extra step to send a note in the mail too. Maybe you no longer purchase cards?...even better. The most cherished Valentines are those from the heart & hand, created by the author. And, there's lots of ways to make your effort really unique. Read on below...
EMail a Valentine card:E-cards are (for the most part) free, and only take mere moments to create and email to your grandchildren. If you're pressed for either time or money...e-cards are the way to go. In fact e-cards are so quick and easy...why not do one in addition to whatever other Valentine plans & treats on your agenda. There are many e-card sites. Here are two I have used and can recommend:
Send an Valentine with Panache: You've seen your computer savvy friends create wonderful picture projects, calendars, photo collages etc. Do you want some secret help to make some magic with YOUR digital pictures? Put the experts at Smilebox to work for you and create the absolute best Valentine card you ever sent or have yet even imagined. And, it's much, much easier than you think. Click the link below and check it out...
Book with Note: Pickup a book or two with a Valentine's day theme for your grandchild's collection. First off, this might give you a chance to begin a new annual tradition of reading together each Valentine's day. And, here's another thought...add a special love note inside the cover in permanent marker. Date your note. Add a complement or two about your grandchild and be sure to leave some X's and O's in the signoff. Now it's true...young kids might just gloss over these notes quicker than you can say "once upon a time." But perhaps the magic has not even begun? My boys' grandparents have taken up this practice. And by planning to save our children's books...there just may come a night 30 years from now when our son is reading to his own kids. Finding that special note from mom-mom inside the cover of a book, he'll smile as he touches the ink. Trust me...the warm fuzzy will pop right off the page! And he might pass on those compliments to future generations. Find some great Valentine book selections below.
Babysitting Night: Here's an idea to create two special evenings at the same time. Plan for a surprise babysitting night for the grandchildren. Encourage their parents to go plan their own romantic evening. Meanwhile, plan for the real fun to happen back home! Get creative with crafts, gameboards, charades, a Valentine treasure hunt, a group-prepared dinner, movie, videogames. You name it! Get creative and above all....make it PLAY. Many grandparents these days live a distance from their little ones to spring an idea like this. But, for long-distance grandparents, the gift of a night out to the parents is a real treat and healthy practice for ANY family. And, nights like Valentine's are some of the toughest to find a good sitter. Find a professional, respectable, fun, and safe babysitter for your grandkids in their town here...
Plan a Valentine Date: Here's a twist on the babysitting night idea...Offer to take the grandkids on Valentine's date! Plan a kids night on the town while the parents go off and do their own thing. Why should the parents have all the fun? Pick a family friendly restaurant or a kids favorite. Bowling? Chucky Cheese anyone? Or your favorite spot that serves after dinner ice-cream. Order the sweethearts dessert special and several spoons!
Creative Hearts:Want to send a Valentine that's creative and unique? Find a favorite snapshot of your grandkids and "frame" them with household items to make a heart. Then snap a new picture and bingo...a great Valentine picture to send or email! No ideas on how to make hearts? Really? Stop thinking so hard! Use Cheerios, candy hearts, markers on paper, or M&Ms. Live near the beach? Draw a heart in the sand. Heck, cup your hands together touching your pointer fingers and thumbs. Curve your thumbs down. An upside down heart! Frame your hands around your grandchild photo and have someone snap the picture. Another idea....arrange a collage of pictures of your grandchild into the shape of a heart.Make the heart out of flour or sugar used to make a batch of Valentine's cookies. There's millions of hearts all over your house. Go find them and get creative!
Jewelry - Treat that special granddaughter to her own heart shaped pendant or special charm bracelet. It's amazing how early young girls really appreciate a personal jewelry collection. (Gee, funny how the women never really grow out of that....) Some day your little one will have boyfriends treating her to special trinkets. Why not step in while she's young and make a special bond with her today. Who knows...it's special meaning may resonate forever as one of her favorites in her future collection.Here's a selection of some of the best-selling jewelry for young ladies today...
Crafty Valentines' cards: If your talented with arts and crafts, gather some Craft Supplies for the grandkids to spend an hour or two making home-made Valentines for their friends, parents, and school teachers. Heck, when you're not looking, I bet they even sneak one together for a grandparent or two. Particularly if the parents are both workers, it's this kind of activity that can really compliment the parenting task while encouraging creativity and at the same time...encouraging activities that communicate appreciation of others. (All great legacy contributions.)
Write a Grandchild love letter:Kids love to hear stories and especially stories about themselves. Spend an hour and think about the unique characteristics of your grandchild. What do they do that makes you laugh? Amazes you? Makes you proud? Do you remember the day they were born? Describe the excitement in the air. Anything crazy mom or dad did? What special talents in your grandchild makes you wonder where they came from? What characteristics in your little one remind you of an older family relative from long ago? After an hour, I'm sure you'll have a long list of items and several key items to frame your letter. Now write that letter! Not a good writer, you say? Then don't try. Record your feelings on tape and once you're done, simply transcribe to paper. Don't edit. Don't correct the grammar. Don't criticize your own work. The best writing is conversational and comes from the heart in any case. And your letter will be treasured forever.
"Many are the starrs I see, but in my eye no starr like thee. "
--On an Posey ring, British Museum, 16th Century
Valentine Books for Grandchildren
Grab a book for your little Valentine. Make it extra special with a love note inside and/or read it to them each year. The books here include many highly recommended selections.
Valentine Movies for Young Grandkids
Valentine's night offers up a great time to snuggle with your grandchildren and settle in to watch a family movie. (Maybe the parents are out having a romantic dinner. And you've got the little ones for the night.) So grab some blankets and pop the popcorn!
Valentine Movies for Older "Kids"
Have a teenage or older granddaughter? The movies here are widely considered the best romance movies out there.
Now I must admit, I've only seen one (When Harry met Sally) so mind you I can't personally (as a man) recommend these. (Don't worry guys!) But, based on researching the opinions of female experts and probably some sort of tear-production metrics which seems to be the desirable outcome...these are the winners.
For those teenage granddaughters not spending Valentine's day with a boyfriend, girls everywhere will be getting together to watch a great "chick flick" or two. Send her a few of these and give her the gift of a great night with her friends...
"Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction."
...and I imagine your thoughtfulness will be a Valentine hit this year.