Valentine’s Day is almost here and when I sat down to brainstorm activities I thought about what message do I want to send my son about this holiday. I decided I didn’t want him to think of it as a day of sugar and extra treats, or one where his dad gave his mom something sparkly ( though if you are reading this, I am always good with diamonds) , instead I wanted him to think of it as a special day to celebrate all the ways we love each other. Not by getting things but by doing things. So this month’s craft is great for older kids to make for siblings, or even their parents but I made this one to give to my son who is 3 on Valentine’s day.
Spend Time With Me Coupon Book!
The way I plan on using this is when we are deciding what to do on a quiet weekend , I will say ” Why don’t you choose something from the coupon book!” and then let him choose a special activity to share. You can make the coupons reusable like that or for one time use only, it’s up to you.
1.) Gather your materials. You will need some plain pink card stock, some fun valentine’s themed card stock or paper, glue or double stick tape, a hole punch, a heart shaped paper punch or scissors, some ribbon and a marker.
2.) Start by cutting the pink card stock into strips. I used a paper cutter, but scissors would work fine.
3.) Punch out your hearts with the punch.
4.) Attach the hearts on each paper strip
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5.) Using the marker add your activities. We added things like “Share a hot chocolate” ” Read me a story” ” Go for a walk” and ” Bake cookies” put your own spin on it by using some of the special traditions unique to your family.
6.) Punch a hole in each one
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7.) Tie with a ribbon. Don’t tie too tightly or the coupons won’t flip easily.
Book
Love You When You Whine by Emily Jenkins
Since I am focusing on how children and parents can show love through doing things together I thought this book would be a fun fit. I don’t know about you but one thing I want to instill in my son is that I can be angry to him without it changing how very much I love him. This book will make parents of young children laugh out loud, I know I did. The mother’s expressions on some pages mirror my feelings in those exact situations, my favorite being that she loves her daughter even when she throws up on her good coat. It covers annoying, destructive and mean behavior and will open the floor for great discussion about unconditional love. Great for any time of year but perfect for this time when hearts are everywhere and the word love gets tossed around with little care.
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By Allison McDonald at www.noflashcards.com
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I love this idea for two reasons. First, right now we’re having trouble with the girls watching too much TV and not wanting to stop watching because they “don’t know what else to do!” Having a list of activities like this would be a great answer to that – “Why don’t you choose something from your coupon book!” The second reason this would be great for my family is that sometimes *I* need a reminder to put down what I’m doing and spend time with my girls.
A lovely craft and a great post.