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One of the most important characteristics of a happy family is the ability to play together. Any holiday is a good excuse for a party, but Valentines Day is an especially appropriate time to put a little effort into making your family feel special. Sometime in February, have a fun party for the whole family. Here are some ideas for a super-thrifty Valentines Day Celebration!
Food
You don’t have to spend any more money on a Valentines Day meal, just think pink and heart-shaped.
Breakfast: Make a pink strawberry smoothie, French Toast cut with a heart cookie cutter, or heart-shaped biscuits.
Lunch: Cut out sandwiches with heart cookie cutters. If you have different sizes, cut the bread with a large heart, ham or turkey with a medium heart, and cheese with a small heart. Stack them together for a fun, open-face sandwich.
Dinner: Try your favorite meatloaf recipe on a cookie sheet, shaped like a heart. Or, make a homemade pizza with heart-shaped dough. Even a dinner of canned tomato soup can be dressed up with homemade or store-bought breadstick dough shaped like a heart.
Dessert: Anything looks fancy layered in tall glasses! Try alternating layers of brownie bits, French Vanilla pudding, and cherry pie filling; yogurt, granola, and strawberries; or angel food cake, real whipped cream, and raspberries.
Put on a tablecloth, sprinkle conversation hearts around the table, and light some candles. I love how little eyes sparkle in candlelight!
Games
(For younger kids)
Heart Attack: Cut out paper hearts from colorful Valentines paper or cardstock, then cut them in half with zigzags, curvy lines, etc. Mix up all the halves and let them put the heart puzzles together.
Love Bag: Glue or decoupage small pictures of family members on cardboard, foam board, or heavy paper. Laminate them if you have access to a machine. Put them in a bag and take turns picking a picture. Tell something you love about each person as their picture is drawn.
Make Pink Butter: Before dinner, put 1 cup of cream and a couple drops of red food coloring in a pint jar. Screw the lid on tight. Then take turns shaking it. After several minutes, solid butter will form, surrounded by liquid. Discard the liquid and empty the butter into a dish. Salt lightly and enjoy on your heart-shaped biscuits or breadsticks. This is a great way to keep little hands busy while you cook! You can also hire a 360 booth so that the kids can have fun taking pictures while wearing different props and accessories!
(For older kids)
Girl’s Name, Boy’s Name: Each person is given a paper. On the top of the page, write the name of any girl (it works best if the people playing all know who she is). Fold the paper down so the name is covered. Pass the paper to the left. Without peeking under the first fold of your new paper, write any boy’s name below the first fold. Fold over the boy’s name and pass the paper. Repeat for these categories: Where they were, What they were doing, What she said, What he said, How it all ended.
After everyone writes each answer, pass one more time, then take turns unfolding the papers and reading the crazy stories. (As the paper gets passed around, you just may end up with Vanna White and Justin Bieber at Yellowstone National Park, knitting. “How much are snow cones?” she asks. “I think I’ll cut my toenails tomorrow, ” he replies. They end up buying a pig farm and become amateur photographers.) We loved to play this when we were little!
Poor Kitty: This quick game is a favorite around our house when we need a good laugh. Sit in a circle, one person in the middle. He is the Kitty. The Kitty goes up to one person in the circle and mews, three times, and tries to make the person laugh. After each mew, the person has to pat Kitty on the head and say, “Poor Kitty” without laughing. The others in the circle are the judges. If the person laughs, they are the Kitty. If they don’t laugh, the Kitty chooses another person to mew to. Here are some of the Kitty faces some of my kids (and a couple cousins) came up with the last time we played. (Warning: Objects in this picture are much cuter than they appear!)
Hopefully this will help jump-start your plans for a wonderfully thrifty Valentines Party for your whole family! Add your comments below and share your plans to make Valentines Day fun!
If you like this idea be sure to check out our list of OVER 25 Valenitnes crafts, DIY, Recipes and ideas.
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