How to Have a Valentine’s Party for the Grandkids

Every year, I have a Valentine’s party for the grandkids. We do it as part of our weekly Friday family night dinner on the Friday closest to Valentine’s Day.

I don’t cook anything fancy, but I dress up the table for the occasion. And we do have a special dessert.

I set last year’s Valentine’s party table with everyday china and flatware, dishwasher-safe Ikea stemware, and red cloth napkins. Then I added candles, red tulips, and hearts cut from cardstock, suspended from our light fixtures.

If children are little, skip the candlesticks and substitute battery-operated tea lights. Use tumblers instead of stemware and squat bud vases that won’t tip over.

To Make the Hanging Valentine Hearts

If you have a light fixture over your dinner table, you can hang cardstock hearts from them. If not, simply scatter the hearts on the table.

Cut out your hearts from printed cardstock. I used my Cricut cutting machine, but you can make a heart pattern and cut your heart with scissors. I made my hearts 7 1/2 inches tall for the big hearts and 5 1/2 inches tall for the little ones.

You want two hearts for each hanging. Glue two hearts together, right-side out, with a glue stick. Make a hole at the top with a hole punch. Cut ribbon to the length you want the hearts to hang, plus extra for tying the ribbon to the heart at one end, and enough extra to tie the ribbon to your light fixture.

A Valentine Card and Candy at each Place

Miss T and I made valentines for each family member. Some of our past valentines are featured at the end of last week’s post. We put a chocolate heart and the valentine at each place setting. Then we scattered more chocolate hearts on the table and finished the table centerpiece with more cardstock hearts.

Valentine’s Party Gift Ideas

I buy everyone a small Valentine’s Day present and try to keep it under $10 a person. Last year, Miss T and I made gift wrap paper using our IKEA easel drawing paper roll and stamping it with hearts, flowers, and butterflies.

Throughout the year, I save ideas for small gifts to my private Pinterest page. Usually the purchases for adults relate to travel, home, or food; for kids, I’m looking for small, portable toys and games.

I usually get ideas from stories in Apple News, such as one entitled: “I’m a Frequent Flyer and these are the Ten Best Things I’m Shopping at Amazon Starting at $8.” Often, it’s obvious that the writer hasn’t actually tried the product and is simply selecting items by star ratings, and of course, the author or publisher gets a commission from our interactions. Still, I find some gift inspirations for Valentine’s Day, Easter baskets, or stocking stuffers.

Here are some ideas for small Valentine’s party gifts.

Babies/Toddlers

• Board books
• Small stuffed animals
• Educational baby rattles
• Toddler-appropriate trucks or cars

Younger Children

• Small wooden or cardboard jigsaw puzzles
• Picture books
• Art supplies (non-toxic crayons, markers, coloring books)
• Craft kits (Joann usually has inexpensive selections)
• Book of paper airplanes or other how-to books
• Origami books and paper

Older Children

• Joke or riddle book
• Temporary tattoos (I found ice hockey ones for our hockey player: 8 sheets, 96 pieces ($9.99)
• Water bottle stickers
• Panda AirTag holder ($8.99) I bought this for Panda-lover Miss T to hook onto her backpack; other animals and fruit motifs are available
• Games like Jenga Classic ($12.99) or Connect 4 ($9.97)
• Stationary set to encourage writing
• Seal and sealing wax kit
• Drugstore cosmetics: nail polish or tinted lip gloss for younger kids, or actual make-up for older kids

Adults

• A keychain like this carabiner ($4.50) at REI that was well-reviewed on Wirecutter
• OXO bench scraper, high-end version for a cook or baker ($11.99)
• Titanium emergency whistle, a little safety insurance for travelers ($10.95)
• Bracelet helper tool (3 for $13.99 so you can gift three people); this tool allows you to wear a bracelet by yourself. You steady the clamp with one hand to hold the bracelet in place, while using your other hand to open the catch and secure it.
• A set of 10 hand warmers for that next ski trip ($6.99)
• Mini sunscreen stick for purse or pocket ($8.97)

Celebrating Valentine’s Day and fostering the celebration of other traditional events can become a treasured part of family life. Grandparents are ideally suited to nurturing these traditions to create happy family memories for the grandkids from year to year.

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