Sometimes I miss being a kid. When I was little, Valentine’s Day felt like an entire “season.” We made our class valentines from scratch, ate yummy candy and treats, and wore cute love-themed clothes to school. (Ah, the 80s!)
At some point in my childhood, Valentine’s Day stopped being a fun day and became one I dreaded. (I would guess that happened in high school.)
It wasn’t until I became a mom that my excitement for the holiday returned.
On their first Valentine’s Days, both kids received a special stuffed animal that became their precious loveys. A got a dog named Snuggle Puppy, and K, a bear named Winston. Every year since, we have celebrated their “birthdays” with special red velvet cupcakes, which we share with our neighbors.
This year, with all the snow on the ground, we decided to start our Valentine’s Day celebrations a little bit early. We got out our red and white sensory bin and restocked our craft cabinet with all the necessary supplies for handmade valentines.
VALENTINE’S DAY BUSY BOX FOR KIDS
I also decided to make a Valentine’s Day busy box for my tactile learner, since they have been big hits at other holidays throughout the year. She enjoys having a variety of toys in the living room for read-alouds and TV time … and I like that everything can pack back up into a shoebox quickly and easily! (No more toys scattered all over the living room at the end of the day, thank goodness.)
For the Valentine’s Day busy box, I decided to add a few new items that haven’t been in our previous boxes. As I poked through our toy storage, I stumbled across our rainbow Jenga blocks that haven’t gotten much play time lately. I pulled out the red/pink/purple blocks and tucked them into the box, along with our bristle blocks. (Those have moved from our upstairs toys back down to the basement. I think she’ll enjoy playing with them again.)
I also added:
- Pink and red pom poms, along with an ice cube tray and red tweezers from Dollar Tree
- Red and purple Velcro craft sticks
- Purple and red pegs from both of our pegboard sets (click here for links) and a red shoelace for stringing
- Red and purple linking rings
With these materials, we can work on all sorts of fun patterning activities along with fine motor skills.
If you have children who are anything like mine, you’ll find the busy box to be absolutely magical in the middle of the afternoon when you need just a few minutes to get something done. (Am I the only introverted SAHM who literally counts down the last 30 minutes until my husband gets home?) By 4:00, I am tired and cranky and ready for a few minutes of quiet. Getting out our busy box and turning on an audiobook usually does the trick!
Before you head off to make your own Valentine’s Day busy box for your kids, be sure to check out our Valentine’s Day seasonal sensory bin AND Valentine’s Day freebie!
