Cupid and I don’t really see eye to eye.
I’ll be honest, I tend to roll my eyes a bit with the commercialized love that comes with Valentine’s day…I actually ask my husband to buy flowers on Feb. 15th because I’m too cheap to handle it but can’t pass up a chance at happiness in a vase when I’ve still got 2-3 more Canadian winter months to go…
You and I know there’s more to this “love” thing than sending store-bought cards and candies to our kid’s school.
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Our kids yearn to know they are loved by God and have been created to be a gift to others. In the right spirit, Valentine’s day can be a wonderful opportunity to teach this to our kids.
And if your kids are anything like mine, nothing quite holds their attention better than FOOD!
My goal was to have hands-on, memorable lessons, keep it healthy-ish, and include snacks they can 90% make on their own. I’m not a natural chef, so these are gonna be simple, low-prep, but guinea-pig (aka: my 5 kids) approved.
an easy intro to kid’s cooking
It always tastes better when you make it yourself, right? At least it is when you’re a kid, sometimes I think skipthedishes is an answered prayer 😉
If you’re tentative about kids cooking in the kitchen, never fear! My family has been using the Kids Cook Real Food online course (affil.) for over a year now and it has honestly been life-changing for all of us. [Click here to see their Kitchen Skills ages & stages freebie]
Real-life example: I suffer from chronic fatigue but don’t want to compromise healthy eating. So when I’m having a bad health day, instead of reaching for the frozen pizza or takeout menu, my oldest whips up a stir fry over the stove, my 7 year olds make the rice in the instant pot, and my youngest safely cut up soft vegetables to go in the pan.
I never dreamed this could happen two years ago. Help in the kitchen is my lifeline because often by suppertime I’ve maxed out my energy and my legs will literally not hold me up anymore.
I don’t suffer the mom-guilt that used to tempt me, because they are SO PROUD AND CONFIDENT, and I’ve taught them (ok, fine, Katie from the course taught them, but I clicked the buttons!) a vital life skill that will carry them into adulthood.
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Just trust me. Game. Changer.
5 valentine’s snacks that teach about love
1. Strawberry milk
Ingredients:
- 1c fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1/4c honey
- 2c milk (we love to use coconut milk)
Instructions:
- Heat strawberries and honey (microwave or stovetop) until mushy (that’s totally a cooking term).
- If your kids are not partial to chunks in their drink, the stovetop method will break them down more or you can double the strawberries, then strain out the juice to use as a syrup.
- Add to milk.
- Slurp, slurp!
Lesson:
I use this snack to talk about the Precious Blood of Jesus.
When I was young enough to be a youth minister (ahem), I would take extra time to emphasize the incredible intimate saving grace of the cross. Jesus didn’t just die to save “the world”, he died for [insert child’s name here].
Pretty sure I’m quoting from Max Lucado, but love kept Him on the cross, not the nails. He wasn’t willing to have an eternity without you or your children. So He shed His Blood as the most beautiful sign of love.
*For Catholic families, this is where you can bring in the gift of Mass and Communion.
How to apply:
If you’d like some supplemental materials to help your talk on the Precious Blood of Jesus, try some family-favourites below:
2. Cranberry energy balls
Ingredients:
- 1c peanut butter (we use Sunbutter for school-friendly version)
- 1/3c honey
- 1c rice crispies
- 1c oats
- dried cranberries
Instructions:
- Melt peanut butter and honey in the microwave.
- Add in cereal and oats.
- Sprinkle in cranberries for valentiny colour.
- Roll into balls.
- Put in the fridge to firm up until the kids can’t take it no more. Then devour.
Lesson:
Here’s a great way to introduce the gift of service to others.
God the Father didn’t create us to serve ourselves and spend our lives on a screen (gasp!). He gave us eyes to see someone’s hurt or problem, minds & hearts to think up ways to comfort and help, and hands and feet to get out there and make a big difference with little actions.
Brainstorm together who needs some help this week. What could your family do to make them feel loved? The kids could even make one of these snacks to bring!
How to apply:
If you’re looking for some service project ideas, hop on over to my post on service ideas while social distancing for inspiration.
3. Apple donuts
(from Fork & Beans)
Or you could just head over to Tim Hortons (Canadian border) to get some actual real life donuts. We can live a little. Orrrrr Dunkin’ Donuts? Is that the American donut heaven? I’ll have to investigate one day…
Ingredients:
- apples, cut into thick slices
- peanut butter, Nutella, cream cheese or fruit dip
- chocolate chips, banana chips, sprinkles, etc.
Instructions:
- Cut out the apple core. Slice apple into 1/2inch circles to make donut shapes.
- Spread on the frosting.
- Decorate with your toppings!
Lesson:
Pulling out some good ol’ St. Augustine here when he writes that our hearts are restless until they rest in God’s love (loosely translated).
Nothing but God can fill up the God-sized hole in our hearts.
For a kid-friendly version, the donut represents our hearts. We can pile up as many good things as we want, but the hole will still be there.
The kids can come up with examples of how we try to replace God using the candy. As an example, chocolate chips could be video games. Sprinkles could be being popular and having lots of friends.
These are not bad things. They can make us feel good and we enjoy them. But they won’t fill in that hole.
There will always be something missing without God. We will never feel “full” or happy or complete until we fill ourselves up with His Love. And we can help others know about His love too.
How to apply:
How can your kids start filling in that hole? One way is by spending time getting to know their God the Daddy in prayer. Read how my family uses a Prayer Basket to enrich our prayer time with many, many different types of prayer to suit every temperament.
4. Strawberry hands
Ingredients:
- strawberries
- pretzels
- fruit dip or yogurt
Instructions:
- If you want simple, break out a bag of pretzels to represent the old-fashioned prayer style.
- Otherwise, cut out the stem of the strawberry so it’s in the shape of a triangle. Make a little slice down the middle to make it look like praying hands.
- If your kids have never touched a knife before, you’ll want to start them out on Katie’s Knife Skills class for only $7 here. Be still your motherly heart. They CAN do this safely 😉
- Set out any dip if you want.
Lessons:
Like I mentioned, prayer is such a beautiful way to get to know God’s love. It’s also a powerful way to love and intercede for others.
Prayer isn’t just with words. It’s a movement of the heart. Kids can grow into little saints through all sorts of prayer.
Giving up dessert to pray for a classmate with cancer. Choosing to not complain when it’s chore time. Saying a decade of the rosary or paying extra special attention at Mass. Remembering to thank Jesus for little joys throughout the day.
All these things are little prayers that make a big impact.
How to apply:
Put the names of your family members in a hat and be a Secret Saint for the week. Your kids will have to pay attention to any needs they see and pray for their intentions. If they have an artsy flair, they could show it as a spiritual bouquet: write the specific prayers down for each petal of a flower. (Click here for your bouquet template)
5. Snacks to show our love through time, talent, and treasure
Ok, so I’ve lumped a few extra snacks in one theme. One last way kids can love their neighbour is through time, talent, and treasure.
Clock snack
Ingredients:
- rice cake or bagel
- peanut butter, fruit dip or cream cheese
- round candy (like m&ms or marshmallows), raisins or cranberries for the numbers (or an icing pen for the older kids)
- pretzel rods for the hour/minute hands
Instructions:
- Spread peanut butter (or alternative) on your base.
- Place candy around the clock for the 12 numbers.
- Place the rods in the center for the hands.
Lesson:
Time is such a personal and precious gift of self. It’s an extra sacrifice these days when everyone’s pulled in a million directions.
There’s always something shiny calling your kids away from being selfless. But when they choose to wait 10 more minutes before playing Minecraft so they can read a story to their little sister, that’s love.
Have your kids brainstorm ways they can spend time loving each other. Have them write down one thing per day on a family goal sheet.
Talent snack
Ingredients:
- absolutely anything you have lying around that’s edible
Instructions:
- Place everything on the table and have them create a picture of some of their talents.
Lessons:
This one’s a bit more freestyle, which your creative kiddos will love.
Some examples of things to put out are lip candy for singing, fruit candy for cooking, or simply making a picture of whatever gift they have. You can do a bit of “intuitive shopping” beforehand to have appropriate supplies.
Feel free to talk about talents being used for our own glory or for God’s glory. God has a plan for how best to use our talents that may be far different (but better) than what we could have dreamed of. But are we willing to trust Him and say yes?
We love God by giving Him control of how and when to use our gifts. As well, we love our neighbour by sharing these gifts with them.
What are some ways your kids can share their gifts this week?
Treasure snack
Ingredients:
- chocolate coins
Lesson:
Being generous with our money tends to be a harder lesson for adults than kids sometimes, eh?
We encourage our kids who are old enough for allowance to be good stewards and to take care of His Church. Sometimes that’s putting their coins in the collection basket on Sunday, sometimes it’s buying a treat for someone in their class.
Our ten year old’s allowance is divided up into 3 parts: save, spend, and give. She has free rein to choose where her “give” money should go, growing her discernment and compassion.
Thanks for joing me! Feel free to pick one snack or make them all, but high five for using this opportunity to teach your little saints.
Last note: My 5 kids can do these snacks 100% independently, including my youngest “set” of my 5 year old daughter and my son with severe cognitive and global delays.
Independent with our family dynamics translates to “I never have to put down my coffee mug to help” from taking out ingredients to food prep to clean up after the last crumb has disappeared. They can all use knives properly and safely, and while I still supervise my son with special needs, I am confident they can do the job while I can contentedly BE with them, teaching about our Faith and making memories.
If you’re needing to kickstart cooking life skills, but don’t know how, check out Kids Cook Real Food today!
READ MORE:
- 5 Kitchen skills your kids can learn today
- Revamp your family night with this one thing
- Save your kids from these 7 destructive eating habits
- 3 amazingly fun healthy eating challenges to empower kids
ADDITIONAL VALENTINE’S DAY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
My kids are already bugging me about decorating and ideas. I’m just not in the mood to spend hours on Pinterest, so this year, I joined forces with some of my fellow bloggers to bring you some super fun Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids.
💕Inspire Creativity in Your Children + Gnome Writing Prompts from In All You Do
Creative writing can be difficult for many kids. Try encouraging and inspiring them with some fun writing prompts.
💕10+ Awesome Valentine’s Day STEM Activities for Kids from Hess Un-Academy
These Valentine’s Day STEM activities are perfect for enjoying some learning adventures with your kids.
💕Chocolate Secrets from Julie Naturally
Chocolate is the all time top Valentine’s candy. Learn more about this delicious and nutritious food.
💕Valentine’s Day Unit Study from The WOLFe Pack
This Valentine’s Day Unit Study is filled with fun, educational ways to enjoy this special day.
💕The History of Valentine’s Traditioins from Homeschool on the Range
Learn the history behind our Valentine’s Day traditions!
💕Love songs from Musicals from Music in Our Homeschool
Do a quick 15-minute music lesson for Valentine’s Day while listening to some songs from musicals.
💕DIY Felt Fortune Cookies Valentine’s Day Craft + free Valentine printable from Making Room 4 One More
These DIY felt fortune cookies make a sweet Valentine’s Day craft. It is so simple, your kids can help.
💕Valentine’s Day Language Arts Resources for Homeschooling Families from Whole Child Homeschool
Valentine vocabulary games and grammar fun for all ages including a silly sentences activity.
💕Make Some Easy Sweetheart Popcorn For Valentine’s Day from Our Crazy Adventures in Autismland
Make a fun treat with your kids while learning the history of Valentine’s Day!
💕How to Have a Valentine’s Day Homeschool Party from Everyday Graces Homeschool
What kid doesn’t love having a party?
💕Valentine’s Chocolate Pudding Cream Cheese Frosting from Homegrown Motherhood
Valentine’s Chocolate Pudding Cream Cheese Frosting – a fun and easy 5-minute frosting for a dessert!
💕27 Valentine’s Day Books for Kids from Heart and Soul Homeschooling
Fun and favorite Valentine’s Day books for kids to fill your book basket this month!
💕5 Valentine’s Day Snacks that Teach About God’s Love from Stand Up, Reach Out
5 low-prep, easy snacks teach kids how to love God and others.
💕Story Time: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch from Orison Orchards
This fun Story Time includes some fun, Valentine-themed literature activities and an easy snack to enjoy.
💕15 Fast and Fun Valentine’s Day Snacks for Kids from Thrive at Home
Looking for a fun, fast, Valentine’s Day snack for your kids that won’t take a ton of prep time? Here are 15!
💕DIY Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas – Beautiful Heart-Shaped Upcycled Book Decorations from Geez, Gwen!
This fun art project is something every tween and teen will enjoy making and you’ll be happy to display!
All these ideas are amazing!! I’m so interested in that kids cooking course now too. My kids love to help in the kitchen! I will definitely be doing one or more of these projects with my kids around Valentines Day. I love your creativity!
Thanks, Lieren! My kids love cooking too!
Oooow the smoothie looks amazing!