16 Fun Family Valentine’s Day Ideas For Celebrating Together

Valentine’s Day is a time to spend with those we love and there’s no reason that should be limited to romantic partners! These family Valentine’s Day Ideas are the perfect way to celebrate together as a family.

This list of Valentine’s activities for families is perfect for spending Valentine’s Day with your kids, and enjoying time together as a whole family!

Family Valentine’s Day Ideas For Celebrating Together

Once you become a parent, priorities tend to shift and while it is absolutely essential to dedicate quality time to spend just with your partner, there is no reason that Valentine’s Day can’t be about the whole family instead.

There really doesn’t need to be a lot of planning involved when it comes to planning family Valentines Day ideas.

Just spending quality time together can be enough for all members of the family to feel appreciated and enjoy the time together.

You may soon find yourself starting a new family tradition each year as a great opportunity to do fun activities together at this time of year and connect with your kids.

But in case you want to do something extra special to spend Valentine’s Day with your kids, this list of ideas is sure to help you make the 14th of February a memorable occasion!

You might also like to check out these daddy-daughter date ideas and mother-daughter date ideas for one-on-one time with your child.

Valentines Day Ideas For The Whole Family

When planning family-friendly Valentine’s Day ideas that involve an activity together and a good way to do that is to get the whole family involved in deciding what they would like to do.

Why not ask your kids what their favourite thing to do together as a family is and incorporate that or several of those suggestions into your family fun day?

If you are attempting to plan the day as a surprise, you might need to be a little more subtle with how you get their answers though!

Here are some fun family ideas for Valentine’s Day in case you need some inspiration:

1. Valentine Game Night

Game nights are loads of fun for the whole family. Play one of your favourite board games together or get a new one to try for the occasion as a gift to share.

Or, why not try some printable Valentine’s Day themed games instead. Here are a few to try:

Minute To Win It games are also loads of fun and sure to get the entire family laughing with all the silliness that follows. The best thing about these types of games is that they are easy to set up and usually don’t require a lot of equipment.

2. Family Movie Night

Romantic movies might not be the first choice for most kids (or dads) but there are plenty of great choices that will appeal to the whole family.

If you are watching with younger kids, these 10 movies are cute and suitable for all ages.

With older kids and teens, you have a little more flexibility with watching more traditional Valentine’s Day classics or modern rom coms.

Make your movie night extra special with some sweet treats such as a box of chocolates to share and popcorn, of course.

3. Secret Valentine Gift Exchange

Most people know what Secret Santa is. Why not add a Valentine’s Day twist to this gift-giving fun by each drawing a name of a family member and getting them a surprise gift to open on Valentine’s Day.

Depending on the ages of your children and the type of budget you want to set, you could either give each child $5 or $10 to spend at the store choosing their gifts or have each family member create a handmade gift instead.

4. Valentine’s Day Advent Calendar

Why not make the fun last even longer by making a DIY Valentine Advent calendar for each member of the family, or a shared one that you can take turns opening each day in the countdown to February 14th.

You can fill it with anything you like – treats, a small gift each day, love notes, jokes or special things that have meaning for your family.

Check out these advent calendar fillers and DIY Advent calenders for more fun ideas.

5. Family Coupon Book

Create your own coupon book using construction paper or any supplies you have on hand.

You can print off coupons from your computer using a free editing program like Canva as well.

Instead of the usual romantic things, your coupons can suggest activities such as ‘Movie night of your choice’, ‘Your favourite takeaway for dinner’, ‘You get to choose the family activity’.

This is a fun idea that lasts beyond Valentine’s Day, where you can take turns redeeming a coupon of your choice to plan the next family ‘date night’.

This is a great way to start new Valentine’s Day traditions that keep going.

6. Valentine’s Day Photoshoot

Create the perfect memory of the day by having an annual family photoshoot either at home, with a your own camera and timer function or with a professional photographer.

It can be a completely silly photoshoot with props or a serious family portrait session that is worthy of hanging on your wall.

7. Lunch Box Notes

If it is a school and workday, surprise your children and partner by adding lunch box notes into their lunches.

They will get a lovely surprise when they find your little note.

Sometimes it is the most simple ideas that have the most meaning, simply reminding someone how much we love and care for them with little gestures.

Family Valentine Dinner ideas & Treats

A special Valentine’s Day dinner is often what comes to mind for most couples when planning what to do, so instead of the usual romantic dinner, why not plan one of these family Valentine dinner ideas or treat platters instead:

8. Valentine’s Day Dinner At Home

Set the dinner table with your fanciest tableware or get some cute Valentine-themed disposable plates and cups for the occasion instead, add candles, flowers or other pretty decor and cook up your family’s favourite meal and dessert to share together.

Sometimes you can do the exact thing you would normally do, such as eating a favourite meal as a family, but with a few extra touches and the thought that goes into creating the meal, it can be something much more special to share together.

9. Combined Valentine Dinner

Get each family member involved in planning their ideal meal. To create this special dinner, each person has a course to prepare for the special meal.

One person might be responsible for mains, another for entree and another for dessert.

If you have really young kids, older siblings (or a parent) can help them prepare their chosen dish.

You will have a bit of Valentine’s Day fun dodging each other in the kitchen, while you prepare your dish, all while trying to guess what the other family members are making.

It might not be a gourmet meal at the end but the experience is a lot of fun!

10. Family Valentine Picnic

Pack your picnic basket, picnic blanket and plenty of delicious food and drink then head somewhere you all love – or somewhere new.

A family picnic is always a lot of fun.

We shared a lot of picnics as a couple before we were married or had kids so it feels like a special tradition to share that now with our kids, returning to places we went before to recapture those precious memories and add new ones.

11. Mystery Picnic

We recently did a mystery family picnic for our wedding anniversary and it was an incredible day out.

There are mystery picnic options for destinations all around the world and you can choose the city you want your mystery date in and the day before, you get clues delivered to your phone.

The clues are relatively easy to solve with the help of the kids. We had great fun working them out together.

Each clue leads you to the next location you need to pick up part of your picnic – salads, cheese platters, dessert trays, wine. Or to a place to explore along the way.

This is a really fun way to spend a day out somewhere new or exploring your local area in a whole new way with great food and the best company!

Book your Mystery Picnic experience HERE

12. Valentine’s Day Dessert Board

When it comes to celebrating love, who says you can’t start with dessert or skip the mains entirely? This Valentine’s Day dessert platter is a perfect special occasion treat to share with your loved ones. Don’t forget the chocolate covered strawberries. Yum!

Here are some more treat ideas you can make and add to your dessert board:

13. Heart-Shaped Grazing Board

If you have younger kids, they will adore this grazing platter with heart-shaped food. And all you need is a simple heart-shaped cookie cutter to make their favourite snack foods into cute shapes.

Check out more grazing platter ideas and charcuterie board inspiration.

14. International Dinner

Is there a country you’ve always wanted to visit together as a family? Why not make your family date night into a themed meal, cooking dishes from that country.

There are plenty of traditional recipes from around the world that you can find online for any place in the world. This is a fun way to try a new dish while working together in the kitchen to create it too.

Or if you don’t want to cook, order takeout from a local store that makes the cuisine from your chosen destination.

15. Valentine’s Day Pancake Party

This is such a sweet and fun way to start the day off, especially if everyone has work and school that day. Kick-off with a love-themed breakfast party with pancakes and decorations.

This is a wonderful way to get everyone in a great mood for the day ahead while enjoying a special breakfast to fuel the body!

6. Fancy Restaurant

While most of us save going to a fancy restaurant for special occasions with our partners, this is an experience that will thrill most kids.

Treat the whole family to a meal at a fancy restaurant and have everyone feel extra special as they enjoy fine dining.

This could be a once-off Valentine’s dinner treat or make it into a new annual tradition or something you do every second year together, alternating with a special meal at home.

Fun Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day With Kids

If you would prefer to spend one on one time with each of your children on Valentine’s Day, rather than planning a whole family activity, there are plenty of ways to make that time together special for just the two of you as well.

Knowing what makes your child happiest is a good way to know how to bring them joy on this day.

For some kids, receiving a special Valentine’s gift from you to your child is a huge joy. This can be something sentimental or handmade or perhaps a ‘heart box‘ loaded with little gifts that each have a special meaning.

For some kids, their love language might be quality time together and planning a day out just for the two of you will mean the world to them.

Head to the local ice cream store for a treat, go see a movie together or enjoy a shared pamper session.

If you have more than one child, you might like to split your time up so you spend an equal amount of time with each of them alone and then swap so your partner can do the same.

Other ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with kids include:

Doing Valentine’s Day crafts together
Making handmade cards
Random acts of kindness for friends and neighbours
Special treats you make for them
Baking together
A trip to their favourite restaurant
A visit to the toy store for them to choose a gift
Read some good books about Valentine’s day together
Write them a love letter telling them what is special about them

Find more activities to do at home with kids plus over 100 fun ideas for the backyard too!

No matter how you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, spending time with those we love is the most important part. These family Valentines day ideas are a great way to do just that and create memories that will last a lifetime! And there is no reason just to save them for Valentine’s Day either – why not enjoy showing your most cherished people who much you love them any day of the year!

Want some romantic plans just for the grown-ups? Here are some ways to celebrate your romantic love as well: