How to Celebrate Valentines Day as a Homeschool Family

How to Celebrate Valentines Day as a Homeschool Family For kids in a traditional school setting, Valentines Day may conjure up ideas of exchanging Valentines and feasting on cupcakes with classmates. How can you make Valentines Day special as a homeschooling family? Host a Valentine Party A child making the  transition from public school to homeschool  may be accustomed to a traditional classroom party. Consider hosting your own Valentines Day party for your family and friends or homeschool support group. One of the obstacles that you may experience with a homeschool Valentine party is getting a list of participants names. In a classroom setting, a list of names if usually sent home to make it easy for kids to address a Valentine card to each of their classmates. Also, unlike in a classroom, all the kids in a homeschool support group may not know one another. There are a couple of easy ways to overcome these obstacles. First, you may want to ask all the party-goers to bring blank Valentine cards to exchange. They can fill in the names as part of the activities after they arrived. For larger homeschool group parties, its helpful to ask the children to fill out their Valentines at home, writing â€Å"my friend† in the â€Å"to† field.   Ask each child to bring a shoebox or a paper sack to decorate. Choose one or the other so that all the kids have something similar in which to collect their Valentines. Provide markers; stamps and ink; crayons; and stickers for the kids to use in decorating their boxes.  After decorating their bags or boxes, have the children deliver their Valentines to one another. You will also want to provide snacks or ask each family to bring something to share. Group games are fun to plan, too, since those are difficult to play at home with siblings.   Have a Valentine-themed School Day Take a break from your regular schoolwork for the day.  Instead, complete Valentine’s Day printables,  writing prompts, and writing activities. Read Valentine’s Day or love-themed picture books. Learn how to dry flowers  or make Valentine’s Day crafts. Get hands-on with math and kitchen chemistry by baking cookies or cupcakes. If you have an older student, give him home ec credit for preparing a complete Valentine-themed meal. Serve Others A fantastic way to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a homeschool family is to spend time serving others. Look for opportunities to volunteer in your community or consider the following: Take Valentine  cards and treats to a nursing home,  police station, or fire departmentRake leaves for a neighborDeliver a homemade meal or Valentine treats to a neighborTake treats to the librarians who probably know your family by nameDo random acts of kindness, such as paying for the meal of the car behind you in the drive-through lineServe your own family by doing household chores that someone else usually does such as washing the dishes for Mom or taking out the trash for Dad Place Hearts on Each Other’s Bedroom  Doors Place a heart on each family member’s bedroom door listing a reason why you love them. You might mention attributes such as: You are kind.You have a beautiful smile.You’re great at drawing.You are a wonderful sister.I love your sense of humor.You give fantastic hugs. Do this every day for the month of February, the week of Valentine’s Day, or surprise your family with an explosion of hearts on their doors when they wake up on Valentine’s Day. Enjoy a Special Breakfast Like other families, it’s not uncommon for  homeschooling families  to find themselves going in different directions each day.  One or both parents may work outside the home, and the kids may have a homeschool co-op or outside classes to attend. Enjoy a special Valentine’s Day breakfast before everyone goes their separate ways. Make heart-shaped pancakes or have strawberries and chocolate crepes.   End the Day Together If you dont have time for breakfast, end the day with some special family time. Order pizza and snuggle up for a family movie night complete with popcorn and boxes of movie candy. Before the movie, encourage each family member to tell the others one thing they love about each of them.   Your homeschool familys Valentines day celebration doesnt have to be elaborate to be a meaningful, memory-making event.