13 Healthy Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
I am confident I am not the only mom staring at the candy isle when Valentine’s Day comes around thinking- I don’t want to buy this junk for my children for Valentine’s Day! I see the candy with fake colors, preservatives, artificial flavors, and fake sugars (a.k.a. poison and cancer causing toxic junk) all beautifully packaged in fun, happy wrappers that beckon – “buy me, buy me, buy me!” It can be a challenge wanting to be a fun parent who isn’t a super controlling Grinch, but also not wanting to knowingly harm your child’s health with toxic products. I don’t want to eliminate all candy thereby only making it that much more tantalizing to the denied child, who will then most likely do all they can to sneak getting some of that forbidden candy. Junk candy is near impossible to avoid with it shoved under kids noses as a main reward with every holiday and when at frequently visited spots for families like doctor’s offices and school events. Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, birthdays, Halloween and Christmas, all typically come with the common idea of – time to give your kids junk food and junk candy! I decided a better course of action to saying “no” to the long aisles of toxic candy is to redirect my child by providing other rewards beyond candy.
Here Are 13 Healthy Ideas For Valentine’s Day to Try Instead of The Typical Junk Candy:
1- Jewelry making kit or t-shirt decorating
2- Make your own pottery day- find a local shop with clay bowls, plates, cups, figures and more that can be painted for a fun family activity
3- Arts and crafts night- get out paints, crayons, markers and have everyone make a creation for one another
4- STEM Toy- the kids can build something that gives them something to work on for a longer period of time and challenge themselves. My son loved building a robotic wooden arm in a weekend (age 7), and he was so proud of his accomplishment that he put together all by himself!
5- Pick your favorite foods night- let the kids decide what they want for their favorite meal. So much of childhood is about being told what to do and where to go that it can be hard on little ones. A small decision like choosing a favorite meal gives a child a sense of freedom and empowerment.
6- Pick your favorite movie night- make it a theme. Get their favorites. Play dress up to go with the movie. Watch it with them instead of being on your phone
7- Create a family tree- kids love hearing stories about their family. What better way to bond then creating a family tree with photos and information about your family history
8- Plan a family activity- let your child pick an activity for the whole family. It could be a trip to the zoo or animal farm, the beach, a new park, walking trail, museum and more. Commit to making sure it is tech free time so all can be fully present
9- Extra story and snuggle time- this special time can be cut into (especially for parents who work outside the home, work different hours or travel). Commit to extra loving time with your full attention, and see how much your kids will enjoy and appreciate your special time together
10- Board game night- I admit I am not big on board games due to the simple fact they take longer periods of time that I do not have much of as a single parent. I also know my son LOVES games (as do many kids). Having a parents’ full and undivided attention in this crazy social media, never ending work day world we live in is hard to come by!
11- Make your own dessert at home- pick healthy chemical free ingredients to create something without toxic colors and artificial flavors. Cooking provides great bonding and talking time while also teaching about cooking
12- Go through old family photos and videos- I know my munchkin LOVES looking at old videos and photos to hear stories about things he said and did. We all get so rushed in this hectic world that this is a great way to slow down and have some quality family time
13- Make a gift basket of chemical free snacks- like these awesome Smashmallow ones below. Throw in a cool pen/pencil, a book about a favorite topic, stickers etc.
Happy Healthy Valentine’s Day Ya’ll!