Updated for 2022
Valentine’s Day is traditionally a holiday for couples, but it also provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the love of family and friends. There are many Valentine’s Day activities you can do with your clan. Spending time together creating memories is the best way to show them how much you care.
If you’re looking for more ideas to enjoy some family time together in Des Moines be sure to check out our list of Valentine’s Fun in Des Moines, Winter Fun Guide and sign up for our Weekend Fun Guide.
Here are 9 Valentine Day activity ideas for Des Moines families:
Exchange Valentine’s cards as a family.
A quintessential Valentine tradition…you could make this a DIY project and create your own cards at home. Or find cute and unique Valentine’s Day Cards at a local Des Moines business.
Make heart shaped pancakes.
With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, it would be a good time for a big breakfast or brunch. Break out the heart shaped cookie cutters and go to town. Heart shaped pancakes, bacon, fruit, toad in a hole….
Express love and appreciation for one another.
Not unlike sharing what you’re thankful for at Thanksgiving…encourage each of your kids to share around the table what they loved and appreciated about each other this past year. Have the tissues ready, you might be surprised by what you hear!
Host a Valentine’s Day dinner party.
Get your children involved in planning and hosting a Valentine’s Day dinner party. Simple decor, a favorite recipe, and a fun themed dessert are all you need for this fun party.
Give a heart attack.
Send love to your family and friends by showering them in hearts! That’s What Che Said has 3 Ways to “Heart Attack” your loved ones this Valentine’s Day! Find FREE printables to make this as easy as possible for you to recreate.
Lay out a Valentine’s themed charcuterie board.
Who needs a fancy dinner when you can dig into a Valentine’s Day grazing board? We pinned a few fun ideas over on our Valentine’s Day 4 Kids in Des Moines Pinterest board. And, be sure to check out Graze Box, a local Des Moines business that puts together charcuterie and cheese boards that are full of little details and are totally giftable.
Schedule a family date day.
A friend recently posted on Facebook that they scheduled a day, and each family member picked an activity that they wanted to do. Her son chose to play Roblox as a family, she picked a walk in Brown’s Woods, her daughter chose to play foosball and her husband chose to end the day with a game of dice. What a fun idea and bonus it’s a day spent with everyone being happy for at least part of the day!
Go on a heart shaped scavenger hunt.
Get outside and go on a scavenger hunt to see how many hearts you can find out in the wild. You could also add in finding letters that spell out L-O-V-E. Take photos to document your finds. Another option is to hike along the McVay Trail in Indianola and see if you can find 50 hidden hearts.
Look at family photos.
How often do we actually sit and watch home movies or look through family photos? Put together an old school slide show, pop some popcorn and spend some time reminiscing together.
How will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day as a family? Let us know!
