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INVITATION IDEAS
Here are a couple of ideas for making your own party invitations.
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Write “I would (draw heart here) you to come to my party” on front of simple card. |
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Or write “Roses are red, violets are blue. I’m having a party and I want You!” Then write all the party details on the back or inside the card.
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FAVOR IDEAS
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Small box of heart candies |
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Heart headbands that children make. |
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Heart favor bag. |
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DECORATIONS
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Heart placemats that children make. |
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Red plates and heart napkins |
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Hearts on drinking straws – fold small hearts in half and make two small cuts in the middle of the heart. Open hearts and slip drinking straws through the two slits.
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THINGS TO EAT
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Heart cookies |
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Vanilla ice cream with red heart sprinkles. |
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CHILD INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES
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PLACEMATS – Have children make heart placemats when they arrive at the party and are awaiting for others to come. Give children pieces of red construction paper and some small white hearts or a large white heart doilie to glue on as they wish. |
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HEART HEADBANDS – Give children 2” white headbands cut from construction paper and small red hearts to glue on the headband. Adjust bands to fit children’s heads and tape in place. |
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HEART COOKIES – bake or buy plain heart sugar cookies. Make up some white and red frosting for children to use to frost their cookies. Set out red sprinkles for children to sprinkle on top if you wish.
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HEART HUNT
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Cut small 3” hearts out of sturdy red paper (3 or more per child). |
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Hide the small hearts inside a room in your house or outside. |
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Have children go on a hunt searching for hearts. |
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No prize is necessary for this game |
| Variation: Small store purchased Valentines could be used for this activity. |
| Variation: Small toys or candies could be attached to the hearts before hiding them. |
Variation: If children are of different ages and abilities, hearts could be made from different colors. Each child is given a certain color to look for. Younger children could be given colors that have been hidden so that they are easier to find.
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HEART PARTNER
You will need one large (6 – 10”) sturdy paper heart for every two children.
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Cut out red paper hearts, then cut each heart into two puzzle pieces. |
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Mix up the puzzle halves and pass them out among the children. |
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Have children try to find their partner who has the other half of their heart puzzle. |
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As children find their partners, the remaining children will have an easier time finding their partners. |
Variation: If you have younger children, you could make each large heart from a different color. Younger children then just look for the person with the same color heart half as their own. |
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BEAN BAG TOSS
You will need five 6” hearts for this game and a bean bag.
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Tape the hearts on the floor. |
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Let each child take a turn, tossing the bean bag (three times). |
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Let children earn a small candy treat for each heart their bean bag lands on. |
Variation: For older children, you could place numerals (1-6) on the hearts and the child that gets the most points is the winner.
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WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE
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Have children sit in a circle. |
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Place some valentines in the middle of the circle. |
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Choose a child and have them pick a valentine and then walk around the inside of the circle, holding the valentine, saying the following rhyme.
Roses are red, violets are blue.
Here is a valentine, just for you. |
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When the poem is done, the child hands the valentine to one of the other children and sits down. |
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Then, the child who was handed the valentine, places the valentine on the floor where he was sitting, then goes into the circle and chooses a valentine. |
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He walks around inside the circle, saying the rhyme and finally gives the valentine to a child who does not already have a valentine and returns to his place. |
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Continue the game until everyone has been given a valentine. |
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MUSICAL HEARTS
This game is played something like the familiar “Musical chairs” game.
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Children stand in a circle. |
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Hand a valentine to one child and start some music. |
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While the music is playing, the children pass the heart around the circle. |
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When the music stops, the child with the valentine, leaves the circle. |
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You then, hand another child a valentine and start the music again. |
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Continue, starting and stopping the music and handing out new hearts as children leave the circle. |
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The last child standing wins a giant heart as a prize.
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