Looking for fun Valentine’s Day ideas for the kids? How about skipping the romantic night out with your significant other and going on a Valentine’s Day date with your kids instead? This is also a great way to lift your spirits if you’re a single parent feeling a bit down on the holiday. Valentine’s Day is all about love. I didn’t see anything in the rule book that said it had to be romantic love. Check out these fun Valentine’s Day ideas for a date night with the kids!

Valentine’s Day Ideas: Go on a Date with Your Kids!

Affiliate links included below. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, you may need to start your date early or celebrate on the Saturday before.

Dessert for Dinner Night

What kid doesn’t dream of mom saying “tonight, we dine on ice-cream!” Take your kids out to dinner at their favorite sweet shop, or set up a delicious sundae bar in your own home. Now, I personally don’t think dessert for dinner once a year is going to destroy their health, but if you’re really concerned, just make sure they have a super healthy lunch, or give them an early dinner and call it a second lunch so you don’t kill the fun. You can even sneak in some whole grains by making waffles and ice-cream! Hey, it counts!

Make heart-shaped pizza

If dessert for dinner isn’t your thing, how about making heart-shaped pizzas together? Growing Up Gabel has a great recipe for adorable mini heart pizzas. The great thing about the mini versions: everyone can customize their own with their favorite toppings. No fighting over plain versus pepperoni versus pineapple. Peace, happiness and pizza. It’s what Valentine’s Day is all about!

Queue up the love stories- kid style!

Have a movie marathon at home with the kids by queuing up a few of the most “romantic” kids movies of all time. A few of my favorites include pretty much any Disney movie with a princess in it (Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella top the list for Valentine’s Day ideas), The Princess Bride(a must watch for everyone at some point in their lives!) and Gnomeo & Juliet.

Take a pottery class and make gifts for each other

We have this place in the Poconos called Poke-A-Nose Pottery. They let you walk in without an appointment or anything and create a pottery piece. I’ve never been there, but they came to Jacob’s preschool once. He made me the cutest plate. I’ve heard great things about them from friends too. Check your area to see if you have anything similar, then either walk in or sign yourselves up for a class. Spend time bonding, creating and making gifts for each other!

Treat yourselves to a spa night

While this is perfect for moms with older daughters (tweens and teens), kids of any age will love having a fun spa night with you. Just tailor it to their age. Make your own bath salts, scrubs, etc together. Take turns giving each other facials, painting each other’s nails and even doing makeup. Yes, you can even let your little boy give you a makeover! If you love chocolate, make this easy mint chocolate bath soak for amazingly silky skin. It’s perfect for giving as a gift too!

Let them teach you something new

Kids love the chance to teach us about the stuff they’re into. Jacob is always trying to teach me to play his video games, even though I stink at most of them. I used to be pretty good at crashing cars in Burnout, but he plays more complicated games now. Give your kids a boost in self-esteem by becoming the student for the night. If your teen rocks at snowboarding, head to the slopes (wear bubble wrap, I tried skiing once, it went badly). Got a kid in karate? Don a white belt and let them be the sensei.

Take a moonlit walk

Moonlit walks aren’t just for lovers. If it’s warm enough (even if you have to bundle up a little), head outdoors and take a stroll in the moonlight. If you’re walking with young children, talk to them about how different things look under the moonlight. Even though the moon will only be in 1st quarter phase on Valentine’s Day, it should still be bright enough to see. With older kids, use the time to talk about their hopes and dreams. Nothing too serious, it’s date night, not lecture night.

More fun Valentine’s Day ideas for dates with kids include:

• Roller skating or ice skating
• Visit an art gallery and challenge each other to find the most beautiful piece of art, then discuss why it “spoke” to you
• Family board game night
• Moonlight snowball fight (if you have snow)
• Indoor snowball fight with cotton balls
• See a play in a theater (check your paper for small local theaters, as well as high school productions)
• Have a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt
• Throw your own mini  party with these fun Valentine’s Day games for kids

Do you do something special with the kids on Valentine’s Day? Tell me all about it!