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Valentine’s Day is a not about the candy, cards, teddy bears, nor flowers. It is a day to spread love and happiness. It is a day to tell the people close to you how much you appreciate and love them. Below are some cute and simple ways to communicate how much you love your children.
Valentine’s Day
Express your love for your children through these small but meaningful gestures.
- Send a notecard with a sweet message in their lunch or backpack.
- Write a short “I love you” on the bathroom mirror with lipstick to brighten their morning.
- Decorate the bedroom door with heart-shaped notes with messages of things you love about your child.
- Spend the morning browsing through old baby books and picture albums. Your children will love looking at their baby pictures.
- Make new Valentine’s Day traditions as family. Some fun activities include making heart-shaped pancakes, baking cookies, getting a sweet treat after school, playing a game or seeing a movie.
- Give back to others as a family. Create valentines to bring to a neighbor, nursing home, or children’s hospital. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or donate to a charity.
The other 364 days of the year
Valentine’s Day is a great reminder to express love to others, but showing gratitude and love should be a daily practice. Show your children how much you care for them through time and attention, nutrition, and teaching.
- Your time is the most valuable gift you can give your children. Put away the phone, to-do list, and work deadlines to make a daily commitment of uninterrupted engagement. Read stories, play a board game, and/or engage in a meaningful conversation. Each day the length of time and activity may differ, but your children will appreciate the undivided attention.
- Nutrition. Give your children the gift of a healthy life by providing nutritious and well-balanced meals. Although your children may not realize the importance of a healthy lifestyle, they will thank you in the long run. Finding a balance between nutritious meals and special treats is important for young children. Too much sugar can cause irritation, fatigue, and mood swings affecting your child’s cognition and attention.
- Valentine’s day is an excellent opportunity to discuss what it means to love. Love is an abstract concept that may be hard for children to fully understand, but give examples on how your family members express love to one another. Love and gratitude go hand in hand. Make a list of the most important people in your lives and what they mean to your family.
- Most importantly, tell them you love them every day.
We love and appreciate our Lumiere Children’s family! Wishing you all a happy Valentine’s Day!
Resources:
Sheff, Jean. “4 Ways to Show Your Kids You Love Them.” Westchester Family , 28 June 2017, www.westchesterfamily.com/stories/2017/2/wf-fab4-valentine-2017-2.html.
Lindsay. “12 Ways to Make Your Child Feel Loved on Valentine’s Day (& Every Day).” The Family Room, 8 Feb. 2017, blogs.brighthorizons.com/familyroom/12-ways-make-child-feel-loved-valentines-day-every-day/
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Vasilikitsa “Kitsa” Antonopoulos, MA, CCC-SLP/L is a licensed speech-language pathologist with over two decades of experience supporting children and families. After earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Saint Louis University, she gained deep clinical expertise working across pediatric hospitals, early intervention programs, and autism therapy settings.
In 2010, Kitsa founded Lumiere Children’s Therapy to create a holistic, collaborative space where children could receive personalized, multidisciplinary care. Her vision continues to guide Lumiere’s dedicated team of therapists, offering speech, occupational, physical, and behavioral therapy and more, to help every child reach their fullest potential.

