Valentine's Gifts for Kids

by Laura Torres | More from this Blogger

11 Feb 2006 10:45 PM

If your kids' classrooms celebrate Valentine's Day, no doubt they'll come home with conversation hearts galore and thirty or so of those little cardboard valentines, and will have ingested a sugar cookie or two. But to really wow them on Valentine's Day, try a gift that's traditionally for grown-ups.

A big box of chocolates might be just the thing for your son with a sweet tooth. My son was thrilled to get a one-pound sampler box of See's candy once because he "could take one bite out of every single piece to see what was inside and not get in trouble." Sure enough, every chocolate in his box had a little nibble out of the side. (Eventually, of course, they all disappeared because my son is not at all picky--it was just fun to do something previously forbidden.)

My daughter likes getting her own box of chocolates because she's a hoarder and could eat one piece a day and not worry that all the good stuff was going to disappear, as it happens when we share a box.

Your preteen or teen daughter will love it if you present her with a big bouquet of beautiful flowers that she can put on her dresser or night stand. There is something special in recognizing her maturity to appreciate something more sophisticated than a mylar balloon.

A dinner out to, say, a steakhouse or someplace that is normally reserved for you and your spouse on your date night without the kids is also a treat they will remember.

If you need to do something more on a budget, try a picnic with cheese and crackers and other "grown-up" foods. Sparkling cider will make it really feel like a party. Or, have a nice dinner at home, but dim the lights, light candles and have everyone dress up in their best clothes. A rich cheesecake dessert or decadent chocolate cake is the perfect end to a dinner like this, even if the entree was spaghetti and meatballs.

Of course the best long-term gift you can give to your kids is helping them to think of others instead of themselves. Valentine's Day is an ideal time to reach out to the elderly, sick, or lonely. Look into volunteer activities, see if you can bring cookies into a rest home, and be sure and leave an anonymous bouquet on a widow's doorstep. Your kids will thank you, if not now, someday.

Learn more about Laura Torres

Laura Torres is the best-selling author of many books for kids and teens, and a party planner. Check out her website at lauratorres.com.

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