My daughter and I were recently discussing Easter... she was bummed out that the next holiday was so far off. I thought about it for a couple of minutes, while we discussed the Easter Bunny, (he brings candy, you know?,) and came up with some bit of parental brilliance... "What about Valentine's Day? It comes up in just a month... You'll get candy and cards and probably have a party at school." And why not? I used to think Valentine's Day was a completely commercial endeavor, but now that I have a (romantically-minded,) daughter, I've changed my tune!

The first tip is great through the whole year and was mentioned to me by my daughter's school psychologist as a fun way to get her excited about reading. Kids love positive re-enforcement, and this idea is tops in that arena! Every day write a small little note telling your little one how much you love them, something they're great at, or a bit of encouragement. It doesn't have to be anything huge, just a line or two... "Little one, Mommy loves you very much." Or something like: "Good luck on your test, I know you can do it!" Here's a link about how to effectively use praise on your young lady or gentleman...

Kids love hands-on activities. Instead of buying store variety cards you could buy a pack of construction paper and teach the kids how to make paper hearts. Then, on each heart you could write the classmate's name at the top, your child's name at the bottom and a cute or funny message in between. They don't have to be perfect, no one will be grading you on how neat your paper hearts are. This video has another craft to get you started on, I hope you'll enjoy it and see what fun ideas you can come up with yourselves!

Your child will probably have a class party. If you are able to and your child is young enough to still find the idea palatable, try volunteering to help out for the party. If you're unable to do so try to figure out a way to make your Valentine's Day "treats" for the classroom extra special. Remember, most schools only allow store bought goods, it might be better to pick up packs of stickers, or a cute notebooks for each of the students. After all, they will get plenty of sweets which will be forgotten moments after the wrapper has hit the trash. Since times are tight all around buying in bulk can really help with this.

I hope everyone has a fantastic time trying some of these tips out with the kids.  I'm very excited about Valentine's Day this year and I can't wait to share it with my daughter who has renewed my enthusiasm for this often abused holiday.