Fill February With Love
February is short at 28 days (29 for 2020 – it’s a leap year!) and sweet with Valentine’s Day exactly at its midpoint. But just because the fourteenth has passed doesn’t mean we can’t fill February with love until the end. Whatever your family structure or style, there are plenty of ways to make Valentine’s Day more than just a romantic holiday and ways to keep the love going long after Valentine’s Day is over. Here are a few fun family activities to spread the love through the end of the month.
Family Date Night: It can be hard, particularly for young children, when their parents go out on date night without them. And we know how excited we get when it’s time for date night, so why not give your kids the same something to look forward to? We always talk about how giving your children a hand in things (like cooking or in this case, planning dates) makes them feel a sense of ownership and responsibility, which adds to their ability to enjoy said things. So, consider creating an open forum for kids to voice their opinions on the activity, or provide them with four options and let family democracy rule.
Love One Another Right Now: Each morning at breakfast have everyone takes turns sharing something they love about someone else in the family. Try to encourage your kids to choose someone different each day. If it makes it easier you can start with one person and whoever they choose has to choose someone new and so on and so forth, this way, everyone is shown love.
Community Care: Talk with your family about an organization or part of your community that means a lot to you collectively and spend the day as a family helping to contribute to the health and well-being of your community (or if you’re ambitious, each person can nominate their own cause and you can do this across multiple days!). You can clean up your local park, volunteer with the district school, or visit with older adults at a senior center – there are plenty of ways to contribute to your community.
The Mother of all Mothers: No, not the mother of dragons – Mother Earth. Kids know better than we do that the planet is in need of our help. Start a conversation with your kids about what you as a family can do to make your home more sustainable. Can you start composting or collecting your scraps for drop off? Maybe you can swap out your toothbrushes for a sustainable alternative? Or maybe your first step is to Start with a Sponge? Again, giving your kids a hand in the decision-making process can help to give them greater commitment and responsibility. Because Mother Earth needs love too.
Wishing you a love-filled February.
Family Date Night: It can be hard, particularly for young children, when their parents go out on date night without them. And we know how excited we get when it’s time for date night, so why not give your kids the same something to look forward to? We always talk about how giving your children a hand in things (like cooking or in this case, planning dates) makes them feel a sense of ownership and responsibility, which adds to their ability to enjoy said things. So, consider creating an open forum for kids to voice their opinions on the activity, or provide them with four options and let family democracy rule.
Love One Another Right Now: Each morning at breakfast have everyone takes turns sharing something they love about someone else in the family. Try to encourage your kids to choose someone different each day. If it makes it easier you can start with one person and whoever they choose has to choose someone new and so on and so forth, this way, everyone is shown love.
Community Care: Talk with your family about an organization or part of your community that means a lot to you collectively and spend the day as a family helping to contribute to the health and well-being of your community (or if you’re ambitious, each person can nominate their own cause and you can do this across multiple days!). You can clean up your local park, volunteer with the district school, or visit with older adults at a senior center – there are plenty of ways to contribute to your community.
The Mother of all Mothers: No, not the mother of dragons – Mother Earth. Kids know better than we do that the planet is in need of our help. Start a conversation with your kids about what you as a family can do to make your home more sustainable. Can you start composting or collecting your scraps for drop off? Maybe you can swap out your toothbrushes for a sustainable alternative? Or maybe your first step is to Start with a Sponge? Again, giving your kids a hand in the decision-making process can help to give them greater commitment and responsibility. Because Mother Earth needs love too.
Wishing you a love-filled February.