Most people would agree that organising events during recent times has been… interesting. Social distancing protocols and mandates have made getting people together for a good time challenging. But a few bumps in the road shouldn’t stop you from spreading the love and putting on an incredible event.

One way to celebrate love is with a kids’ Valentine’s Day party. Kids will especially enjoy the festivities this special holiday brings. Check out these ways to plan an unforgettable event for kids and parents.

Put a Valentine’s Day Twist on Typical Events

Most Valentine’s Day party ideas for kids are carried out during the school day, but that isn’t the only option. You can extend your holiday programming outside of school.

Here’s some inspiration for hosting a kid-friendly event – we’ve even included ways you can make these events virtual.

Valentine’s Day Craft Workshop

An arts and crafts workshop is one of the best Valentine’s Day activities for kids. Similar to DIY valentines for school projects, kids will learn how to make beautiful gifts parents will be proud to showcase.

First, contact a few local art teachers to help lead the arts and crafts session. Depending on how many attendees you expect, you might have to rent out a classroom or a space at your local community centre. You can use our online RSVP tool to gauge how many kids will attend your event.

How to make it virtual:

Have an art instructor teach Valentine’s Day crafts via a video conference platform like Zoom to allow for safe virtual interaction. This is also an awesome way to encourage people outside of your area to attend.

Before the event, you can send registrants a link to the live event. Our email marketing feature makes it easy to send reminders with key information such as a list of supplies attendees will need for the workshop.

Valentine’s Day Cookie Decorating Class

Valentine’s Day isn’t complete without a sweet treat. Kids (and parents) can decorate a set of cookies with icing, sprinkles, and other festive toppings.

First, partner with a local bakery to provide materials and instruction for the event. You can use our RSVP tool to figure out how many supplies you’ll need.

How to make it virtual:

Have your cookie crafts instructor teach the class via Zoom. Before the class, send registrants an email containing the recipe and ingredients lists.

Valentine’s Day Read Aloud

What kid doesn’t love to hear a great story? They’re engaging and hold kids’ attention for more than two seconds. Centre your read-aloud around Valentine’s Day by choosing a book or list of books based on a love story.

To bring your event to life, partner with a local bookstore or library – these are perfect spaces for this type of occasion. And contact local teachers or librarians who may be interested in leading the event.

If you’ve got connections, you can even have the author of the book come and do a reading. This also allows you to hold a Q&A discussion at the event.

How to make it virtual:

A virtual read-aloud works the same as an in-person one. You can choose to pre-record the reading or do it live.

Make it engaging by allowing attendees to follow along with their own book. Just make sure you include a link to purchase the book as an add-on on the event registration page.

You can also do a hybrid event with attendees in person and online. That way you can encourage participants to ask questions and engage in a discussion at the end of the reading.

Emphasise Friendship and Family

Valentine’s Day is a holiday to celebrate love and the spirit of family and friendship. Here are some family-friendly event tips:

Valentine’s Day Kids’ High Tea

Invite the whole family to celebrate Valentine’s Day with an afternoon tea party. First, get the word out about your event using our event marketing tool. After you’ve gathered RSVPs, you’ll have an idea of how much food and beverages you’ll need.

Partner with a local bakery or restaurant to provide ample choices of kid-friendly goodies. Since this is a tea party for the whole family, be sure to incorporate Valentine crafts for kids. This could include table-side cupcake decorating and card making.

To ensure that the little ones are thoroughly entertained, you can also include Valentine’s party games for kids.

Scavenger Hunt

Celebrate heart’s day with a heart-racing scavenger hunt. Not to mention, a scavenger hunt is the perfect socially distant activity.

For this event, hide Valentine’s Day-themed items throughout the city – these items could include roses, play bows and arrows, a box of chocolates, and other objects that embody the day of love.

Have families work together and solve riddles to find the items. For example, if you’ve hidden an object near a specific landmark, your puzzle should lead them there. The first family to find all of the items wins a prize.

Since this is a competition, families can sign up as teams on the event registration page.

Valentine’s Day Festival/Carnival

Families will be charmed by a love day-themed carnival. You can do this by putting a Valentine’s Day twist on classic carnival games.

For example, you can have guests toss a heart-shaped ring instead of a regular ring. Or for darts, have participants play cupid and attempt to hit a heart-shaped target with suction-tipped arrows.

For small children, consider including kid-friendly games like a duck pond. Fill a small baby pool with pink- and red-coloured duckies with numbers on the bottom. Assign some numbers with a corresponding prize and have kids take turns trying their luck at winning.

Along with selling tickets for the carnival itself, you can also sell food and drinks tickets.

Host a Parent’s Night Out Event

Most parents want to enjoy a romantic Valentine’s Day getaway, so give it to them with a parent’s night out drop-off event. All you have to do is provide their kiddos with an evening of fun activities.

You can charge one standard ticket price for this event or do tiered pricing. For example, Tier 1 could be for one child, Tier 2 could be for two or more children.

Check out these Valentine’s Day party ideas for kids:

Pajama Party

Have kids dress up in their finest jammy jams and enjoy a night of Valentine’s Day party games. You can also include some of the ideas we’ve mentioned earlier – like the carnival games and valentine crafts.

Movie Marathon

Celebrate the day of love with a movie marathon that appeals to kids of all ages. Some Valentine’s Day crowd favourites include Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast, and Shrek. Scope out locations large enough to display a projection screen for this idea.

Incorporate These Valentine’s Day Party Ideas for Kids

We know that planning events nowadays can be tricky (and a little frustrating) but Eventbrite is here to help. Now you’ve got the tools and ideas to flesh out Valentine’s Day events for kids and families. Our platform also makes it easier to search sponsorships and compare packages that fit your budget.

If you’re ready to take your event planning to the next level, sign up today.