Here’s how kids who are remote learning can still send Valentine’s Day cards to their classmates.
As if parenting wasn’t hard enough, 2020 brought about new ways for families to celebrate socially distant birthdays, baby showers, weddings, and even the entire holiday season. If you’ve been in a CVS recently, you know Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. However, the days of buying (or making) sweet treats to be handed out to classmates are not a reality for the large population of children that are remote learning—and rules could change for those who are learning in person. There are many ways to bring the love of Valentine’s Day to your children and their friends, even if they are remote learning and can’t be together in person. Here are some fun virtual Valentine ideas for kids this year.
Email Valentines to Classmates and Teachers
Punchbowl
Price: Free 7-day trial, then $2.99-$4.99 per month
Known primarily for its online invitations, Punchbowl has an array of digital Valentine’s Day cards. Recently, the platform introduced a video component, so kids can record themselves singing, dancing, or just reciting a sweet message. Some of our favorites include Friendship Elephants, Valentine’s Dots, and Love Monkey. Punchbowls can be sent via email or text message.
Twinkl
Price: $5 per month, though it does offer some free resources
Get printable activities from Twinkl, which offers a great collection of resources for kids in pre-K through fifth grades. Children can pick card templates, printable gift ideas, and even different games and exercises to keep them busy and learning and to send to their friends. From Valentine’s Day word searches to fold out printable hands, there’s something for every child.
Share Valentines via Zoom
Decorate a balloon message. It’s an easy and fun way to share some friendship wishes! Parents, take a large balloon and blow it up. As you hold it closed, have your child add designs, words, and pictures. During school, your child can blow up the balloon for their classmates to see the custom design they created.
Decorate your space. For whimsical and colorful arts and crafts, OOLY is a great go-to for supplies. Have your child fold a piece of craft paper in half and draw a half-heart on the fold. Next, cut around the line and open it up to find your heart. Use doilies for a more decorative, traditional look. Now, they can add drawings or messages with markers or gel pens to make the paper or doily really stand out.
Create a Valentine’s Day Zoom background. Your kid can spice up her video chat background to celebrate the holiday. Sites like Canva offer a variety of customizable templates to choose from as well as some premade Valentine’s Day backgrounds. Or let your child unleash her creativity to design her own!
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Mail Kids Valentines to Classmates and Teachers
PrintArtKids
Price: $16.95-$82.95
Mail a personalized postcard with PrintArtKids, a unique and adorable way for kids to send handmade valentines to their classmates and teachers. Once your child creates their work of art, upload it to the site and customize it with a Valentine’s Day greeting. It’s then transformed into a postcard. Simply add a stamp and pop it in the mail. That’s it!
Make a Valentine’s Day card to send in the mail.
Price: Varies
Most schools offer a directory of student names and addresses. Together with other class parents, set up a card exchange, where students mail each other a handmade valentine (older kids will love this DIY illusion Valentine!). This way, your school supports the USPS and the children get to experience the joys of receiving physical mail.
Baketivity
Price: Varies, depending on subscription model or one-time kit purchase
This is a fun-filled baking kit that makes for a unique Valentine’s Day treat. It’s shipped right to your door and includes a creative recipe, ready-to-go ingredients, and a variety of crafts to enjoy. If timing allows, this can be a special class activity held via video chat. Or your child can create the treats, package them up, and deliver them to his classmates (the risk of getting COVID-19 from food or packaging is very low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as long as you practice proper food prep safety protocols).
Zlata Faerman is a full-time publicist, part-time writer, and round-the-clock ambassador to wit and humor. She writes about food, parenting, health, beauty, relationships, travel and home. When she’s not crafting kitchen concoctions for her food blog @lifeandthymez, Zlata can be found spending time with her family, having @zlatathoughts, and fantasizing about being a Real Housewife of New Jersey.
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