Fun, family-friendly. Try saying that 5 times fast. ;) Do you go out on Valentine's Day? Maybe I'm getting old (ok, yes. yes I am) but going out on February 14th doesn't sound as appealing as it once did. We generally have a date night around Valentine's Day but on the actual holiday, I like to celebrate with my kids too. When they were little, I'd host Valentine's Day play dates and it was always so much fun. Now that they're older we do a variety of things that make the day feel special. Here are some family-friendly ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day with your crew.

- Serve a special breakfast- heart-shaped pancakes, donuts, etc. But whatever you do, make sure to incorporate strawberries so you can do this: ♥ Oh, and check out my recipe for strawberry syrup for another special touch!

- Wear Valentine's PJs and watch a fun family flick (like Christmas but make it Valentine's).

- Sign your kiddos up to do a virtual Valentine's Day craft class. There's a free trial so basically, it's free!

- Decorate sugar cookies. We've done this for every holiday, really, and it's always a hit!

- Serve up fondue fun by candlelight. We like to have cheese fondue for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert. Bonus points for using a heart-shaped fondue pot like ours (or how cute is this one?!). I shared our favorite fondue recipes here.

- Bake together. Did you catch us making these mug cakes? They're fun and easy and you could totally top them with whipped cream and heart sprinkles (in fact, add heart sprinkles to like everything on Valentine's Day) or try this fun treat I made last year.

- Make a t-shirt. Pink and red tye-dye would be adorable. Or use your Cricut. Or just buy one. 

- Write each other love notes. Hand them out at dinner or hide them around the house for each other to find.

- Let the kids do the giving. Have the girls buy their dad a Valentine and the boys buy mom a gift.

- Do something different. Did you know there are a ton of fun (some are free) family-oriented Valentine's Day events on Eventbrite?  Check them out here!

- Serve a Valentine's themed platter. I'll be sharing all the details on this one tomorrow! UPDATE- check it out here!

- Make a Valentine's Day craft. I'm a big fan of the ready-made variety you can get here but this one is cute and simple. And I LOVE this one for older kids!

- Decorate. This may sound obvious but I know I'm not the only one who gets busy and forgets to grab supplies. Thank God for Amazon Prime- I found this, this, and this there but hurry- limited stock!

- Play family hide & seek. It might seem basic but our kids get giddy when we join in on the fun. FYI, I'm the champ. 

- Say Cheese! Have a Valentine's Day photo booth. Use wrapping paper or a tablecloth as a backdrop (or just a blank wall) and snap away. Totally optional but a tripod (I have this one) + the self-timer will level up your pics. You can buy props from the dollar store, order on Amazon Prime, order on Etsy, or find a freebie! Not only is it fun but you'll cherish the photos forever.

Happy Valentine's Day! Shop the post below (affiliate links included).