In the "old days," Valentine's Day was sweet and simple. Cards were made of paper with sweet or silly sayings. Kids that had more money could purchase store-bought pre-printed cards, similar to the simplest cards today.
Children can easily bring joy to homebound seniors or those in a group home setting on February 14th.
Youth groups, scouting troops, or even individuals can make seniors feel remembered in easy and inexpensive ways.
Following are some simple suggestions, many of which can be part of a holiday celebration or party for kids and/or teens.
Ways to Cheer Seniors in a Group Setting
- Mail a bunch of love. A class or group can adopt a group of seniors and each make one or more Valentine cards, depending on the ratio of kids to seniors.
- Bake! Children can bake goodies like Fast & Easy 3 Ingredient Cookies in pink or red.
Valentine Activities for Kids and Senior Citizens
- Make a special delivery. Hand delivering handmade or purchased cards is very much appreciated. Seniors love to see and interact with young children.
- Go "caroling." A music teacher could teach a class to sing three or four Valentine-related songs to perform as a singing Valentine at a senior home, center, or apartment building.
- Frost some heart shaped cookies. At one California facility for people with dementia, a group of girl scouts brought plain sugar cookies and frosting to share. Staff was delighted when even residents who rarely participated were happy to join in decorating.
- Take some photos. Use a digital camera to take photos of each child with at least one senior. Print the pictures to share in paper or purchased heart-shaped frames. These keepsakes will be charming reminders of a special day for both kids and older adults.
Many of the ideas above will work on a one-on-one basis as well. Teachers and parents can encourage children to remember the senior citizens in their lives and give them time and inexpensive supplies to craft handmade cards or gifts.
Give Senior Citizens a Fun and Safe Valentine "Heart Attack"
This is a quick and easy activity for kids and teenagers of all ages. To give a senior home a heart attack, child-decorated heart shapes are placed in mass quantity all over a lawn or room.
Directions:
- Kids or teens cut out lots and lots of hearts (about 6-8 inches across) in pink, red, or pastel conversation-heart colors.
- To add some extra fun, youth can decorate the shapes, write "Happy Valentine's Day" or add conversation heart wording like “LUV U” and “BE MINE.”
- Hearts are glued or taped to sticks (popsicle or craft sticks, for instance).
- Later, kids have fun shoving the sticks (while being quiet and sneaky) into the front yard of the attack-ees. This is best done the night before or before breakfast on Valentine's Day.
If the the above is not possible, older kids and teens can be allowed to sneak in and carefully tape or lay paper hearts all over the senior’ home the night before Valentine's Day. What fun to wake up to so much love!
Whatever the expression of kindness, senior citizens and children make great combinations on St. Valentine's Day. Teaching children to show thoughtfulness and caring for older folks and valued senior citizens is a wonderful lesson. While bringing a smile to the faces of honored citizens, kids learn lessons in music, art, crafts, writing, compassion and love.
Sources:
M. Stradley, California
Janienne Jennrich - Janienne Jennrich, Topic Editor for Kids & Teen Parties and for Hair, is an award-winning freelance writer & webmaster.
