8 Fun and Adorable Valentine’s Day Gifts for Kids

Remember being a kid and celebrating Valentine’s Day at school? There was always candy and you exchanged valentines with your classroom friends. The sugar rush was sweet. Luckily that’s still a thing for your kids to enjoy. But, if you’re not a fan of giving your kid copious amounts of sugar, there’s a whole slew of fun candy-free Valentine’s day gifts that can get the kids involved on Cupid’s day of love. Read on to see our list of the top Valentine’s Day gifts for kids from our collection.  

The History of Valentine’s Day

This holiday is about showing love and appreciation to those close to you in your life. A small token of affection is a wonderful way to share the love and keep your little ones included in the V-day festivities. They’ll learn that the holiday isn’t only about romantic relationships, but celebrating all the love in one’s life. Kids will be excited to share in the warm and fuzzy feelings this holiday can bring.   

How did Valentine’s day start? 

So, how did this designated day of romance come about? Believe it or not, the legend of St. Valentine is quite murky and mysterious. Ooooh. There are actually multiple tales of a Catholic St. Valentine who was martyred for his beliefs.

Who was St. Valentine?

Perhaps the most famous tale comes from the 3rd century, when a Roman emperor named Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men. He believed single men made better soldiers –soldiers he needed to fight in his army. Valentine was a bishop who couldn’t bear the thought of outlawing love, so he continued to perform marriage ceremonies in secret. Wow, what a romantic! His actions were ultimately found out and he was thrown in jail and tragically put to death.

How the written valentine came to be!

In another legend, a priest named Valentine (could be the same guy?) helped Christians escape from Roman prisons where they were beaten and tortured. After he was thrown in jail for his crimes, he befriended a young girl (allegedly his jailor’s daughter) whom he also happened to heal from blindness. Before his death, it is believed he wrote her notes signed, “from your Valentine.”  An expression still used today!

Valentine exhibited bravery –one could say he was “a hero of love” and we’d have to agree! These stories are great to share with kiddos so they can learn that there’s more to this holiday than candy hearts and stuffed animals. 

5 Valentine’s Day facts for kids 

Here are more facts we learned about Valentine’s Day to share with your little ones, so they can understand the importance of this special day!

• Every year, over 1 BILLION Valentines are sent all over the world!  

• Teachers actually receive the most Valentines each year. A handwritten note to show how much you appreciate your teacher is a wonderful gesture and will make them feel extra-special.  

• Of course we can’t forget the candy! Over 1 MILLION boxes of chocolate are given each year for Valentine’s day.

• Richard Cadbury (of chocolate fame) was the first person to make chocolates for Valentine’s Day in the 1800s.

• As we learned from the stories above, Valentine’s day began in Rome in 270 AD!

Fun, candy-free Valentine gifts for kids

Okay, now the fun part! Here’s a list of the best Valentine’s Gifts for kids along with some of our picks. We love Valentine card sets because there’s enough for everyone in the classroom!

• Having a gang of kids over for Valentine’s Day after school? Why not make it a dance party complete with neon glow sticks! Kids love the bright colors and will have a blast moving and shaking to the music. Plus, dancing burns off any extra energy from all the excess sugar consumption. 

• Check out these adorable animal plush keychain toys with loving messages that are sure to brighten even the most reluctant kid’s day.

• Continuing with the animal theme, our interactive safari building blocks are a great Valentine’s Day gift for kids! Kids can boost their critical thinking skills by following the instructions to put the animal toys together. A challenge that will keep them occupied for a while.

More gifts, DIY crafts and cards

• We sure do live in some interesting times. Even with the daily threat of coronavirus *hopefully* nearing an end, it’s safe to say we’ll be keeping hand sanitizer within arms reach for a loooong time to come. Make sure kids have their own bottles ready to go with these functional hand sanitizer case holders. Children will love the bright, fun designs and will always be reminded the importance of clean hands!

How can you not love these adorable gnomes with their corresponding love notes? Whether these little guys appear during Christmas or out in the garden, we just adore them gnome matter what!

Have you heard of scratch art? It’s a fun DIY arts and crafts activity where you use a wooden stylus (pencil-type thingy) to reveal bright colors beneath a black matte coating. With this space themed set, kids can write/color custom love notes to their little friends. This set comes with rad flame style bouncy balls too.

This adorable animal card set takes it back-to-basics. A cute note and holder for what all kids look forward to on this day –candy! Aww, hugs all around!

Celebrate LOVE! Unique Valentine gifts for kids

Finally, here at Joyin we love to celebrate all things sparkly and “YOU-nique.” So, we can’t let this list go by without throwing it up to our mascot, the Unicorn. These bracelets will bring joy to all who receive them…if they’re into rainbows and sparkles and all that good stuff!

There you have it, these are our ideas for Valentine’s Day gifts for kids. These Valentine’s Day card sets are perfect for class events, party favors, gift exchanges, school classroom prizes, love notes, or any occasion! 

We hope you have a beautiful Valentine’s Day filled with all your heart’s desires. 

FOREVER YOURS, XOXO

The Joyfy Crew