4 Valentine’s Day Activities for Non-Crafty Parents

Last Updated on February 27, 2026 by Fadra Nally

By the time you read this, I’ll be getting ready for a live television appearance the morning show on Fox45, a local station in the Baltimore area. Or I will have already made the appearance and hopefully conveyed successfully that I am NOT a crafty parent but if the crafts and instructions are easy enough, I can sure act like one.

Let’s look at some ways to make Valentine’s Day a family affair, because after all, the restaurants are really crowded and babysitters are kinda expensive. Stay home and enjoy some fun with your kids. Here are 4 easy ways.

1. Hide Your Hearts

You know how kids looooove to find Easter eggs? When I was growing up, my mom always took a bag of small foil-covered chocolate eggs and hid them all over the house. It was always my very favorite part of Easter. So why not have fun with it on Valentine’s Day? Cut out some small hearts, hide them all over the house, and the winner gets to pick the family movie of the day. Or the dinner that night. You decide! Super. Easy. And now you’re a star.

2. Sweet Treat Envelopes

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, You did NOT make those. Well, guess what? I did. I even took pictures along the way in case you wanted to make some too.

Start with some foam board. Make a cardboard template of a heart (I used the back of a FedEx box) and cut out the shape with an Xacto knife. Find some cellophane (I used treat bags from a craft store) and apply it over the heart shape with a glue stick. Punch some holes and lace it up with ribbon. Just like that!

If you want to get fancy, change up the colors and fill it with candy before you finish.

3. Lollipop Bouquet

I’m sure you have a small bud vase sitting around. If so, pull it out, tie a festive ribbon around it or even let your kids decorate it. Then let them help you create the centerpiece for your Valentine’s Day dinner.

As before, cut out a heart template and create an overlapping shape. These will be your flower petals. Cut out two, fold them in half, score a small X in the middle, and insert the unwrapped lollipop through the middle. And there you go. Flowers. It’s pretty. It’s easy. It’s pretty easy.

4. Heart Shaped Pizza

If you’re not a morning person (like me), then heart-shaped pancakes may not be your forte. So plan a dinner full of love with this easy recipe for heart-shaped pizzas.

Start with standard make-at-home pizza ingredients. We did experiment a bit and I recommend buying frozen pizza dough (you can use the refrigerated dough from a can but the taste isn’t as good). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and divide your dough ball into four portions. Each portion makes a single serving pizza. On a nonstick pan (or one coated with nonstick spray), stretch your pizza dough into a heart shape. Don’t worry. It’s not an exact science.

Once finished, spoon on some sauce, add your cheese (whole milk mozzarella is best), add your toppings of choice (quality pepperoni used here), and pop in the oven for about 15 minutes. Then, when you call your kids to the dinner table for their meal made with love, top it off with a champagne flute full of a sparkling drink like Sparkling Fruit2O Lime Twist. And then accept your Parent of the Year Award.