Celebrating Valentine's Day with the Grands

Surprise your grandchildren with some Valentine treats, and make it educational while you're at it! Everyone enjoys getting Valentines. And we can sneak some educational gifts into the treat bag! It's all fun! And since you're surprising your grandchildren with some St. Valentine's Day goodies, gift their parents too!

The seed of this idea may have started with my own mother. Once when I was in junior high school, she came home with two of those beautiful boxes full of chocolates for my brother and me. I remember what a delightful surprise that was. It actually made me laugh as I thought at the time, it's usually something you get from a sweetheart. It was just so fun to have my own box and to pick out any of the chocolates I wanted. And who hasn't coveted those beautiful boxes in the Five and Dime or the local drugstore. It really was a treat

Try to recreate that childhood memory!

I'm always about trying to recreate a favorite childhood memory for my own grandchildren. But the school teacher in me wanted to gift something beyond just candy--something educational but still fun for them! When my grands were little, I used the day to give them various things. I often filled a bag full of treats for them: books about Valentine's Day, tee-shirts with a Valentine theme, CDs with a collection of favorite children's songs, and maybe a wee bit of candy. I often filled the bag and put it at their door to greet them when they returned home from school--there's something about that element of surprise. And for grands not in town, a care package with the same items would arrive in the mail. I have fun filling the bag.

I haven't done such a bag in a while--my grands are getting older and they're not about cute Valentine tees with the printed words, "Daddy's Little Sweetheart," or other such juvenile embellishments. I'm thinking no one buys CDs anymore and they'd rather pick out their own music and books, thank you very much. 

But I'm doing it again this year and here's what I came up with:

For my five-year-old~

Okay, my 5-year-old still gets books. And just look at all the choices in the bookstore perfect for Valentine's Day!

Most bookstores give you lots of choices.

How can anyone resist getting their young grandchild a book...or two or three?

And we can't neglect math skills and fun. My oldest grandchildren liked Brain Quest cards when they were young. Its a good item to put in a Valentine bag.

Here's what I finally settled on for my 5-year-old. He loves any kind of construction fun. And he'll want some new books.

​And for my older grands:

I found these cute little boxes of games. And I liked the price!

More games--we're a family who likes playing games.

Something for my basketball playing grandson.

Sweet paperweights with Valentine sentiments for my granddaughters' desks.

Fun tablets of sticky notes for journal writing. And bookmarks for their journals or for the books they are currently reading. Girls like little treasures like this and it encourages writing.

You don't have to spend a lot of money. I kept it very simple. For my 14-year-old, I just got a box of daily basketball trivia and a bag of his favorite candy. For my granddaughters, I got them items for their desk and journal writing as well as bags of their favorite candy. Everyone should get a sweet treat on this day.

And as I previously stated, I want to get something for my daughter-in-law and my two sons. I'm thinking along these lines:

• coffee mug
• gift card to a favorite coffee shop
• cute shopping tote bag
• inspirational calendar
• cozy socks
• ink pens
• puzzle books

And as I'm doing with the kids, I'll pick out ONE of these items and give it along with a bag of candy or mixed nuts.

I just need to pack it in a pretty bag and place it at their door on Valentine's Day while they're  all gone to work and school. It should be a nice Valentine surprise.

As I always say, this is fun for grandparents too--the giving that is. If you've got the winter blues, it gets you out of the house and shopping at a local mall. Who wants to always be sitting at home. These are the ages of my grandchildren, but I know many of you have college-age kids. They would really enjoy a care package with some Valentine treats. Just have some fun!

I'll close with these favorite quotations:

"You always gain by giving love." Reese Witherspoon

"All you need is love, But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." Charles M. Schulz