One of the things I love most about being a MOM is that I get to really celebrate holidays with my child. For Hannukah we made sure to introduce her to the lighting of the candles, saying the prayers, and even opening the presents on each of the eight nights. For Christmas we focused on family and the importance of them being around and of course opening presents for her (which strangely enough, did not hold her attention as long as we had hoped). Each Holiday that has some commercial significance, as well as family significance, has become somewhat of an opportunity for us to really dive into it’s celebration.
I try to make each one memorable by getting her a little something for each one. I have a list of items that goes with each “gift”: A Book, A Bearista (they are so darn cute!), a small learning tool, something handmade. This year was no exception as I went to town with the cuteness! I made her a little fleece heart bag and a “box o chocolates” (out of felt), and then she received 2 new books: While they are about hugs and love, they are also helping to really solidify the need for nice and gentle touches, as my daughter has recently begun to show the cats a bit more attention than necessary, if you know what I mean.
Our day continued with Art Projects and Sensory exploration and all of the wonderful things that we do normally, but now with a heart and color theme specifically designed to drill in the holiday that is Valentine’s day 🙂 Here is what we accomplished today:
Hand-print Painting: What an adorable idea! We made one for Dad!
Toilet Paper Roll Stamping: We added to Dad’s hand-print Valentine and then we added to our own canvas 😉
Crayon Coloring Surprise: Write a secret message in white crayon. Then, have your child color the paper to reveal the hidden message!
Valentine’s Sensory Tub: Who loves ice? WE DO! We especially love HEART ICE! It was a good time pouring, licking, dumping, transferring, collecting… I could go on all day, and so could she! 🙂
Heart Sandwich: I am trying to really improve my food cuteness abilities. We made heart/arrow sandwiches and Pink Milk (just some food coloring).
As we were settling in for bed with our nightly story and bath, my daughter could not stop pointing at all things PINK and saying the word… I guess she learned a lot today 🙂