Valentines Day Family Home Evening: Fill Our Home With Love

Ok, this was totally fun and we all had a great time. And it introduced a lead-up-to Valentines day activity that we are all thoroughly enjoying!
  Here is what we did:

Song: As I Have Loved You

Discussion/Lesson: Talk about how Heavenly Father and Jesus love everyone, even people who aren’t being very nice. Talk about how we are all brothers and sisters.
---Give examples of times someone has been mean. Like a friend not sharing. Ask if we should still love them.
---Each share times when we have really felt loved.
---Brainstorm together different ways to show love to all people. (smiling at everyone, brining meals to families in need, opening the door for a stranger, sharing with kids at the park, inviting kids to play our game at the park, etc….)
---Brainstorm together different ways to show love to our friends and family. (telling them you love them, helping little sister do hard things, helping keep the house clean, snuggling, etc….)

Craft: We made what we are calling “Love Mailboxes”. Take 1 paper plate and tape to it a half paper plate. Punch a hole in the top, decorate, hang up, and we now have the perfect size little spots to put love notes in! We write each other love notes on these cute little doily paper cutouts I got at the dollar store, stick it in the mailbox of the person we are loving on, and then (in our family) we ruuuun to that person and URGE them to check their love box! Then the read it, give eachother hugs and kisses and talk about how sweet that was, and then hang it up somewhere in the house with a piece of tape. Therefore “Filling out home with love”. And we are all having so much fun with it! And if we are good at showing each other love that day, then when we wake up in the morning there are little heart shaped candies waiting for us in our boxes :). I later added another “mail box” hanging on the bottom with the heart papers, markers, and the tape for easy access.

Activity: Scavenger Hunt. Before FHE, I cut out 6 hearts and wrote a simple location in the house that wouldn’t be too difficult for my four year old to figure out, look at the pictures below for examples. HE LOVED THIS. Each clue led to another clue, and the hunt ended at Mr.Bears reading corner who was holding new valentines day pajamas for each of the kids as well as a handful of heart shaped chocolate.
----Side Note----The kids needed new pjs anyways, I’m not just splurging to FHE
-----A Side Note to a Side Note------Old Navy is having a great sale right now, I got these ones and these ones for just 7.50 each in store (regularly $15). And of course stocked up a little on a bunch of other totally cute spring/summer clothes, all kids stuff is 30-50% off right now, go go!

Video: I ended up skipping showing this because we got started late, but I think it would be a good addition! Jeffrey R. Holland speaks on “How do I Love Thee?” and I also loooove this video, but wouldn’t be using it in a lesson with little kids.

p.s. Anyone doing/loving the Valentines Day Challenge? I am LOVING it!!!! I feel like between that and this our home is truly being
xoxo Filled With Love xoxo