Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love with your significant other, but it can also be a special day to celebrate the love between parent and child. Make a whole day of it by celebrating from beginning to end, or share a few hours of this love-filled day with your little one. There are plenty of activities to do around town, indoors or outdoors, to bond with your child.
Begin the day with a Valentine’s Day themed breakfast. Make breakfast together or head out to one of Jacksonville’s many restaurants that serve delicious breakfast or brunch that are kid-friendly. After breakfast, explore the town outdoors or bond over an indoor activity together.
Outdoor Date Ideas
Flowers are an iconic gift for Valentine’s Day. Why not take a walk among flowers? Jacksonville has beautiful gardens that are open to the public for you to enjoy with your child. Take time to walk through and admire the colorful flowers in gardens like the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens or the Jacksonville Zoo’s Botanical Gardens.
The Botanical Gardens at the zoo offers weekday group tours if you have a group of six. If you would like to bring home flowers, visit a floral shop and let your child pick some flowers to make her own bouquet. Consider starting a Valentine’s Day tradition by planting a new flower in your own garden every year.
Go on a Nature Walk
Explore the outdoors and enjoy one another’s company while taking a nature walk. Visit the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens, which offers trails to walk through and plenty of nature to explore. Every second Saturday of the month, they offer a nature walk with a naturalist/biologist along with family-friendly activities. You can bring your own food and a picnic while you are there!
Picnic or Tea Party in the Park
A picnic in the park never gets old! Pack some fruit and sandwiches along with a sweet treat to enjoy for lunch or a tea party in one of Jacksonville’s many parks.
Zoo Date
A trip to the Jacksonville Zoo is a fun date for all ages.
Indoor Date Ideas
If you would rather spend time indoors, there are plenty of fun date ideas you can do together, as well.
Arts and Crafts
If your child enjoys crafting, create a Valentines project together by joining a class for the day at a local craft store including Michaels, which offers a kids’ program with a schedule of different classes every month.
Another creative idea is to visit Arts Ignited at the Oakleaf Town Center. They offer art classes to paint pottery and family night every month. If your child likes to paint, Cookies and Canvas is a great date idea to do together as parent and child. The pictures are children-inspired and you can paint while enjoying some cookies.
Bear Hugs
Another popular gift to give on Valentine’s Day is cuddly teddy bears. Make that teddy more memorable by having a fun date experience with your child at a Build-A-Bear. Pick out a teddy bear or other stuffed animal together to build, dress and bring home.
Sugar is Sweet and So Are You
What’s Valentine’s Day without some sweets for your little sweetie? Visit a candy store like Peterbrooke Chocolatier or Sweet Pete’s. You can even take classes with your child at Sweet Pete’s to make your own candy.
Get Pampered!
Enjoy a pampering session with your child at the spa with either a manicure, pedicure or having your hair styled together. You can create this pampering session at home if you would rather stay in. Play music or watch a movie together while you do one another’s hair and nails.
Dinner and a Movie
Speaking of movies, a classic date idea is dinner and a movie. Enjoy dinner together at a kid-friendly restaurant or make dinner at home then watch a movie. Here are some family-friendly Valentine movie ideas:
- Winnie the Pooh – A Valentine for You
- Alvin and the Chipmunks – A Chipmunk Valentine
- Barney: Be My Valentine
- Sesame Street: Elmo Loves You
- Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!: Hurray! It’s Valentine’s Day!
If you cannot celebrate on actual Valentine’s Day, many of these activities are available to do on other days, too. Don’t forget to share some hugs, kisses and love notes. As long as you spend some time with your child in your own way, she will know how special she is on Valentine’s Day and every day of the year!
Take a look at our calendar for more Valentine events!
