My favorite way to celebrate any holiday is by making holiday-themed food! These Kid Friendly Valentine’s Day Menu Ideas are perfect for kids of all ages! I share 3-4 ideas per meal, so you are sure to find something your family will love!
Valentine’s Day is something that we celebrate as a family each year! Don’t worry, my husband and I celebrate a different night! I love to make it special by making a Valentine’s Day themed breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert! Some years I even make a special snack! I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years now, so I wanted to share some of the meal ideas I’ve celebrated over the years! This is a tradition that I’m hoping my kids will fondly look back on when they’re adults!I
Valentine’s Day Meals & Menu Ideas for Kids
Every Valentine’s Day, our family has a fun tradition, by celebrating the day of love together…….. with food! Of course, my husband and I also set aside another night for our own celebration.
To make this day extra special for the kids, I whip up an array of Valentine’s-themed meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even a yummy dessert. Sometimes, I even surprise them with a unique themed snack! Having celebrated this tradition for a decade, I’m excited to share some of my favorite meal ideas from over the years that are perfect for adults and kids.
This curated list will take the guesswork out of planning the perfect holiday meal for your family, ensuring a stress-free and joyful celebration. I hope these memories will warm my kids hearts long into their adult years.
Looking for activities for your kids to do during the day? Check these fun ideas out:
Valentine’s Day Secret Message | Valentine’s Day I Spy | Valentine’s Day Pre-K Pack
| Valentine’s Day Jokes | Valentine’s Day Word Scramble
Valentine Meal Ideas for Family Breakfast
For several years when my kids were little, I would make pink pancakes. But honestly, they never turned out a cute pink color once they’re cooked. So, then I switched it up and started making some other fun ideas!!
If you want to keep it simple, then look into getting a heart-shaped waffle maker or heart-shaped pancake mold.
STRAWBERRY PANCAKES
These Strawberry Pancakes are hands down my kid’s favorite option and what I generally make on Valentine’s Day!! If you have smaller kids, I suggest making them mini! My kids loved them the few years I did that! Also, don’t forget to make the yummy Strawberry Vanilla Whipped Cream go with them too! If you want to make them heart-shaped, these heart-shaped pancake molds work fantastic!
CINNAMON ROLLS
These Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls are actually a Christmas Morning tradition for my family. But, they’re seriously so good and they This idea would be a great choice for you if you have busy and early mornings. You can make them a day or two beforehand and just keep them in the fridge! Just add some cut-up strawberries on the side!!
MINI GERMAN PANCAKES
I’m really excited about these Mini Puff Pancakes from Our Best Bites! I mean look at them – are you kidding me?!? We call them Puffy Oven Pancakes in our family, but adding that Berry sauce and making them mini just makes them that much better! My mouth is watering just looking at them! This will be something special for me and my hubby too! I ordered this heart Cast Iron Mini Heart Pan to make our Puffy Oven Pancakes cute little perfect hearts!
If you’re wanting to get a little fancy, then I love this idea of a Valentine’s Day Breakfast Board!
VALENTINE’S DAY BREAKFAST BOARD
Valentine’s Day Menu for Kid-Friendly Lunches
Now, let’s plan lunch!!
All of my kids are in school, so I have to pack them a fun Valentine’s Day-themed home lunch! Just something simple like the picture below!
VALENTINE’S DAY HOME LUNCH
Here are some ideas of things that are red or pink that you could add to a home-packed lunch:
- Any Sandwich: Use a Heart Shape Cookie Cutter to cut heart-shaped sandwiches
- Chips that have a red bag: Doritos, Lays, Garden Salsa Sun Chips, Kettle Corn Pop Corners, Bugles, Cheetos
- Treats: I suggest just going to the Valentine’s Day treat section. They have all sorts of fun ideas! They also make a lot of candy pink or red colored for February, so you may even be able to find their favorite candy!
- Fruit: strawberries, apples, raspberries!!
- Drink: Red Gatorade, Fruit punch, Red Crush Soda, Kool-Aid, Ruby Red Squirt, Red Izze Sparkling Water, Pink Lemonade
Don’t forget to print off our Valentine’s Day Lunch to put in your kid’s lunches for the 14 days leading up to Valentine’s Day!
HEART SHAPED PIZZAS
If you have younger kids that are home for lunch, my #1 choice would be to make them Heart Shaped Pizzas!! Plus as a bonus, you can pre-make the dough and sauce the day before if you want. Or even buy them! That way lunch will be easy! If you’ve never made homemade pizza, don’t be intimidated! It’s not that hard but just takes some planning. If you’re going to home make the dough, you’ll need to do it the day before or at least 2 hours before lunch. I usually make mine right after breakfast!
Here’s a great homemade pizza dough recipe!
Here’s a great tutorial on how to shape it into a heart!
My favorite store-bought pizza sauce is from Target! If you love to home-make your sauce, this pizza sauce is delicious!
I also suggest making my super easy and amazing breadstick recipe!
VALENTINE’S DAY MUFFIN TIN LUNCH
When my kids were little, they always loved doing Muffin Tin Monday! So, this idea would be amazing for younger kids! You can order an adorable heart-shaped muffin tin here! Or even just purchase Valentine’s Day themed liners for a regular muffin pan. You can also use a fun heart cookie cutter set to cut fruit, sandwiches, cheese, etc into heart shapes.
Valentine’s Day Meal Ideas for Family Dinner
For dinner, I’m not suggesting cooking a 3-course meal or anything, but I do like to go a little fancier. In the future (when it will be appreciated), I do plan on going all out!
But, since we’re talking Kid-Friendly, I suggest going simple. Something that you can leave plain for the kids, but maybe season differently for the adults.
FILET MIGNON or STEAK
Served with:
- SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE orSCOOP OUT POTATOES
- GRILLED ASPARAGUS or BROCCOLI
You can never go wrong with grilling! I would say we grill a nice steak or Filet Mignon 75% of the time for Valentine’s Day! Then for a side dish, I make my Sweet Potato Casserole and my favorite Seasoned Broccoli. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll make rolls, but I often times just buy them! My kids love steak! It’s something that I never get complaints over! They don’t like potatoes though, so the Sweet Potato Casserole is for the hubby and me. They’ll eat broccoli (with a little push) and of course the roll!
SALMON | CILANTRO LIME RICE | ARTICHOKES
Another dinner that my kids never complain over is my Sweet Rum Marinated Salmon and I love to serve this Cilantro Lime Rice with it! My kids’ favorite vegetable is artichokes, so I’d Instant Pot them and serve them with one or two of these yummy artichoke dips. If you have never made artichokes, check out this post on How to Cook Artichokes!
HONEY LIME CHICKEN ENCHILADAS | SALSA RICE | BRAZILIAN LEMONADE
If your family loves Enchiladas, then making these Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas would be a great option! You can make them a head of time and just reheat them for about 30 minutes before dinner time! Serve them with Instant Pot Salsa rice, chips, and salsa and you’re good to go!
You could even make a fun drink to go with them like my Brazilian Lemonade!
NACHO BAR |CRANBERRY APPLE PUNCH
Now if you’re looking for something easier or even more kid-friendly, then I highly suggest putting together a fun Nacho Bar for dinner! What kid doesn’t love Nachos? My oldest son’s favorite drink is this, Cranberry Apple Punch. So, if you’re looking for a super fun drink, check it out! In that post for the Nacho Bar I list a lot of different topping options! So, check it out!
Valentine’s Day Recipes for Desserts the Whole Family will Love
VALENTINE’S DAY FONDUE
I am OBSESSED over this Valentine’s Day Cupcake Fondue idea from Hoosier Homemade! My kids are going to LOVE LOVE this!
ECLAIR CAKE (also known as SHEET ECLAIRS)
This recipe is from my mother-in-law and is a favorite of ours! It is a bit of work because you have to make it in layers. But, I promise you that it is worth it! You will love it and it serves a ton of people!
SWEET WAFFLE DONUT
This could also be a breakfast idea for Valentine’s Day guys! But, it’s sweet enough that I generally make this Sweet Waffle Donut recipe for more of a dessert!
RED VELVET WHOOPIE PIES
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies from Annie’s Eats are a surefire hit! How delish and fun do these look? I might have to make these for a fun middle-of-the-day treat even!
I hope that this list can help you plan your Kid-Friendly Valentine’s Day Menu!
If you’re still needing Valentine’s Day Handouts, head over to my Valentine’s section of my site for tons of free downloads!
*This post was originally published in January 2014 and has been updated.
More Favorites from Over the Big Moon
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