Will You Be Our Valentine?

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or prefer to ignore it altogether, February 14 is an opportunity to show your family, friends, and loved ones how much you care.

At the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, we love bringing playfulness into the holidays, so we’ve gathered eight ways to share your affection this Valentine’s Day. (Psst, you don’t have to be a child to play along!)

Let’s Decorate!

Grab construction paper, markers, and scissors, and get to work! Hearts are always a fun option, or if you’re not feeling crafty, grab some post-it notes and a Sharpie and write a few thoughtful notes.

Place the decorations where your loved ones would least expect them!

Tape them to doors, the bathroom mirror, kitchen cupboards, inside the car, or even inside the refrigerator.

Heart-Shaped Food

People love sweet treats on Valentine’s Day. Chocolate is very popular, but what else could you try? Heart-shaped cookies could be an obvious choice. But what about heart-shaped pizza? Pancakes? Quesadillas? Mashed potatoes?

Write a Poem

Not a poet? Consider writing an “acrostic poem.”

An acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word or phrase. Use this prompt to think of ways to describe your friend or family member.

For example, if we were to write a poem for our mascot, Kidoodle, it could go something like this:

K – ind

I – maginative

D – inosaur lover!

O – ut of this world

O –

D –

L –

E –

Do you get the idea? Maybe you can help us finish this one!

Restaurant Night

Make your evening meal special by turning your dinner table into a restaurant. Break out the tablecloths and fine china, and dine by candlelight! Have the kids write out the menu and take turns being hosts, servers, and cooks.

Make a Date

Make a date to play along at the Children’s Museum of South Dakota! Our exhibits reflect the world around us, so if you visit us in February you’ll likely find flowers in our market and Valentines to deliver in our Post Office. Spending time together is the best gift of all!

Deliver Your Own Valentine’s Day Cards

Maybe delivering Valentines at the museum was so much fun that you want to bring the fun home. We’ve got you! Here’s a download of our Valentine’s Day cards just for you! What a fun way to deliver some play to your friends and neighbors.

Give a Gift

Our gift shop, Play Central Toys & Books, has a wide variety of plush, books, puzzles, games, and more. It’s the best place in Brookings to find a unique gift for the child in your life! We’ve been deocrating, too. (You might notice that some of our plush have heart-related neckwear.)

We Think You’re T-Riffic

However you decide to spend your day, we want you to know how much we appreciate you!

Thank you for your friend-sheep and we hope you have an eggs-cellent Valentine’s Day.

We can’t wait to play along with you again soon.