Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, connection, and togetherness—a day filled with opportunities to create lasting memories with those we care about. For parents of neurodiverse children, however, navigating this holiday can come with unique challenges and meaningful rewards. This guide explores how to make Valentine’s Day a meaningful experience by creating activities tailored to your child’s individuality, maintaining routines with a festive twist, and fostering moments of connection and joy. Whether it’s crafting heartfelt cards, engaging in sensory play, or baking sweet treats together, the focus is on celebrating love in ways that resonate with your child’s unique personality and preferences. Let’s discover how to make this Valentine’s Day a positive and enriching experience for your family.
- Remember Individuality: Tailor activities to your child’s interests. If they love a specific character or theme, incorporate it into cards or decorations.
- Stay Patient: Be flexible with plans. Allow your child to engage at their own pace, and celebrate small moments of connection, like smiles or laughter.
- Communicate Clearly: Use visual aids to outline the day’s activities. Encourage your child to express their preferences and feelings, listening to their cues. Explain it is a special holiday.
- Keep to your Routine: Do not deviate from your schedule, but mix in Valentine’s Day themes with familiar activities, like making Valentine cards while enjoying a special meal, or watching a favorite movie.
- Celebrate Progress: Praise all efforts or achievements throughout the day. Make a Valentine’s Day collage with markers and stickers or a “Valentine’s Journal” to document special moments during the day.
- Seek Support: Reach out to other parents or resources for ideas and activities they might be doing on Valentine’s Day. Seek out community sponsored events.
- Stay Positive: Focus on connection rather than perfection.
Activities for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Cards:
Gather colored paper, scissors, glue, stickers, and markers. Empty out your craft supplies. Sit down together at a table and brainstorm who you want to make cards for (family, friends, teachers). Encourage your child to think about what makes each person special. Help them cut out heart shapes and decorate the cards with drawings, stickers, and messages. You can model how to write simple phrases like “I love you” or “You are special.”
Themed Sensory Bin:
Choose a container (like a shoebox or small plastic tub) and fill it with items with different textures (soft, rough, squishy, etc.), scents (herbal sachets, scented play dough), and small toys or objects. Decorate the outside of the box with stickers or drawings related to love and friendship. Discuss how each item feels or smells, and what it reminds them of. Describe their favorite item and why they like it.
Heart Scavenger Hunt:
Prepare heart-shaped cutouts or small objects (like toys or candies) beforehand and write positive messages or clues on them. Hide these items around your home or yard. Provide your child with a list or hints to find them. Set a timer for added excitement. Discuss the message.
Cooking Together:
Gather ingredients for heart-shaped cookies or cupcakes (cookie dough, icing, sprinkles, etc.) and necessary baking tools. Guide your child through the process of mixing ingredients, rolling out dough, and using cookie cutters to create heart shapes. Once baked, let them decorate with icing and sprinkles. Talk about favorite flavors and colors and encourage them to share their thoughts.
Story time with a Twist:
Choose a book that focuses on themes of friendship or love (like “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBratney or “The Day It Rained Hearts” by Felicia Bond). Read the story together, pausing to discuss the characters’ feelings and actions. After reading, create simple puppets using socks or paper bags to represent the characters. Encourage your child to act out the story or create a new ending.
Check out these additional resources we’ve compiled over the years:
Valentine’s Day Fizzy Art Craft
You are my Sunshine Sing-along
Learn More About My Programs
Blue Bird Day is a rotational therapy program structured like a preschool or kindergarten, but instead of teachers all our staff are therapists! This program is designed to foster socialization, sensory regulation, and learning for children ages 2-7 and helps provide children the tools they need to succeed in a traditional classroom.
Eyas Landing is an outpatient therapy clinic that provides services for children ages 0-21. Our multidisciplinary team of therapists provide ABA, developmental, occupational, physical, speech, nutrition and feeding therapy along with early intervention, social work, counseling, and neuropsychological testing at our West Loop clinic, in-home, at school, and virtually.
Merlin Day Academy is a therapeutic day school for children ages 6-14. Our proprietary model utilizes daily therapeutic and educational rotations to support children’s growth, learning, and their transition into the least restrictive environment possible.
