What non-food Valentine’s Day treats can I send to school with my children?
When I was in school, everyone gave out candy with their Valentine’s Day cards. Most of the cards even came with candy, so you didn’t even have to think about it. Now, most schools either discourage or ban edible treats due to issues with allergies and a focus on healthy eating. Now parents must figure out what kind of non-food Valentine’s Day treats to send to school with their children. Here are some suggestions for fun treats to send to your child’s celebration.
- Buy a pad of scratch art paper. You can create your own Valentine’s Day cards with them or just send in some blank pages with another card. Include a sturdy toothpick to use as a scratcher.
- Get a book of pre-printed paper airplanes and give a page to each child. They can then fold their own airplanes. (After school, of course!)
- Bubbles are popular with younger children. Just make sure that they are sealed well so they won’t leak in anyone’s backpacks.
- Attach a Valentine’s Day card to a heart-shaped reusable straw.
- Hand out bookmarks. If you’re feeling crafty, you can personalize each bookmark or attach a small toy, such as an animal figurine.
- Attach a card to a cute pencil. By February, most students can use a new pencil at school!
- If your children are crafty, put them to work! Have your children make a bracelet for each classmate. This is also a good way to clean out your children’s bracelet stash if they are prone to making more bracelets than they give away.
- Attach small tubs of Play-Doh to Valentine’s Day cards. If you are feeling crafty or are on a budget, make your own dough!
- For smaller classes, buy each child a coloring book from a dollar store.
- Attach a card to a glow stick. Children of all ages get very excited by glow sticks!
- Buy a book of sticker sheets and give each child a sheet. Just hope that they won’t put any stickers on walls or furniture!
- Attach lip balm to each Valentine’s Day card. In winter, just about every child suffers from chapped lips. Perhaps having their own lip balm will save a few trips to the nurse’s office. There are some terrific local brands too.
- Add a cute eraser to the cards. Erasers are very popular items at school!
- Buy a tube of cheap toy cars and attach those to Valentine’s Day cards.
Send in one of these non-food treats on Valentine’s Day and you’ll put a smile on children’s faces.
Then make something delicious to eat after the kids get home from school. If you eat a few chocolates before they get home, I won’t tell!
Did I forget anything? Are there other non-food Valentine’s Day treats that kids enjoy receiving in school? Let me know in the comments.
