12 Ways To Show Your Kids How Much You Love Them

The best gifts on Valentine’s Day aren’t sweets, flowers or stuffed animals.  It’s spending some special time together to show them how much you care. Cupid hits a bulls eye when you try one of these sweet only-in-LA outings, activities or adventures that make any day a heart filled day with your little love bugs.

photo: Shahrzad Warkentin

1. One of the greatest gifts you can give your little ones is a thriving future on our green planet. Show your love, while you off-set your carbon footprint, with a day volunteering together with the Tree People.

2. If you want your little lovebugs —and the whole city— to know how much you love them, shout it from the rooftops… or just a really high place. Proclaim your love at one of LA’s fabulous vistas. You’ll enjoy the view along with some good old-fashioned bonding time.

photo: Shahrzad Warkentin

3. Treat your tykes (and yourself!) to a day of pampering and relaxation at a spa made just for families.

4. Give your funny Valentine the gift of laughter at a unique comedy show for kids, like Giggle Gaggle at The Joy Theatre or Two Milk Minimum at The Flappers Comedy Club.

5. Spread a little love around and share a teachable moment about the importance of compassion for all of earth’s creatures with a visit to an animal sanctuary, like The Gentle Barn or Shadowland Wolf Sanctuary.

photo: Meghan Rose

6. Give your little thinkers the gift of wonder and present them with the universe, or at least a really awesome laser light show about it, at the Griffith Observatory Planetarium.

7. The way to your kid’s heart is through his rumbling belly. Grab a picnic basket and blanket and take your junior foodies downtown for some special treats you can only find in Los Angeles. Hit Grand Central Market to fill your basket with delicious eats and then enjoy a lazy day picnicking and playing at Grand Park.

8. Nothing solidifies a loving bond like a shared secret. Pay a visit to LA’s very own secret garden where you can explore and share the hidden beauty together.

photo: Shahrzad Warkentin

9. Money definitely doesn’t buy love, but let’s be honest, what kid doesn’t adore a new toy? A thoughtful gift from a unique LA toy shop can end up being that childhood favorite they’ll still be clinging to even when they’re “too old” to celebrate Valentine’s Day with you. (Cue giant sniffles at that thought!)

10. Give your little adventurers the gift of time spent exploring together by signing up for a family membership to the LA Zoo or a museum, like the Natural History Museum or the Discovery Cube.

11. A bouquet of roses isn’t exactly a kid-friendly Valentine’s gift, but a trip to a garden full of flowers to sniff and explore definitely is. Check out the Huntington Gardens or the newly blooming camellias at the Descanso Gardens.

photo: Shahrzad Warkentin

12. Wishes are magical, especially when you make them with the ones you love the most. Hit up your piggy banks for a stash of pennies and head to one of these awesome fountains to make wishes together.

How do you plan to show your love this Valentine’s Day? Share your ideas in the comments! If you need some ideas and outings with a Valentine’s theme, we’ve got plenty of those, too.  

—Shahrzad Warkentin