Cupid Countdown: A Valentine Tradition

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The Cupid Countdown is a special tradition that I love to do with my kiddos each year for Valentine’s Day. Starting February 1st and each day leading up to Valentine’s Day, I leave something special for the kids to spread the love and gear up for Valentine’s Day. Last year I went all out and even documented each day so I could share it with all of you!

My kids are now ages 9, 11, and 13 and they still look forward to something special each day leading up to Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t have to be big or even cost a lot, just something to let them know you are thinking of them during this special month known for LOVE.

Keep reading to see what I did for the kiddos each day last year to countdown to Valentine’s Day. I love puns and used a lot of free printables with cute puns that I printed out to go along with the treat of the day. I will do my best to include a link to the printables. Enjoy!

Day 1– Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House

On the first day of our Cupid Countdown, I brought out their cute Valentine’s Day envelopes and included a game of MASH inside. Do you remember playing MASH as a kid? My kids loved it and played it for days after this! You can purchase a MASH printable here.

The cute vintage wooden block calendar is perfect for helping us countdown the days to Valentine’s Day. I used it each day to display the date! It was a fun addition!

Day 2– You’re Sweet Take a Treat

My kids were so excited to see this cute and fun candy bar in the dining room on Day 2 of our Cupid Countdown. All three of my girls have a BIG sweet tooth! The printable says “You’re Sweet, Take a Treat” and I found it here. The best part of this candy bar is that it serves double duty as decor in my apothecary jars. I filled them with our favorite red and pink Valentine Candies and put some cute paper cupcake holders out so the kids could fill them with candy. This day was a favorite and will be on repeat this year!

Day 3– You’re the Bomb

On Day 3, I pampered my princesses with their very own heart shaped bath bombs. I found the adorable printables here and attached them to a cellophane bag with the bath bomb inside. This would also make an adorable Valentine to give out to classmates.

Day 4- I Love you More than Cupcakes

You know what I love more than cupcakes? My kiddos! For Day 4 I got them each a cupcake from a local bakery. They loved this day as well! Again with the sweet tooth!

I also love letterboards! They are so fun and a great way to leave sweet messages for friends and family. They make great party decor too! This would be a cute sign to for a Galentine’s party if you are hosting one this year!

Day 5- There’s Nobody I Love S’more than You

For Day 5 of the Cupid Countdown I set up a little tray with all of the ingredients to make S’mores. I lit the fire and we had an indoor s’mores night. The cute printable can be found here.

I love our extendable S’mores sticks. We make a lot of s’mores around here, so they come in handy. It’s my favorite go-to party treat because it’s like an activity and treat all in one. And who doesn’t like getting cozy around the fire with loved ones?

Day 6- I Donut Know What I’d Do Without You

Another day, another Valentine Display. On this day my kiddos got the breakfast of champions- DONUTS! I picked up a few donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts which is their favorite donut place. They were so happy! You can grab the adorable donut printable here.

I just love the glass and wood desert stand. It was perfect for keeping the donuts fresh until breakfast and looking cute at the same time. The milk glass cake stands are not only pretty decor items for the kitchen but are great for displaying treats too. I use them at nearly every party I throw. My kids love the mason jar drinking glasses as well. The lid has a hole that is just perfect for a straw and they look so precious and are fun to drink out of. They are definitely a playdate and party must-have.

Day 7- My Heart Snaps, Crackles and Pops for You

We are halfway through the Cupid Countdown! On Day 7, I set up this cute little after school snack. The “My Heart Snaps, Crackles, and Pops for You” Valentine printable can be found here. This was super simple even though it looks like a lot went into it. I used store bought Rice Krispie Treats and I simply stuck a cute paper straw into it and popped a heart cupcake topper into the straw hole. Easy Peasy!

Day 8- I’m Cocoa for You

I set up a Hot Cocoa station for the girls for Day 8 of the Cupid Countdown. A jar filled with hot chocolate K-Cups for the Keurig make it super easy so the kids can help themselves and looks super cute at the same time. I also bought them each a cute pink mug that says “love”. They loved topping their hot cocoa with adorable heart shaped marshmallows. The cute sign I attached to the K-Cup Jar can be found here.

Day 9- You Knock My Socks Off

My girls are crazy about fun socks! For day 9 of the cupid countdown I left these cuties strategically placed in the laundry room along with this fun printable that you can find here.

Day 10- Love Potions

On Day 10, I surprised my girls with one of their favorite things…bath products from Bath and Body Works! Each bag had a bottle of body spray, hand sanitizer and lotion. I left them in the bathroom and wrote a little note on the mirror in lipstick!

Day 11- All You Need is Love and Cookies

They got a special surprise on Day 11…cookie decorating kits! This was a fun, easy, and tasty treat! I love it when we can do activities and treats in one.

Day 12- LOVE JUICE

For Day 12 I went to our local juice bar and picked up some delicious smoothies. They love this place so it was a real treat! I used my favorite lightbox sign and marquis letters and spelled out #LoveJuice for the display. How cute?

Day 13- So Happy You Popped into my Life

The day before Valentine’s Day is known as Galentine’s Day and I spent the special evening with my three little gals. I surprised them with a blend of strawberry, watermelon, and vanilla popcorn from a local gourmet popcorn shop. It was delicious! We spent the evening devouring popcorn and watching Netflix. The cute printable was found here.

Day 14- Valentine’s Day Chocolates

We have finally reached Day 14! Wasn’t that so much fun? For the last day of the countdown I set a really nice table and made a special dinner for my family. We ate in the formal dining room which is always a treat. On each plate, I placed a box of chocolates that I spruced up with leopard print scrapbook paper to make them more special and tied them with ribbon. On the bottom of the box, tucked under the ribbon, was a $5 bill! I used a letter board with the quote “Life is Like a Box of Chocolates, You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get” which I read to them and then told them to open the box. That’s when they discovered the money. They went wild!

Get Inspired!

I hope you enjoyed the Cupid Countdown and got some fun ideas to use with your kiddos this Valentine’s Day. I always try to think of new things to do, but some of these will be on repeat because they were hits. Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments! I’m so glad you stopped by! If you end up doing a special countdown with your kiddos please tag me in a pic on Instagram and let me know!

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