While Valentine’s Day is commercialized as a romantic day for couples, it can also be a day celebrated by families. Including our children in Valentine’s Day activities makes the day special and emphasizes the real meaning of valentines spending quality time with someone they love. Luckily for us living in the Monterey area, there are plenty of local and at-home activities to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family.
HEART-SHAPED PIZZAS AND MOVIE THEME
This activity is a favorite that my husband and I started many years ago: ordering a heart-shaped pizza and a movie at home. Many of our favorite local pizza joints, such as Pizza My Heart participate in creating festive heart-shaped pizzas that can be delivered to your family. Ordering pizza helps the family avoid the chaos of making dinner reservations or cooking at home. We pick a theme for Valentine’s Day to make the movie fun. One of our favorite themes is family-friendly 80s classics—think The Goonies or The Last Starfighter.
SUNDAES AT GHIRARDELLI
If you want to do something away from the house, try venturing to Ghirardelli, located in the heart of Monterey. Families can enjoy the ocean view and spend time together while indulging in the World-Famous Chocolate Sundae, followed by a stroll on Cannery Row.
LOVE STORY/FIRST DATE
My kids love to hear how my husband and I first met. While the story may not be fascinating for most people, it’s always a good way to stay connected and remember how much we’ve grown as a couple and as a family. My husband and I met on a blind date at El Toritos on Cannery Row, so having tacos or a Mexican-food-themed dinner and telling the story of how our first date went is really magical as a family.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT
Nothing says family bonding more than a game night. Be sure to include Valentine’s Day-themed snacks such as chocolate-covered strawberries or pink popcorn. Is your family not really into board games? How about bowling at Monterey Lanes? Families can wear Valentine’s-colored shirts for their teams. Whatever you pick as your game, have some family-friendly competition.
CREATE A MONTEREY BAY TREASURE HUNT
This activity is more enjoyable for older kids and an excellent way for families to bond and explore the Monterey area. This activity requires more planning for the adults, but you can make this as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. First, pick four local places that you would like to check out as a family that have a love or Valentine’s Day theme. For example, add Paris Bakery to your map and try to find heart-shaped cookies, stop at Lover’s Point and take a picture at this local tourist spot, make a wish at the fountain in Del Monte followed by a sweet treat at See’s Candy. Create a map or print out one online and give hints to the kids on where they think each stop is. Whatever stops you choose to add, make it your adventure.
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