How to host a Vegan Valentine's Day party for kids!

It's that time of year... heart shaped candies, red foil balloons, giant teddy bears, and love notes!

I am in love with hosting people at my house, and I never say no to throwing a party! One of my favorite things about being a mom is making holidays special. My own mother and grandmother spoiled us on holidays with crafts, festive food, and trinkets. I owe my love of holidays to them, and hope I can make mine just as memorable for my own family.

And with that, I couldn't wait to start planning Graham's first Valentine's party!

I started off with ordering a customized invitation on Etsy. I then mailed it out to my guests. I prefer snail mail rather than a Facebook or email invite. There is just something special about receiving a physical invitation in your mailbox.

INVITATION:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/264467331/printable-valentines-day-party?ref=shop_home_active_1

If you have been following me for awhile then you know I love to go all out, and Valentine's is no exception! I am a sucker for cute decorations, they are one of my favorite things to shop for. I believe decorations can ultimately make or break your party. I want my guests to see a fun filled space that makes them excited the moment they walk in.

Eiffel Tower Door Decor:

https://www.target.com/p/22pc-valentine-s-day-create-your-own-door-decor-spritz-153/-/A-52705532#lnk=sametab

Tassel Garland

https://www.target.com/p/tassel-garland-light-pink-dark-pink-gold-60-threshold-153/-/A-52706489#lnk=sametab

Party Sacks:

https://www.target.com/p/8ct-valentine-s-day-paper-tote-bags-spritz-153/-/A-52721682#lnk=sametab

There is one thing about Moms that never fails. We like to take pictures of our kids, especially at events. We love a good excuse to dress them up and get a picture to post on social media. Thats where the perfect backdrop comes into play. Add some heart shaped balloons and you're all set for picture perfect photos!

BACKDROP BANNERS & FANS:

https://mymindseye.com/collections/valentines/products/valentine-decor-collection

HEART SHAPED BALLOONS:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/265717870/sale-8-heart-balloons-11-choose-red-pink?ref=shop_home_feat_2

I had 10 little friends over for the party, so I had the older kids sit at the dining table and I set up two little tables for the younger toddlers. I lined the table with decorative table cloths, flowers, confetti hearts, heart shaped plates, cups and straws. Each guest had their own personalized Valentine box.

Hanging Mobile:

https://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/red-paper-heart-mobile/?pkey=cvalentines-day&isx=0.0.1024

Table Runner: (its only available for in store purchase)

https://www.potterybarnkids.com/shop/valentines-day/?cm_type=lnav&isx=0.0.694

Cups: https://www.target.com/p/12ct-valentine-s-day-hearts-12oz-paper-cups-spritz-153/-/A-52730685#lnk=sametab

Straws:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/518854780/valentines-day-straws-pink-and-red-paper?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=heart%20straws&ref=sr_gallery-1-11

Napkins: https://www.target.com/p/20ct-valentine-s-day-hearts-paper-lunch-napkin-spritz-153/-/A-52730672#lnk=sametab

Plates: https://www.target.com/p/10ct-valentine-s-day-heart-shaped-7-paper-snack-plates-spritz-153/-/A-52729578#lnk=sametab

Tablecloth: https://www.target.com/p/hearts-tablecloth/-/A-52748064#lnk=sametab

Food and drinks can make your Valentine's Party so much sweeter! I made vegan friendly snacks for the children to enjoy. We had younger children at our party, so finger foods were a must!

DRINKS:

I made Strawberry Lemonade and cut up slices of fresh strawberries to toss in the dispenser.

FOOD:

For the sandwich I made Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam sandwiches and used a heart shaped cookie cutter.

Lady Bug: I created a cute vegetable by making a lady bug out of black olives and grape tomatoes.

DESSERT:

For the Kabob bow and arrow...

I purchased The Sweet Tooth Fairy's vegan brownies and brought them home to cut out a heart.

(I am lucky to have a mother who owns one of the stores!)

I then placed them on a skewer along with fresh raspberries and vegan friendly chocolate covered marshmallows.

Brownies:

http://www.thesweettoothfairy.com

Marshmallows:

http://dandiesmarshmallows.com

The kids thouroughly enjoyed their vegan friendly snacks! We even had a few incidents where they were trying to steal each others food.

A crafty DIY is a great way to entertain a crowd since the guests also get to make their own party favors to take home. With the assistance of their Moms, I had each child make a homemade valentine for some one special. They chose an envelope, cutout heart, a tag, sticker and string. I love watching kids use their creative outlet while crafting and learning how to write their name.

VALENTINE CARD CRAFT:

https://www.target.com/p/valentine-s-day-create-your-own-heart-craft-kit-spritz-153/-/A-52715997#lnk=sametab

When everyone had a bite to eat and some dessert, we jumped up for a few games. I set up 2 small stations for the children to play at, because lets be honest... 1- 4 year olds can't sit still for very long! These party games are the perfect way to add a little fun to the party! The children were able to interact with each other and easily play the games on their own.

GAMES

Unicorn Ring Toss:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/inflatable-valentine-unicorn-ring-toss-game-a2-13784608.fltr?categoryId=550202

Bear Dart Board:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/valentine-dartboard-a2-13675164.fltr?categoryId=550202

I asked each child to bring Valentines to pass out to their friends. We placed little white boxes with their names on each of their place settings, and the children were able to walk around and pass out their Valentines to one another.

Graham passed out vegan friendly fruit snacks with an individually packaged heart shaped crayon.

PERSONAL WHITE VALENTINE BOXES:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/mini-white-favor-boxes-a2-3_3611.fltr?keyword=white%20boxes&mode=Searching&parentSkuName=mini-treat-boxes&parentSku=13601615

HEART SHAPED CRAYON:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/510164291/valentines-day-crayons-heart-shaped?ref=shop_home_feat_1

What a lively bunch of little kids we had! It was a blast to party with all these cute little boys and girls! We may have even attempted to amp up the love interest in a few of them... wink, wink!