HEARTS
Remember that card game where you either avoid winning any hearts or "shoot the moon" and collect all of them? Hearts is a great one for today. If you don't already know how to play it, you can find directions on the Card Games site or in a card game book.
HEART HUNT
For little kids, stage a heart hunt, planting conversation hearts all around the house. The object: Have the kids find as many hearts as they can.
THE AND GAME
This works well in the Valentine's Day car pool. We call it the And Game, since it's all about words that appear together with "and" in between. I say, "Romeo and...." You say, "Juliet." I say, "Bread and...." You have to come up with "butter." After five, switch roles.
KIND THINGS
Here's a good game for siblings. Set the timer and see how many kind things you can write down about a person in, say, 10 minutes. You might suggest writing down generous things the person has done or nice things about the way she acts, thinks, plays, works or looks. Done right, this game will clear the air of sibling rivalry for the afternoon.
ROMANTIC ROCKS
This activity, which brings the family outside for fresh air, can become downright obsessive. Search for heart-shaped rocks in the rockiest places near you: a stream bank, a driveway, the parking lot. They don't have to be perfect, as long as they have the two telltale lobes of a heart and some sort of point at the bottom. Then set everyone to work painting the rocks.
MIRROR MESSAGES
The mirror, where kids often stand pondering themselves, is an inspired place for a love note. You can scribble something nice like "You're the one I love" with lipstick (it'll come off with glass cleaner). Or you can use acrylic paints right on the glass (the paint can be lifted off with a razor blade by an adult). I've painted and illustrated Beatles lyrics ("Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head...") and A. A. Milne poems (there's one called The Mirror). A wreath of animals or a quirky "Roses are red..." poem is fun, too.
