18 Exciting Ways to Have Fun with Your Family in February

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February is the month of love and there are so many creative ways to enjoy family fun in February. Of course, there are plenty of ways to show love to your family this month as we celebrate Valentine’s Day but I have so many more ideas to keep having fun even after the day of hearts has passed.

The seasonal qualities of February are similar to the ones that made January so special:

It’s dark. It’s cold. And sometimes, if you are lucky, it is white.

Take some time this month to have some fun and connect as a family. To make it a bit easier for you, I’ve compiled a list of ways you can make some family memories this month.

Find a list of fantastic ideas for fun with your family in February.

(This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.)

February Family Considerations

February is another cold month with early darkness in the evenings, but at this point, the busy holiday season is in the distance and it might be time to step up the fun a bit.

It’s a great time to head outdoors and enjoy cold and snowy weather. There is always fun to be had in any type of weather so take some time to appreciate the chill of February.

Of course, Valentine’s Day is a wonderful way to celebrate those you love this month. You’ll find a few special ways to do that below.

Finding Ways To Have Fun In February

Before you feel any sort of pressure to attack all of these ideas, let me assure you that I won’t be doing them all.

Instead, I’ve compiled this list for all of us to peruse and then purposefully select the activities that will work best for our family this month. After all, we want to connect with our kids and NOT connect with a “to-do” list.

Enjoy Plenty of February Outdoor Fun

1. Go sledding

If the white stuff appears, go for it. Snow tubes work well in fluffy snow, though southerners find that a pool swim tube will work in a pinch! These flexible flyers are a favorite in this house and they work well in all types of snow and ice.

Be a kid again and join in the fun. I admit that I typically send Daddy for this sort of fun while I sip hot tea and take pictures, but I have taken a turn before and busted a snow tube on the ice. That was a classic mom moment for sure.

2. Make Snow Ice Cream

Need a recipe? It’s quick, easy, and delicious. Just be sure to grab some clean snow! I like to put out a few bowls to collect the snow while it is still falling from the sky.

3. Read a Snowy Evening Poem

Enjoy this favorite poem by Robert Frost in a beautifully illustrated version for kids. Be sure to find the hidden creatures in the illustrations on every page.

4. Take a Snow Day

I’m looking at YOU, homeschooling mom! Surprise the kids with a snow day and cancel all of the school work. You can use some of the ideas on this list instead of schoolwork or just cuddle up, drink hot chocolate, and play some games together.

You can homeschool in the snow if you don’t want to cancel schoolwork for the day. It’ll be a creative way to combine learning goals with snow day fun.

5. Make a Snowman

Making a snowman is a traditional snowy day activity. Be creative with your snowy friend. Give him some eyes and a scarf or hat. You can even make a snow pet instead of a person.

Of course, not everyone has a regular snowy season and the weather can be hard to predict. Plan a snowman day that isn’t weather dependent and make this mixed media snowman from That Artist Woman. Then you’ll have a snowman who won’t melt away in the spring but can stay in your house for as long as you like.

Embrace the Darkness in the Early Evening

One of the great advantages of February is the early darkness. The house gets dark well before bedtime and the fun can begin! If you missed them, there are plenty of ideas involving candles on my January Family Fun list of activities.

6. Play with Flashlights

If your kids don’t own flashlights, Valentine’s Day is a perfect excuse to grab a few. When the sun goes down, play hide and seek in the dark or invent a crazy game of your own. If you turn off all of the lights in your house and pass out flashlights, I promise you that games will begin.

I don’t just make this stuff up, we live this stuff in our nutty house. And if you want a little view of it, this past periscope of “Sneak-a-Game” reveals the craziness:

7. Shine A Light Books

Have you seen these fantastic books that are perfect for dark evenings.

They are perfect for reading in the dark with your flashlights! As you turn the pages, shine a light behind each page in the book to reveal hidden images! The Secrets of Winter was a Christmas gift to one child in this house, along with his requested handle glowing flashlight.

8. Take a walk in the dark

Bundle up. Make hot drinks. Wear headlamps if you have them. Simple fun can be quite memorable.

NOTE: A walk in the dark is a real treat for your little ones who don’t get to see late-night hours in the summer. I still remember my little guy getting so excited when he saw the moon the first time and declared, “Look! Little Sun!”

9. Play with Glow Sticks

Grab a party pack and have some fun while it is dark. During the summer you have to wait until after 9 PM (or later) for fun with glowsticks, but you can start early in the summer and have some glowing fun!

Plan Some Fun for Valentine’s Day

10. Write I Love You’s

Make a collage of hearts on each of your kids’ bedroom doors letting them know how much you love them and all of the great reasons why:

– Cut out 14 hearts for each kid.
– Write one reason you love that child on each heart.
– Beginning on February 1st, tape a heart to their bedroom door.
– On Valentines Day, they’ll have 14 hearts on their door.

TIP: If your kids share a bedroom, as my boys do, then use red-colored hearts for one child and pink for the other.

My kids LOVED this idea and kept the hearts on their doors for months until I finally removed them and let them put them in special boxes with their memories from childhood.

11. Read a Valentine’s Day book together

a. Pete the Cat: Valentines Day is Cool
b. A Crankenstein Valentine.
c. There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose.

12. Valentine’s Crafts and Activities

a. Tween Valentines Canvas Craft. This one doesn’t require a lot of supplies and I bet your tweens/teens could adapt this with plenty of their own ideas.
b. Valentine’s Day Lava Lamp Fun. Combine a love for science with LOVE on Valentine’s Day.
c. Create Bleeding Hearts. This one is for the preschool set, but ALL of my kids enjoyed it (picture below). The big bonus was that it was simple.

Activities to do Indoors

13. Have an Indoor Picnic

Spread a blanket on the floor and enjoy lunch together. You can bring along a picnic basket or just bring your lunch plates to the floor.

14. Build a Fort

It’s a great month to make forts out of blankets.

15. Break Out the Sleeping Bags

I know it sounds goofy, but gather the sleeping bags and leave them somewhere so the kids will see them when they wake up. You might be surprised at the creative play that will occur. And if nothing else happens, snuggle down for a family movie.

Host a Valentine’s Poetry Teatime

16. Make a few Valentine’s Treats

a. Valentine’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
b. Cherry Vanilla Puppy Chow
c. Red Velvet Cookies

17. Read Love Themed Poetry Books

a. No Fear Shakespeare Sonnets. This is a perfect time for a classic Shakespeare Sonnet and we love this “No Fear Shakespeare” series which includes modern English on one page and the original copy on the other page.
b. It’s Valentines Day (I can read)
c. I Haiku You

Books. Treats. It’s time for poetry teatime. You can read more details on this complete Valentine’s Poetry Teatime post.

Family Conversation Starters Perfect For Feburary Fun

18. Use Conversation Starters

I’ve made it easy for you to have funny and enjoyable conversations with your kids this month! I have created an entire year’s worth of conversation starters available for purchase. You can print one month or several to use in your own home.

Tools for Meaningful conversation with your family.

After printing them, I run them through my laminator, cut them out, and put them in a jar on our kitchen table. This makes it easy to grab a few every now and then.

Enjoy Your Month of February Family Fun!

Additional Resources For Family Fun All Year Long

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Mary Wilson

Mary is a writer and mother to four kids ranging from elementary to high school.

She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.

She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.