Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples – everybody can celebrate! It’s the perfect time to show love and affection to all the people you care about. It’s also an opportunity to spend quality time with your older adult. Here are some great Valentine’s Day activities for seniors:

1. Create a festive environment

Putting up decorations makes any holiday festive and more special. Valentine’s Day is a great reason to make simple DIY decorations together – save money and do something fun at the same time!

Simple Valentine decoration ideas:

• Hearts everywhere! – cut hearts out of colored paper and stick them up around the house.
• Stained glass window – cut hearts out of colored tissue paper and stick them up on a light-filled window. Overlapping them makes beautiful patterns too – like this!
• Fun chain garland – cut pink and red colored paper into equal-sized strips. Make interlocking rings by pasting or stapling the ends together, then hang them around the house.
• Festive heart garland – check out this tutorial for another way to make a fun garland

2. Celebrate with family and friends

Any holiday is a good reason to get together with family and friends. Organize a casual potluck or even just a coffee/tea social!
You could even ask people to bring little Valentine cards for a festive exchange. They don’t have to be expensive or store-bought, we found some lovely free printable cards here:

• 15 different sets of cards

3. Enjoy Valentine-themed activities

Coloring is a wonderful way to relax, be creative, and enjoy time together. Here are some of our favorite free Valentine-themed coloring pages:

• Assorted Valentine pictures

Puzzles are another activity to enjoy together. Try some of these!

• Sweet DIY Valentine heart puzzle
• 2 Valentine-themed word search puzzles
• Valentine’s Sudoku puzzle

Bingo is another fun game that you can play with as few or as many people as you like! Crayola created a free Valentine-themed bingo. All you need to do is print the different Valentine bingo sheets. 
How to play:

1. Make sure each player gets a different sheet.
2. Take one of the bingo pages and cut out every square picture separately. Put all the squares into a container.
3. The bingo caller will pull out one square at a time and call out the selected picture.
4. If that picture is on a player’s board, the player marks that square – use Hershey’s kisses or color it in – get creative!
5. When one player gets 5 colored squares in a row or diagonally, that person wins the game!

4. Make homemade treats to share

Valentine’s Day and treats go hand in hand. Celebrate by making Valentine’s cookies, easy desserts or savory snacks together. You can even make extras to give to family and friends!
Sweet treat ideas:

• Valentine’s Day fruit kabobs
• Pope’s Valentine cookies
• Sweetheart cookie bouquet

Savory treat ideas:

• Love toast egg dish
• Heart-shaped toast snack

5. Watch a classic romantic movie or romantic comedy

You might want to relax with a funny or romantic movie. Whether the group is just the two of you or a family viewing party, just grab some snacks and settle into a comfy couch!

6. Share love with the community

If your older adult likes to knit, crochet, or sew, consider making red or pink hats, scarves, or blankets to donate to local shelters or hospitals.

Valentine’s Day is a time for all kinds of love; spend time with those you care about and have a good time!