Photo Courtesy of Wix

With Valentine's Day approaching, we thought we would share 6 gift ideas to give your children this Valentine's Day:

1. Cookies

It's an ageless gift that can be made in any shape and size (such as hearts with jam), and you can make cookies using ingredients you already have in your house. It's even something you can do together to kick off your Valentine's Day.

2. Bicycle

Most children want a bicycle, and again, it's an ageless gift. It could be as practical as learning how to ride a bike, to easy transportation to school and back, to just enjoying a family bike hide during a sunny weekend. If you're particularly artsy or mechanical, why not design or make one?

3. Plushies

You can make a plushie if you're crafty, or buy one from a favorite store. Stuffed toy workshops, such as Build-A-Bear, are great for personalizing plushies, such as choosing the toy, adding a voice recording, heartbeat, smell, clothes, name and even giving it a birth certificate.

4. Gift cards

While your child may want the newest iPhone, a family trip to an exotic location, or designer clothes, we understand that it's not always possible, but kids don't always think like that! Giving them a gift card with multiple stores and restaurants on it, or to a singular location of their choice, gives them the opportunity to choose their own gift. It gives them a sense of growing up, and it's a good opportunity for them to go out with friends and wisely spend their money.

5. Polaroid camera

Instant-print cameras were a very trendy gift in 2022, particularly for college students. There's nothing like snapping a quick photo that you can keep forever in a scrapbook. It might remind you of your childhood, and it's always nice sharing your childhood stories with your kids.

6. Stationary

Bringing it back to basics, you can never go wrong with stationary. It's practical and it can build skills. Maybe your child needs a new notebook and a cute pencil case with some new animal-shaped pens for school. Maybe they'd appreciate a Valentine's Day themed coloring book to share with their siblings or friends. Stationary actually doesn't have to be those stereotypical items though, it could be art kits or science experiment kits.

Deanna (or "Nana Barratt") is an MA Creative and Media Enterprises graduate from the University of Warwick. She previously studied Popular Music, but decided to take a different career path into writing. She now writes about music, the TV and film industry, and East-Asian culture, and gives student advice and lifestyle tips.