Why You Can Trust CNET 30 Best Valentine's Day Gifts for Kids in 2024
Spread love to the kids in your life this Valentine's Day.
- Desiree's previous work has appeared in various print and online publications including Search Engine Land, PCWorld, Wired magazine and PBS MediaShift.
When out shopping for Valentine's Day, be sure not to forget the kids. Yes, many people celebrate Feb. 14 as a romantic holiday, but your little ones will get a kick out of being involved in the loving festivities as well. You could include them in baking any variety of cookies -- whether heart-shaped or adorned with pink sprinkles -- or you can have a craft day with the goal of making and decorating cards cards for family and friends. Of course, showing them you care with fun treats and gifts can also be a part of the fun. You'll enjoy getting them a present and they'll absolutely get a kick out of tearing the goodie open.
It's worth noting that Valentine's Day can be tons of fun, but this is in no way a splurge-worthy holiday. You can surprise your little one with a gift that won't break the bank and still deliver all sorts of joy. As you'd probably expect, the shelves are packed with all sorts of wonderful Valentine's Day gifts for kids.
To cut through all the clutter, we put together a roundup of our favorites below. For those kids who want to bake in the kitchen, we've highlighted some kid-friendly baking tools. If your kiddo wants to enjoy some candied treats while putting together a Valentine's-themed Lego set, there are great options below to cover those bases, too. One thing's for certain, any of the gifts below will brighten your kid's Valentine's Day. Honestly, that's all that matters.
While you're searching for a Valentine's Day gift for the kid in your life, don't forget to check out the best Valentine's Day gifts for other people you care about, too.
If you've got a junior chef in your home, consider buying this easy-to-use tool for decorating cakes, cookies and other treats. The Chocolate Pen is easy to use and delicious, delicious fun. Kids can choose from various colors and draw all sorts of words and designs. It also comes with 40 molds to create hearts, stars, sea creatures and more. A warming tray keeps chocolate gooey as the battery-powered pen refills itself by sucking up the sweet stuff into the cartridge. Draw, eat, repeat.
Get kids crafting and expressing their own creativity with this Valentine's card-making kit. It comes with everything they need to create truly one-of-a-kind cards, including postcards, gel pens, sticker sheets, googly eyes and more. It also comes with a cute paper mailbox that kids can decorate and then use to store the cards they send and receive.
More crafts:
- National Geographic Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab ($28)
- Unicorn Horn & Dino Teeth Sidewalk Chalk Set ($16)
- KiwiCo Crystal Ombre Soap Making Kit ($35)
Legos are a sure bet for kids, no matter their age or interests. Although this Lovebirds set is recommended for children above the age of 8, younger kids can enjoy it too if you're there to supervise. This set contains 298 pieces and is 4.5 inches tall, so it's pretty small. But they'll be proud to put it on display once it's complete.
More Legos:
- Lego Hedgehog Picnic Date ($13)
- Lego Valentine's Brown Bear ($35)
- Lego Heart Ornament Building Kit ($13)
Kick-off their Valentine's morning the right way with heart-shaped pancakes! These nonstick silicone molds are easy to use, and the pancakes come out perfectly shaped. Bonus: You can also use them for making heart-shaped eggs.
If your kids prefer waffles, go for the Dash Mini. This handy little gadget is easy to use and turns out perfectly shaped heart waffles. It's a fun activity for Valentine's morning -- kids will enjoy trying it out, too. Just be forewarned that it's meant for one or two servings. You're not going to be feeding a crowd with this little machine.
More for junior chefs:
- Valentine's Day Conversation Heart Cookie Cutters ($20)
- Valentine's Day Slice & Bake Cookies ($70)
- Sur La Table's Valentine's Day Apron ($24)
This is a fast-paced game with a fun theme that's perfect for Valentine's Day. Basically, you're trying to win the favor of the princess by delivering love letters to different individuals in her circle, each with varying levels of influence over her. The goal is to ensure your letter reaches the person with the highest influence before the round concludes and to advance ahead of your competitors. It's easy to learn, but keep in mind that it's for ages 8 and up.
What kid doesn't love bath bombs? This citrusy bath bomb from Lush is a blend of Sicilian lemon, rose and sweet orange. But the best part is that when it dissolves, you're surrounded by psychedelic, shimmery swirls of color. Seriously groovy.
For some kids, stuffies bring pure joy. Squishmallows are delightfully soft and huggable. At 10 inches tall, this adorable Valentine's bear is just the right size for squeezing.
Chocolate is nice, but a whole box full of a variety of sweet treats is even better. Candycopia's Valentine's Day Tackle Box will give any sweet tooth a sugar rush with its gummy hearts, cotton candy sours, chocolate-covered marshmallows and more.
More sweet treats:
- Cake Bites Valentine's Day Cake Pops ($35)
- See's Candies Sweet Nothings Heart Tin ($24)
- Sugarfina You Make Me Blush 3-Piece Candy Bento Box ($30)
If you don't want to give your little ones candy, this book is a great alternative. Kids love the Little Blue Truck series by Alice Schertle. This Valentine's version has colorful illustrations and a different animal on each page with textured foil Valentine's cards that kids can touch -- perfect for early readers or for reading aloud to toddlers.
More Valentine's Day books for kids:
- Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart ($5)
- The Day It Rained Hearts ($8)
- Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool ($10)
Magna-Tiles are simply the best. It's no wonder so many parents rave about them. Kids can build all sorts of structures out of these engaging magnetic tiles, which means hours of creative play rather than staring at a screen. This Very Hungry Caterpillar set comes in a heart-shaped box and is composed of 16 tiles: nine tiny squares, four quarter rounds, two right-angle triangles and one huge square. In addition to the beloved Eric Carle caterpillar, these shapes can also spell out "I love you."
This would be a great gift for a kid who enjoys making cards for everyone. With eight wooden stamps and a stamp pad, they'll have lots of options to create art and crafts at their own pace.
Here's another handmade present: This string art is best suited for children aged 8 and up. What makes this string art light so appealing? Well, not only is it shaped like a heart, but it also glows in the dark. This Valentine-themed art project makes one pink lantern and is perfect to do together.
A joke book is one of the greatest Valentine's Day presents you can offer a child, since some kids express their love by making people laugh. This Valentine's Day edition jokes for kids book contains 144 pages of jokes that will keep the kid comic in your life laughing.
It's awesome to see children produce artwork from their imaginations, but seeing it translated to 3D form is even better. If you have a creative child who also enjoys stuffed animals, consider gifting them a Budsies stuffed animal that brings their drawings to life. It's a bit on the pricey side, but well worth the cost.