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Valentine’s Day is like a second Halloween; it’s a time of candy, cards, and fun. But, Valentine’s Day is more than candy and cards; it’s a holiday to show love to the people you care about, whether they’re your friends, your parents, or other family members.
At Kids ‘R’ Kids, our goal is to make every child feel special during this holiday celebration, and we have many special activities planned to ensure all the kids feel included. However, the holiday celebrated in a school-like environment can leave some children feeling excluded and damage their self-esteem.
Friendships Can Be Difficult
One challenge many kids face during Valentine’s Day and throughout the year is dealing with difficult friendship situations. Whether a friend is suffering from an illness, developing different interests, or moving to another city, it can make children feel sad, anxious, and excluded.
But there are many ways parents can help and support their kids during difficult times, maintaining friendships and fostering new ones.
Talk With Your Child
Parents are keen to know when something isn’t right with their child. Maybe she’s not eating lunch, feels suddenly anxious about socializing with other kids, or becomes more withdrawn. When these things manifest, it’s important to encourage your child to tell you what’s going on. Maybe your child is the target of bullying or feels left out during playtime.
Most kids are happy to share their experiences with you, but for those that aren’t, one way to ease the tension is to tell them about negative experiences you had with friends during your childhood.
People naturally feel more relaxed and eager to open up when they know another person has experienced the same feelings and gone through the same trials.
Handle Relationships
As adults, we understand that friends come and go, and not all friendships last forever. However, when kids make new connections, it’s natural for them to think they will be buddies for life. When your kid loses a friend because they’ve moved away or because their interests have changed, it can be devastating, especially when Valentine’s Day is a holiday for showing love to the people you care about.
Changing friendship dynamics is a challenge for virtually every child. Still, you can help them feel more at ease by allowing them the time to feel sad about the situation while encouraging them to make new friends, which can be exciting.
How to Deal With a Child Who Didn’t Get a Valentine Card
Because Valentine’s Day is a holiday where we express our love for the important people in our lives by giving them cards and gifts, it can be devastating for a child to not receive a Valentine card in a social setting like school or daycare.
More often, getting Valentine’s cards in these childhood settings are popularity contests, and not getting a card or getting very few cards causes the child to feel they’re not as well-liked as the other kids.
Another way to ease your child’s unease about not getting a valentine is by telling her about your experiences where you didn’t get a card for a holiday, how it hurt you, and how you overcame it.
Our Valentine’s Day Activities
We have special activities planned at Kids ‘R’ Kids Avalon Park, including parties and a Facebook Live Kings and Queens parade. We will make king and queen hats the week before, and every child will feel like royalty on Valentine’s Day!
For enrollment information or if you have further questions, you can reach us at 407-206-9035 or via our online contact form. Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Avalon Park is located at 12881 Tanja King Blvd., Orlando, Florida.