There is just something super sweet about Valentine’s Day for children, isn’t there? I decided to host a simple Galentine’s party for little girls this year to grow a love for this sweet holiday in my daughters.
Yes, I’m one of those people – the ones who amp it up for nearly every holiday just for the sake of celebrating a holiday. But Valentine’s Day is commercialized. Yes, it sure is. But Valentine’s Day can be an excluding holiday. Yes, it can.
But it doesn’t have to be! And it shouldn’t be.
It seems that Valentine’s Day is celebrated so heartily in childhood, only to morph into a frenemy style holiday once a person hits the dating years. I hate that. I really do.
I thought if I really amp up Valentine’s Day at a young age, maybe my girls would enjoy it their whole lives – future romantic circumstances aside (did I really just consider my little babies’ future love lives? Jesus, take the wheel! I’m not ready for these girls to grow up!) When I say I want them to enjoy Valentine’s Day their whole lives, and that most definitely means celebrating their friendships!
Voila…a Galentine’s party for little girls! How fun for our little girls to get to celebrate their own little gal pals!
Hosting a Galentine’s Party for Little Girls
I decided to go with a cupcake and crafting theme since my daughters are three and five. But I really think this theme could work for three to 99. Who doesn’t love a good cupcake?
I have a true problem with hoarding holiday decor. Granted, it is all in the attic, neatly organized in tubs by the holiday. I dug through my Valentine’s Day tub and saw all the extra garlands and other decorations I had. I knew I wanted to have a Galentine’s Day for my own friends like my wine and chocolate one a few years ago – minus the wine, of course. But then it hit me that it would also be fun to host one for Scooter Britches and Little One and a few of their neighborhood friends. I decided to keep the party small and only invite a few. Also, because the girls will have a separate class Valentine’s Day party at their preschool, it seemed overboard to invite the school friends to this party.
Scooter Britches did initially have some trouble understanding why she couldn’t invite the cute little boy up the street. The one that drives the Porsche (a battery-powered one, of course). The girl might have a crush. Don’t tell Daddy.
I told her this party is only for gals. She responded with, “What’s a gal?” Haha!
I found the cutest little hanging monkeys at one of the local dollar stores. I bought one for each girl and hung them on the chairs at the table where they would be sitting.
I’m certain my mom friends who brought their girls to the party threw these lip whistles away once they got home! Ha! Err…I mean I’m certain these whistles magically disappeared!
Hobby Lobby had these cute foil-detailed paper fans on sale for 40% off. Once I tried to put the backdrop together, I realized I needed more. I decided to make some out of 12×12 cardstock. I had never made paper fans before and was surprised at how easy they were to make! I added little foam heart stickers at the centers. This post from A Pretty Cool Life was helpful in figuring out how to make the paper fans.
Plus, if you catch the title of this post, this whole idea evolved into a simple Galentine’s party for little girls. I considered having the girls decorate Valentine’s cookies or cupcakes, but that gets to be messy. Crafts can be messy too, so you do have to pick out craft project ideas that are somewhat low key – especially if the little girls are younger.
Hobby Lobby had awesome Valentine’s Day craft kits, and…again…the entire Valentine’s section was 40% off on the day I went! It was a delightful surprise because I honestly thought it was too early to expect such a sale.
Other places to look for fun craft kits include Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Home Goods, etc.
Speaking of Home Goods, I bought the Galentine’s Day party napkins there, knowing I could use them for both my ladies night out Galentine’s party and the Galentine’s party for little girls. The same for the photo booth props, the drink picks, the plates, etc.
Earlier, the girls made these love bug juice boxes for their preschool party, and I thought about using a few extra ones at our Galentine’s party, but I decided to just go with plain little juice barrels and heart-shaped plastic straws.
Also, I made some fun little invitations that I am sharing with you here. There are multiple versions, including an adult version for cupcakes and cocktails instead of crafting. You can click the link and either print and home or send to a professional printer. I printed a few copies to Walgreens in the 4×6 size. You will also want to write the party date, time, and address down on the envelope or the back of the invitation. I left those fields blank so these versions could work for everyone.
Version One (Cupcakes and Cocktails)
Version Two (Cupcakes and Crafts)
Version Three (Cupcakes and Crafts)
XOXO Munch – The Perfect Valentine Party Snack
I’m calling this simple snack mix XOXO Munch. It was a hit! After buying cookies and cupcakes, I realized we didn’t have anything salty or crunchy. Boom. Some marshmallows, some pretzels, and some white candy-coated heart pretzels (which I saw at a dollar store and at two grocery stores) tossed in a bowl, and we had some delightful XOXO Munch.
Those pink and red “Watermelon Slices” candies and some red and white gummy bears rounded out the sugar-fabulous snacks.
Don’t forget to pin this XOXO Munch for later!
XOXO Munch (Perfect for a Little Girl's Galentine's Party)
Ingredients
- 1 large bag or container white chocolate covered pretzel hearts
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 2 cups mini pretzel twists
- 1 cup pink and red M&Ms or similar Valentine-themed candies optional
Instructions
- Just before serving, mix all ingredients together in serving bowl.
- Do not mix ingredients together ahead of time as marshmallows will become dry and tough.
Well, that was it! I told you it was a simple party. But the girls had such fun together!
If you host a Galentine’s party for little girls, I would love to see pics! Happy febrero!
Jackie
How much for the red monkey