30 Best Valentine's Day Games That Kids Will Love to Play
Whether you're looking for a DIY family activity or something fun for a school party.
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When it comes to celebrating Valentine's Day, the options are endless. Valentine's Day isn't associated with certain activities, the way Easter has its egg hunts or trick-or-treating goes hand-in-hand with Halloween. On the one hand, that's a good thing, because it means you can tailor your celebration to your family's interests, whether it's making Valentine's Day crafts, buying Valentine's Day gifts for kids, or playing Valentine's Day games.
For families who have a competitive spirit, that last one might be just the thing to liven up a holiday that can otherwise get a little too lovey-dovey for some tastes. With that in mind, these are the best Valentine's Day games to play with kids. A lot of them have a DIY element, so they can double as a craft activity and a game to play. Some are great for class parties and bigger groups, while others are better for at-home competitions between parents and siblings. And a great many of them involve candy, so make sure to stock up on red M&Ms and conversation hearts! Try one — or a few — and see if you can get those hearts racing.
Love Bug Piñata
Here's an activity that involves the adorable Volkswagen Beetle — and no punches. Families can build the piñata together, then take turns hitting it to see who can release the loot from inside.
Bouncing Hearts
Aim, concentration, fine-motor coordination — this game has the works. See who can throw the most heart-festooned ping-pong balls into the heart-shaped hole. Then switch up the rules: Add a time limit, or give everyone only three shots, and see who comes out on top.
DIY Skee-Ball
With this, you don't have to head to the amusement park for a round of Skee-Ball. (Plus, it looks nice sitting out as a Valentine's decoration.) Grab the foam core, markers and cardboard tubes, since building it also scratches the craft-time itch.
Emoji Punchboard
Punch-out games are always fun — fill Solo cups with little prizes, cover them up with tissue paper, and give kids turns punching out a cup of their choosing and taking the goodies from within. The emoji design of these cup covers is thematic without being too mushy, too (though you can always just cover them in pink and arrange the cups in the shape of a heart).
DIY Ring Toss
Step right up and take a turn! Heart-shaped rings (made of pipe cleaners), painted bottles and heart stickers give this classic carnival game a Valentine's Day spin.
Candy Matching
This is an easy way to turn a goodie-bag treat into a memory or matching game. Just put stickers with different symbols on the bottom of a bunch of Hershey's Kisses (or similar sweet), and challenge kids to find the pairs.
Roll and Cover Heart Game
Easy to print, easy to set up, easy to play! Just grab a die and roll, then cover whatever number comes up with a pom pom, coin or conversation heart. Whoever covers all the numbers on their card first wins!
Bean Bag Toss
If you can play cornhole, you can play this. Use some construction paper to set out a heart-shaped target with different levels of points, and then grab some bean bags and see who can hit the bullseye. This is a great game for a mixed-age group.
Scavenger Hunt
Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? Send kids to chase and decipher clues around the house to win a Valentine's Day prize. They'll have so much fun, they won't even realize they're working on their logic and deduction skills.
Spot the Hearts
Who wants to wait until Easter to go on a hunt? Instead of having kids search for eggs, grab a pack of heart stickers and put them ar0und the house, and see who can spot the most.
Cupid's Arrow
Let kids take turns trying to mimic the actions of their favorite Valentine's cherub! DIY a box with a heart-shaped target, along with some (not-so-pointy) arrows with felt-heart tips. Let the kids take turns seeing if they can throw the arrows into the target. Whoever gets the most in, wins!
Valentine's Day Sight Word Bingo
We all love bingo, so why not make it educational too? This game is the perfect option for teachers who want a fun way to celebrate the holiday and help a child's reading skills.
Family Feud
If your kids are a little older, this Family Feud-style game is a great way to have fun with the entire family — even those teens who swear they don't want to play! Ask players to name popular romantic comedies, favorite gift ideas, candy brands and more. Whoever guesses more options on the board wins!
Love Game for Kids
This one is guaranteed to get the good vibes going. Each family member chooses a color and wears that color heart around their neck. Then, players take turns spinning the spinner and saying something nice about the person wearing the color heart the spinner lands on. Compliments all around!
Heart Letter Matching
For a Valentine's Day game that's also a learning activity, use these worksheets to get kids matching their capital and lowercase letters. When they make a match, the heart becomes unbroken.
Heart Hopscotch
It may be too wintry to head to the playground, but you can always play Heart Hopscotch at home. It's a fun way to celebrate the holiday while also getting the family up and moving.
Valentine Bowling
What's the secret to these adorable Valentine-themed bowling "pins?" Felt-covered Pringles cans!
Candy Dice Game
Here's a way to put that Valentine's Day candy haul to good use without them gorging on it right away. Depending on how the dice fall, kids could even win more treats!
Heart on a String
This is a craft and a game in one: After decorating some foam hearts and attaching a paper clip, kids can use it as a magnetic fishing game! See how many hearts they can pick up within a set amount of time.
Balance the Hearts
Here's something that takes a lot of fine motor coordination: See if you can balance candy conversation hearts on top of golf tees. Steady as she goes!
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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