Some Last Minute Valentine’s Day Basket Ideas!

I tend to be someone who picks up things throughout the year and squirrels them away so it’s pretty minimal effort for me to create these little Valentine’s Day goodie baskets. I have a standard mix of items that I usually buy to make these for the kids and it’s perfect for any of you last minute shoppers as well! All of this stuff is easy to find and very affordable as well. I don’t go all out or spend a ton of money on holiday baskets usually (our kid’s JUST had birthday’s in January) and I’m not one to have lots of ‘stuff’ in my home or buy toys all the time for the kids anyways, they really don’t need much but I like to do this because it’s a fun little treat and makes the day feel special.

Also I need to note that you don’t *have* to make Valentine’s gift baskets, it’s totally extra and unnecessary. I never had these growing up and didn’t miss them lol, it’s not a big deal and please don’t feel pressured to do this. Lots of these items would be perfect for little Easter basket gifts too so keep that in mind!

At the end of this post I’m sharing some Valentine’s Day activities you could do as well or instead of making a little gift basket. It’s just about spending time with loved ones and making them feel special.

My formula when I’m picking up things for holiday baskets is basically the same,

I get a book each for the kids (they love to read), some sort of crafty thing, I usually buy some chalk or bubbles, or a water gun each, depending on the season, and some small treats to eat. If there was anything that they needed that I was planning on buying around that time anyways, I’ll throw it in the basket for them (so a cute shirt, rain jacket, rain boots, umbrella – stuff like that that they maybe needed new for the year and were going to get regardless. It feels special when it’s made into a gift). Also bath bombs or bubble bath items are always a great idea for these baskets! I’ll list this all out so you can easily see it in one spot at the end of the post.

Here’s what’s going in my kid’s Valentine’s Day baskets:

• sprinkle marshmallows on a stick (I found these at Homesense)
• heart-shaped balloons (Dollar Store)
• heart sunglasses (Dollar Store)
• love duck snacks
• ring pop & some m&ms
• sticker crafts (Dollar Store)
• books (Learn To Read book is from Costco for my son and I had another book for my daughter)
• I also forgot to include some cute matching thermal pjs I picked up last month – I’ll put those in here as well

I sometimes save cute packaging filler I receive throughout the year specifically for little baskets like this (I store it in a ziplok baggie in my spring decor tub lol) so I pulled that out and used it in the kid’s baskets. These baskets are actually from my basket wall (who remembers that from our dining room area?)

All of our things are packed up and stacked in our garage while we finish our basement so these were the easiest basket like item to grab lol, they work great though AND they were a thrifted find from years ago. You don’t need to spend money on a cute basket, just reuse whatever you have at home!

I think they turned out pretty cute!

More ideas for Valentine’s Day goodie baskets:

• bath crayons
• homemade playdough & a cookie cutter
• nail polish
• swirly straw
• Costco has these cute flavoured straws you put in milk & it makes it chocolate or strawberry (they have a few other flavours too – my kids love them)
• hot chocolate bomb
• notepad and pen (my kids love getting these for some reason lol)
• Lego men
• hats for summer
• Valentine’s Day socks
• bath bombs
• bubble bath
• tic tac toe game or other board games
• key chain

And like I mentioned, you totally do not have to make a gift basket to have the day feel special! Here are some fun activities you can do with your kids or set up for them to make Valentine’s a special treat to enjoy.

Other Valentine’s Day activities to do!

• Bake heart-shaped cookies & decorate
• Make pink heart-shaped pancakes and have strawberry milk for breakfast
• Make a double batch and do cookie deliveries to friend’s houses with the kids, this is so fun and who doesn’t love getting cookies!
• Have a Valentine’s Day bubble bath for the kids – play a movie for them on a laptop (I’ll set it on a side table away from the water but close enough so they can see) and add a drop of red food colouring to make pink bath water or use a pink bath bomb
• Make Popcorn Surprise (I just made the name up lol). I did this for my kid’s classroom treats around Christmas. Drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn, add smarties and sprinkles or whatever you want. Let cool and mix up! Kids LOVE it!
• Make some Valentine’s Day playdough (I have the easiest foolproof recipe here) and add in some essential oils to make it smell amazing and a little glitter (lavender is amazing and I personally love a peppermint oil in ours).

I hope you have a great Love Day tomorrow!

Check out these other great Valentine’s Day posts!

A Sweet DIY Valentine’s Day Garland

The Best Homemade Playdough Recipe

adorable valentine’s day craft for toddlers + kids