Celebrate Valentine's Day with kids in NYC

Valentine's Day 2012

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  Big Daddy's Valentine's Day

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  Big Daddy's Valentine's Day

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  Homemade Paper Valentine Making at Craft Studio

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  Family Art Project: Hearts and Flowers at Wave Hill

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  Clifford's Valentine's Day at the Scholastic Store

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  Still from The Red Balloon

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  Floating Valentines: A Screening of The Red Balloon at Poets House

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  Let's Make Sweetheart Cupcakes at Taste Buds

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Big Daddy's Valentine's Day

Valentines en Français
Say it with love and say it in French with a day of arts and crafts geared toward toddlers and the moms and dads who love them. A selection of Valentine’s Day books to flip through and read rounds out the sweet theme. Sat Feb 4 at 3:30pm. French Institute Alliance Française. $10.

Valentine's Day Crafts
Show your love for the environment—and for that special valentine—by crafting a paper heart mobile using recycled materials. Thu Feb 9 2–4pm. Central Park Chess and Checkers House. Free.

All you need is love—and some doilies, sequins, glitter glue and construction paper—to create five traditional paper cards to give to a handful of special someones. Fri Feb 10 10am–5pm. Craft Studio. $14 for five valentines.

French children’s apparel brand Jacadi is partnering up with the French Institute: Alliance Française for a very special Valentine's Day event. Expect French storytelling, singing and, of course, Valentine heart making, as well as a 10 percent savings on all purchases made during the workshop. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and R.S.V.P. is required. Fri Feb 10 at 4-5pm. Jacadi Madison Avenue Boutique. Free.

(West Side YMCA)
Families create ceramic masterpieces in celebration of the West Side YMCA’s I Love the Y Weekend. Pottery teacher Mary Marino will be on hand to assist with painting and glittering. Sat Feb 11 at 10am, 11:15am. West Side YMCA. $10 per parent-child pair.

Come decorate heart-shaped cookies with Valentine-themed candy, then wrap them up yourself with cellophane and ribbons. Give someone special a yummy Valentine’s, or even treat yourself. We won’t tell. Sat Feb 11 at 10am-5pm. The Craft Studio. $20.

Just 34 minutes long, this classic French film from 1956 charts the adventures of a young boy and a red balloon as the two wander the streets of Paris. After the screening, children will make their own poetic floating valentines: holiday-themed mobiles inspired by both the flick and the Alexander Calder artwork in the Poets House lobby. Sat Feb 11 at 11am. Poets House. Free. 

Join El Taller Latino Americano, ¡Acopladitos! and Little Masters for a Valentine's Party, complete with awesome art activities and live music (all in Spanish, of course). Over the course of the morning, kids will create and decorate heart-shaped maracas, which they'll later use during a live musical performance by Brooklyn's own ¡Acopladitos!. Sat Feb 11 at 11am-12:30pm. El Taller Latino Americano/The Latin American Workshop. $15 per family.

This unique Valentine’s event merges the 21st and the 19th centuries, book reading with arts and crafts, and cogs and gears with ribbons and doilies. The Steampunk sensibility comes to life in a creative and informative workshop that would make Jules Verne and the steam engine look cooler than ever! Sat Feb 11 at 11:30am. McNally Jackson Books. Free.

Scott Campbell’s Zombie in Love
Even zombies need a bit of affection. Gather at the Strand just a few days before Valentine’s Day to hear Scott Campbell read from Zombie in Love, the tale of a monster named Mortimer who’s having a tough time finding a companion. The story will be followed by a holiday-themed craft session. Sat Feb 11 at 3pm. Strand Book Store. $5.

Valentine’s Day comes in the form of spectacular aerial and circus acts this year, as the Espana-Streb Trapeze Academy takes the stage for a two-night benefit affair. There will be raffle prizes and much more as student aerialists and performers from the tristate area join in the fun. Sat Feb 11 at 3pm. Streb Lab for Action Mechanics (SLAM). $15.

Clifford’s Valentine’s Day
Celebrate V-Day with Clifford by making cards sealed with a kiss and by decorating friendship boxes for loved ones. Kids struck with puppy love can snuggle up against the big red dog himself as Clifford poses for photos. Sat Feb 11 at 3pm. Scholastic Store. Free.

Family Art Project: Hearts and Flowers
Love is in the air (and in the plants) at Wave Hill. Young visitors gaze at colorful greenhouse blooms, then use those hues as inspiration for a heartfelt greeting card or two. Sat Feb 11, 12 10am–1pm. Wave Hill. Free with garden admission.

It's almost Valentine's Day, and love is in the air at the Gotham Comedy Club, as six teen talents present their best standup sets on the subject. Sun Feb 12 at 1pm. Gotham Comedy Club. $15, plus one item food or drink minimum.

Share a cupcake of a different kind with your little one this Valentine's Day. Make Meaning will have all the necessary fixings to make your day a sweet (and soapy) one with their hour-long class that’ll let you create your own sweetheart soap cupcake and decorative bag. Don’t let this one slip away, RSVP are required. Mon Feb 13 and Tues Feb 14 at 4pm. Make Meaning. $40.

Let's Make Sweetheart Cupcakes
Little pastry chefs (ages 2 to 7) and their parents bake pink cupcakes and decorate them with plenty of love-inspired adornments—think heart-shaped sprinkles and sweetheart candies. Registration required. Sat Feb 11 at 9, 10:15, 11:30am (SOLD OUT); Sun Feb 12 at 1:30pm and 3pm; Tue Feb 14 at 2pm and 3:30pm. Taste Buds. $40 per parent-child pair, additional participants $20 each.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a fun-filled hour of activities! Kids can decorate cookies, craft their own extra-special Valentine’s, and have tons of fun at this Upper East Side establishment. Drop-off only. Pre-registration required. Mon Feb 13 at 4pm. 74th Street Magic. $20. 

Big Daddy's Valentine's Day Party
Tykes celebrate the holiday by decorating heart-shaped treats, making valentines, munching on tater tots and sipping on mini milkshakes. Call to reserve your spot! Mon Feb 13 3:30–4:30pm. Big Daddy's Diner Upper West Side. Tue Feb 14 3:30–4:30pm. Big Daddy's Diner Upper East Side. $20

Family Workshop: Who Do You Love?
Send a little love this Valentine's Day by crafting a decorative mailbox, perfect for holding sweet cards and letters. Tue Feb 14 1–2pm. Sony Wonder Technology Lab. $5.

Kids can show their love for soccer and pizza with over two hours of activities. Expect Valentine's Day-related arts & crafts, a huge pizza party and even a goodie bag for the road. Tues Feb 14 at 6:30pm. Super Soccer Stars. $50.