Love is in the air! Celebrate Valentine's Day with your kids by checking out these fun events in Chicago and the suburbs. (Even some that happen after the official Feb. 14 holiday.)
City
Valentine's Day Workshop
When: Feb. 1
Where: Kids Clay Room, 2646 N. Halsted Ave.
Children use clay and clay tools to make and glaze Valentine's Day themed projects which will be ready for pick up before Valentines Day. Registration is required; recommended for ages 4 and older.
Family Valentine's Day Dance
When: Feb. 7
Where: Mayfair Park, 4550 W. Sunnyside Ave.
Enjoy dancing with the family at the yearly neighborhood event.
Parent and Child Valentine's Dance at West Lawn
When: Feb. 7
Where: West Lawn Park, 4233 W. 65th St., Chicago
Put on your dancin' shoes for a Valentine's Day Dance. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Kids Cooking Class: Valentine's Day Heart-Shaped Pizzas
When: Feb. 8
Where: Maggiano's Little Italy, 516 North Clark Street
A chef demonstrates how to make heart-shaped pizzas. Kids 5-12 receive will receive their own chef hat for them to customize, apron, and recipe card.
Valentine's Bath Bomb Workshop
When: Feb. 8
Where: The Laboratory Collective, 2349 W North Ave.
Parents enjoy a date night out while kids ages 5-12 can spend a Saturday night at The Laboratory with a pizza dinner and Bath Bomb technology. Grab safety goggles to imagine, create, calculate, and design unique scented products perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Valentine's Day Crafts at Maplewood
When: Feb. 10
Where: Maplewood Park, 1640 N. Maplewood Ave.
Kids ages 3-6 will get crafty for Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day Dance
When: Feb. 11
Where: Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West
Valentine's Day dance is open to all ages. Enjoy dancing, treats, music, and more.
Family Valentine Dance at Union
When: Feb. 13
Where: Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph
Enjoy dancing, crafts and treats. Bring a camera for our photo area to take a picture with your favorite sweetheart.
Princess Bride
When: Feb. 13
Where: Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.
Valentine's Day at Music Box Theatre includes showings of "The Princess Bride," a fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. Appropriate for ages 10 and older, as this is is a kissing movie.
Stitched Together Family Workshop
When: Feb. 15
Where: The Wishcraft Workshop, 3907 N. Damen Ave.
Enjoy two hours of cozy crafting with children 7 and older and an adult. Registration is for one pair of participants. No experience required and all materials provided.
Sweet Saturday
When: Feb. 15
Where: Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave.
This drop-in event will let your whole family try some sweet treats while learning about plants in the Garfield Park Conservatory collection such as: chocolate, vanilla, banana, papaya and more. This event is open to all ages.
Special Needs Family Dance at Marquette
When: Feb. 15
Where: Marquette Park, 6734 S. Kedzie Ave.
Families with special needs members can put on dancin' shoes for the Family Valentine's Day Dance.
Casablanca & Sweetheart Sing-A-Long
When: Feb. 16
Where: Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.
The "Valentine's Day Sweetheart Sing-Along" begins with a selection of enduring and adored love songs played on the Music Box's organ, followed by the classic romance "Casablanca." Song lyrics, projected on the movie screen to aid the sing-a-long experience, will include such enduring tunes as "You Are My Sunshine," "Bicycle Built for Two" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off."
North/Northwest Suburbs
Valentine's Bestie Bash
When: Feb. 1
Where: Lincolnwood Town Center, 3333 W. Touhy Ave., Lincolnwood
Children and their friends of all ages will enjoy a DJ Dance party with treats and plenty of sweet crafts.
Sweets for Sweetie
When: Feb. 8
Where: Lambs Farm, I-94 and Route 176, Libertyville
The restaurant will be transformed into a boutique, with the opportunity to decorate a sweet treat to give as the perfect gift to someone you love. You will also create a container to beautifully package your present and have the option to personalize your own Valentine's Day card. Additional goodies, crafts and gifts will be available for purchase.
Chocolate Sundae Sunday
When: Feb. 9
Where: Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St., Rockford
Scoop up a scrumptious treat during this delicious event where you can select your own sundae toppings. Vote for your candy and rank your chocoholic tendencies while delighting in some toe-tapping music. Then come to the craft corner to design a dazzling Valentine.
South Suburbs
Valentine Candy Carnival
When: Jan. 31
Where: Park District of La Grange, 536 East Ave., La Grange
Enjoy a night of Valentine's fun with crafts, entertainment, playing games to win candy and more.
Valentine's Party for Children with Disabilities
When: Feb. 8
Where: Children's Museum in Oak Lawn, 5100 Museum Drive, Oak Lawn
This event is a low-key party for children with disabilities and their parents to experience the fun of the museum with a little Valentine's fun. Events include animals from Erin's Farm, crafts, cookie decorating, refreshments and a dance party.
Valentine Skate
When: Feb. 9
Where: Oak Lawn Ice Arena, 9320 S. Kenton Ave., Oak Lawn
Enjoy a "sweet" afternoon of skating, a visit from everyone's favorite snowman, raffles and music provided by a DJ.
Valentine's Dance with Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Daisy
When: Feb. 15
Where: Chicago Ridge Mall, 444 Chicago Ridge Mall, Chicago Ridge
Enjoy a Valentine's dance in Carson's Court with our favorite Disney couples: Mickey & Minnie, and Donald & Daisy. Bring dancing shoes to move and groove to the music.
Western Suburbs
Chocolate Weekend
When: Feb. 8-9
Where: The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle
Celebrate chocolate and its connection to the natural world. Visit, taste, and buy specialty chocolates and treats from a variety of vendors.
Valentine’s Day Craft Workshop
When: Feb. 8
Where: Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Road, Naperville
Kids ages 5 and older will make a nature-themed or recycled valentine for friends and family. Make heart-shaped bird feeders, pine cone love bugs and more. Adults must attend with each family or group.
Victorian Valentines
When: Feb. 8-9
Where: DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton
Create a Victorian style Valentine for someone special using feathers, beads, and bits of fabric.
Love Bugs
When: Feb. 12
Where: Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton
This celebration of family and friendships for kids ages 3-5 years that will include stories, songs and happy heart and flower crafts—plus a special Valentine’s sweet treat.
Valentines for the Birds
When: Feb. 15
Where: The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle
Celebrate your love for nature on Valentine's Weekend in the Children's Garden. In this self-guided hands-on activity, make some tasty treats to hang on the trees for our favorite feathery friends.
Kids’ Night Out: Sweet Hearts
When: Feb. 21
Where: Naperville Park District, 305 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville
Parents enjoy the night out while kids 4-12 have their own night out making hearts, writing Valentine letters to their parents, playing Heart and Seek, Heart Beat and more. Dinner and juice are provided.
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This article originally published on ChicagoParent.com on Feb. 1, 2019. It has been updated with the most recent information.
