pursuing simplicity, creating humbly, loving furiously
Faith

Conversation Heart Countdown to Valentines Day: 16 Days of Celebrating God’s Love

I am super excited to post this post!  I have been working like a busy bee on this and I am really hoping that you all will be as excited I am about it!

Introducing the Candy Heart Countdown: A 16 day countdown to Valentines Day on the true meaning of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8!

I have provided you with everything you will need right here in this post, from my printable pack to ideas on how to implement it in your home with your kids.

candy heart cover copy

My hope is that starting on January 30th lots of families will join us in this fun 16 day countdown teaching kids about true, real and lasting love- God’s love!  It is much like doing advent but instead each day focuses on one aspect of love from 1 Corinthians 13.  There are teaching cards to go along with each day and also a candy conversation heart to hang on a tree or decorate your house with!  I am going to show you how I have set it up in our house to give you some inspiration, but this is tailored to you!  You can personalize it however you choose.  Just use the free printable here and then add whatever strikes your fancy and makes it fun for your family.  There are full instructions inside the pdf, it is easy to do and makes celebrating Valentines day not only fun but truly meaningful!

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I made a simple tree to display our hearts each day.  I gathered some sticks from outside and gave them a light coat of white spray paint.  Then I stuck them into a pitcher I had and added a few paper flowers I bought from the scrap booking section of the craft store.  Please don’t feel like you have to do this!  You can simply put the printable hearts up on your refrigerator door or place them in a bowl in the middle of the dinner table, whatever works for you and your family.

I printed everything out on cardstock so it was a little bit more durable.  You could laminate them too, I probably will when I have some extra time.  Then I cut out my hearts and teaching cards.  I hole punched each heart and strung them with raffia for hanging.

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I made little packages for each day in the count down.  Every day my kids choose the next one and it has their heart, teaching card, and a little treat.  I used some old jars but you could use brown baggies, ziplock baggies, or any other containers you may have.  I like having it all set up in advance.  Then it is less work for me each day and it gets the kids all excited about it in advance!

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This is what our tree will look like at the end with all of the conversation hearts hanging on it.

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Click this link to download the pdf printable pack:

Candy Heart Countdown Printable Pack

Ok, so I am going to close this post by asking you a favor.  If you find this post and decide to do this with us, would you let me know?  I would love to hear from you!

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

 

63 Comments

  1. Bryce Martin

    Carrie, you are so creative and wonderfully intentional! I am going to try and do this, for sure! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas— (I also pinned it on Pinterest, hope you don’t mind).

    • admin

      Hi Bryce! Thanks so much for letting me know and I hope it works out and is a blessing to you guys! And thanks for pinning it too. Love to your and your sweet family!

  2. brenda white

    hello dear one. simply amazing, as always. I just cannot handle how you make it sound and look so easy. i love it!! i would LOVE to do this. you know how I am so I am going to print out the directions and see what I think. do you put candy or something in the jars (or bags) for each day? Is there one for each kid or just one for each day and they take turns picking?

  3. brenda white

    hello dear one. simply amazing, as always. I just cannot handle how you make it sound and look so easy. i love it!! i would LOVE to do this. you know how I am so I am going to print out the directions and see what I think. do you put candy or something in the jars (or bags) for each day? Is there one for each kid or just one for each day and they take turns picking? oh and you can email me the answers to this if you want.:)

    • admin

      Hey, super simple, it really is! Just print cut and put in baggies and that is all. I do 1 baggie for everyone with a peice of candy or little treat in the bag for each child and then I have them take turns picking the bag each day. I love you and think this would be an encouragement to your heart as well as theirs!

  4. brenda white

    ok, sorry. just to clarify…you do ONE bag for all the kids to share? or one bag for EACH kid?

  5. Mary Catherine

    Lovely, lovely idea!! I am going to need to incorporate this at home with my kiddo, as well as in my pre-k class (I work at a church preschool). Thanks so much for sharing such a wonderful idea. 🙂 I need to pin this too!

    • admin

      Oh fun, it would be a fun preschool activity! Thanks so much for stopping by and for pinning this. blessings to you!

  6. Organic Aspirations (@becki_lewis)

    I love this idea of incorporating Corinthians into Valentine’s day. It’s the perfect connection really! Thanks for linking up on Eco Kids, and I hope to see you back today.

  7. Jenn @ The Purposeful Mom

    Wow, I love these hearts! I am going to be printing them out for my kids, although I don’t think we’ll have time to make a tree 🙂 Yours looks so lovely! Found you via Pinterest and repinned it!

    • admin

      Hi Jenn, thanks for stopping by, I am so glad you are going to use the hearts! I hope it deepens and widens your family’s valentine’s festivities. Blessings, Carrie

  8. Shannon

    Thank you for this – I am encouraged, not overwhelmed! I’m jumping in late, but could not be more excited to get it going!

    • admin

      Yea Shannon, I am so glad you are going to do it too! We just started today, so you are not alone in the late start. I was so tired after getting it all done for everyone else I just needed a break before starting with my own kids. SO glad you are joining us, and glad you stopped by the blog, have a wonderful Valentines! Blessings to you!

  9. Jackie

    Thanks so much for sharing! I’ll be finishing up this project tonight while watching the Superbowl. We’ll start using it tomorrow. Anytime we can incorporate scripture into everyday life in a meaningful way with the kids is a plus!

    • admin

      Your welcome Jackie, so glad you are going to do it. My kids are loving it! Blessings to your family!

  10. Kami

    Love this! Thank you so much for sharing your great idea!!!

  11. Heather

    Just wanted to say thank you for such a wonderful and meaningful printable for the kids! I’ve put things like this together myself, so I really understand the crazy amount of time it takes. My family will be starting this tomorrow and I laminated them so we can make it a tradition! Also, I shared this on pinterest and facebook so more people could enjoy. Blessings to you and your family 🙂

    • admin

      Heather, thank you so much for that comment, it made my day! It has been a long day with the kids and your sweet encouragement means ALOT! I am so glad you are doing it and will make it a tradition, that is why I made it! Yea! Thanks again and blessings to you and your family as well. Carrie

      • Heather

        Wanted to say that it HAS officially become a tradition in our house. My girls were so excited when I brought out the first heart again this year. They remembered it from last year and were eager to start it again. 🙂 I shared this with a few friends last year who have also started doing it in their homes and just shared it with my pastors in the hope that they will spread this fabulous children’s devotional even farther. Thank you again and blessings!

        • admin

          Oh Heather, so glad to hear that! I am thrilled that you all have made it a tradition, thanks for allowing me to be part of your family in that way! Blessings to you.

      • Heather

        Just finished up our SEVENTH year of this tradition. Thank you! Each day leading up to Valentine’s we do one devotion at breakfast and tape it up to the kitchen door – the kids take turns hanging, of course! The kids (we doubled our #s since starting this!) just adore this tradition and I love that it’s so simple and meaningful. I’ve shared your post with countless people and was here today to share it again. So wonderful how God has worked through you to reach so many people with His message of love!

  12. Jenn @ The Purposeful Mom

    Thanks for linking up at Thrifty Thursday last week! Come back anytime! I pinned this post to our Thrifty Thursday Favorites board as well 🙂

  13. Donna

    I love this! I tried to do something similar last spring but didn’t even think to tie it to Valentine’s Day. I never really found the time to put it all together. Thank you so much for sharing your time and talents!

  14. Jennifer

    I found this amazing activity on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing it with us. I work at a homeless shelter and I’ve been doing it with the children who are staying at the shelter. What a joy it is to do this with them!

    • admin

      Oh thank you so much for sharing this with me! I can’t tell you what a blessing it is to think of those little precious ones learning from this. That is exactly why I wanted to share it! Praise God, you made my day!

  15. Shannon

    AWESOME idea!! I know I’m a week late getting started, but I just printed the candy hearts out to start tomorrow! Hang in there, I have NO idea how you do what you do:) Glory to God!!!

    • admin

      Oh good, so glad you are going to start it anyway, you may be late but then you will be all set for next year too! Blessings to your family and Happy Valentines Day, thanks for stopping by and for your encouragement!

  16. Jenn

    Thank you for creating these hearts! I have been searching for something just like this. We have three birthdays, in our family, right around Valentine’s Day so we will be celebrating this week (my kids are younger, so they really don’t know the difference). I was planning on skipping it altogether, but really felt like I would be missing a moment to talk about God’s love! Thank again!

  17. HAPPY HOME FAIRY

    You are my new favorite blog friend! 🙂 I just read your ‘about’ page and felt a kindred connection with your spirit. I look forward to getting to know you more. Also, will be praying for that concert and your lil’ one tonight and what you posted over on my blog. You go and be refreshed by the Lord, sweet mama! 🙂 Also, also… 🙂 I live in South Florida. Chris Tomlin will be here this weekend. Wondering if you are in FL too? Thanks for your commitment to helping mommies keep it all about Him!

  18. Amy @ Chew Out Loud

    I just started a new tradition of keeping a Thankful Tree in our home, adorned with hanging tags that change with the seasons/holidays…we write things we are thankful for on the back of the tags, and hang them up for a reminder to give thanks the whole year. I searched for Valentines hearts that I could use for February, and here you are!!! xoxoxo. Thank you so much for these beautiful printouts, which helps us focus on Jesus and Joy. 🙂

    • admin

      You are SO welcome, and it thrills my heart to know they will be hanging on your tree. To God be the Glory! xoxo

  19. Carrie @ Crafty Moms Share

    What a wonderful idea!! I think we will definitely be doing this. Thank you for sharing it and I would love if you would share it at my link party starting tomorrow night called Sharing Saturday.

    • admin

      Thank you Carrie, I missed the linky party but will have to shoot for it again this week! Thanks for stopping by and commenting, blessings to you!

  20. Jennifer

    I absolutely love this idea I very rarely start a pinterest project the second I see it, like ever, but we are doing this now, so excited thank you!! 🙂

    • admin

      Oh good so glad you are able to use them! I know I AVOID pinterest these days, too much to do in life to tempt myself into another project! One day I will get back to it, but for now it is dinner, laundry, school, and bed – then repeat! Blessings to you and thanks for stopping by!

  21. Tonya

    Found this on Pinterest. Love this idea! There’s been a little too much contention between the kiddos lately, so I am hoping this will help spread the love:) Thank you for sharing!

  22. Melinda

    I just downloaded this beautiful pack, laminated everything and have it all ready to go for tomorrow. I was wondering though if you realized that Day 5 and Day 9 have the exact same items for “Living it out” even though the scriptures and traits are different. Was this intentional?

  23. Tanya

    Thank you for this! I think I just stumbled across your blog through something on RedTedArt, and now I think God lead me to your blog, because we share a lot of the same values. I just started homeschooling our 2 and 4 year old boys and I think this will be great for Valentine’s week.

  24. Bethany

    Hi Carrie,

    My family is loving doing these this Valentine’s Day. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with our family so that we can better focus on God’s perfect example of LOVE this Valentine’s Day. I did want to mention (like another commenter) that “Keeps no Record of Wrongs” has the Humble/Proud Living it out. Just in case you wanted to know. THANK YOU AGAIN! We love these and also look forward to using your Easter ones as well.

    • admin

      Hi Bethany, thanks for that note and I am so glad you were able to do these this year! I will look into changing that up for next year!

  25. Howling Horn

    This is Christina from the Howling Horn. I just have to say how much I love this cute Valentine’s Day countdown tree! I loved it so much that I featured this on my blog. On Mondays I do things that I have pinned to my pinterest board, and I just had to do this pin. Thanks for the inspiration, and I hope my readers were inspired too! http://howlinghorn.blogspot.com/2014/02/valentines-day-countdown-tree.html

  26. Jessamy B

    Only wish I’d found this earlier in the season! I will definitely be using this next year. Such a great idea for making a scriptural connection to Valentine’s Day! Thank you for your efforts and the free printables to make this happen. God Bless!

  27. Janelle

    Thank you for sharing these valentine hearts. I’m brainstorming how I might use them in my classroom. They would look great on the bulletin board and I could even incorporate them into the Bible lesson. Blessings to you!

  28. Beth Ann

    Thank you so much for this wonderful idea! I just can’t wait to make this a tradition in our home! Quick technical question: What size mason jars did you use?

    Thanks again so much for all the energy and heart that you must have put into this activity for our children! God bless!!!

    • admin

      Hey Beth Ann! So glad you are going to do this! I used the standard size, pint jars I think. Blessings to you!

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  31. Kellie

    This is SO great!!! I will modify it for our children’s ministry since we only meet on Sundays, but they are going to LOVE the vibrant colors, the hearts and the cards!!
    Thank you so much for sharing your talents!!

    • admin

      You are more than welcome Kellie, so thankful to be part of your ministry in this small way. Blessings to you and may the Lord use His word to sow into their little hearts His goodness and peace!

  32. Julie

    I just printed and cut them out… we’re going to hang them on the deer antlers since they are up and out of reach. I can just see my cute little tree being attacked by my 3 boys ages 6,5,4…. but excited to see how they do with this!

    • admin

      Julie, I LOVE it, the antlers are a perfect place! Just add in some dangling army men and string some bandannas up there too and it might just be their favorite activity ever! :o) Blessings to you!

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  34. Jamie

    Hey love your valentine countdown, but are the teaching cards 5 & 9 suppose to have the same Living it out? thanks

  35. Lorie

    What a fun idea! I love the hearts you have created. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents. Many blessings!

  36. Alli

    Thank you so much! I’m going to do this with my sunday school class.

  37. Diane

    I really like this idea. Our pastor asked me to have my Monday night Sunday School – ages 2nd grade to Junior in HS — to decorate the Christmas tree for a monthly theme. (I have to be very creative with that wide of ages.) Late January and February will be a love theme as expressed in the Bible. This would be a great activity for the kids to do at home. Thanks for posting and sharing your talent.

  38. Desirae

    I really love this idea! Printing it right now. Can’t wait to see how my little ones learn from this fun, creative way to study scripture about love. I have a girl that is nine and a little boy that is four. Thanks for sharing and posting your ideas.

  39. jenny

    This has been such a wonderful study to do with my kids! It makes valentine’s so meaningful. Thank you so much for these printables, this will be a new tradition for us!

  40. Lori

    I had been searching for a new devotional idea to do with my boys at home. We started this yesterday and they loved it! Thank you so much!

  41. bp

    We have enjoyed using this idea during the month of February. I linked to it on my Thankful Thursday blog post. Thanks!

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