Our Valentine’s Day fun at McDonald’s while celebrating Happy Meal Books

Celebrating Valentine’s Day is a great way for children to have fun while learning about love. It may seem like a less significant celebratory day than others, but some of my favorite memories as a kid are those of Valentine’s Day. I loved making Valentine’s cards for my friends in elementary school and receiving theirs in return. There are endless activities for kids to take part in and to top it all off, the day is an excuse to eat more chocolate. What kid wouldn’t love Valentine’s Day?

Now that I have my own daughter, I see the same excitement I had for Valentine’s Day in her. Since learning about the day in pre-school last month, she constantly reminds me that I’m going to be her Valentine on February 14th! We have also made Valentine’s Day heart shaped cookies and she is in the process of making cards for her friends.

McDonald’s Canada loves bringing families together and with Valentine’s Day around the corner they decided to host an event with Ronald himself at our local restaurant. With my daughter Ava already being a fan of the day, I thought it would be a fun event to attend as a family. We arrived around 1pm on Sunday and Ronald had already arrived and was making kids laugh. I thought Ava might be a little scared, but Ronald is definitely a natural when it comes to interacting with kids! He posed for pictures with the children and even read them stories. The restaurant also organized a Valentine card craft area, which Ava loved taking part in. Of course, her heart shaped valentine was made for mommy! 

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, McDonald’s Canada, in partnership with HarperCollins, is bringing back the second instalment of Happy Meal Books. Until February 15th, 2016, this initiative replaces Happy Meal toys with four classic, Happy Meal-sized books. Each book incorporates a Valentine’s Day theme and has a removable Valentine card inside. 

Happy Meals across Canada include one of the following books (French translation also available in Quebec):

Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool by Kimberly Dean

Paddington by Michael Bond

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! By Laura Numerous

Clark the Shark Takes Heart by Bruce Hale.

Ava enjoyed the Happy Meal Books last time, so I think it’s brilliant McDonald’s decided to bring back the limited edition books for a celebratory occasion. Although Happy Meal toys are great, I really love the take-home value of these books. Through Happy Meal Books, McDonald’s Canada is giving millions of children nationwide access to books and supporting the value of reading! At home, families can also scan the back of the book to unlock a children’s interactive activity, or they can open an activity sheet through the McPlay App. You can download the app via iTunes or the Google Play store. 

Ava loves reading Paddington – it’s her favourite bedtime story!

What Valentine’s Day themed Happy Meal Book do you think your children will enjoy the most? Do you plan to do something as a family this Valentine’s Day? Let me know in the comments!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me to celebrate #HappyMealBooks on behalf of McDonald’s Canada. The opinions and text are all mine.