Valentine’s Day Jammie Parade

Miranda, the Early Intervention Mama

Miranda is a mama to two young girls and a self proclaimed child development nerd. After spending 13 years serving families of babies and toddlers in early intervention, she recently left her position with Early On in Ingham County to care for her daughters and build her own small business, MI Early Parenting, LLC. Miranda currently provides parent and me enrichment classes and courses while offering robust Instagram and Facebook accounts filled with tips on parenting the 0-5 crowd. In her spare time she enjoys baking, creating, sharing a meal with friends or family, ,and working hard to keep her pandemic house plants alive.

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If you happen to be at our home at bedtime, you can pretty much guarantee there will be a jammie parade for you. It began as a simple tradition when my nephews were younger and it was time for them to head to bed so the adults could hang out and play board games. I would insist they put on a jammie parade by emphatically chanting “I want a jammie parade”. It kicked off the start of their bedtime routine, ensuring there wasn’t a fight getting pajamas on and teeth brushed. It also set a boundary on how much longer until bed, without it feeling like a threat or punishment. So with the magic of being a childfree Auntie, I was able to make going to bed less routine, more fun, and get to that much needed adult bonding time with my sister. What exactly did that jammie parade look like then? Imagine a row of 3 young boys, adorned in their best pajamas, dancing out into the living room to Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk.

We now do this with my girls at home when we have guests or just need to rock it out before bedtime. We gather them up to put on their “best” pajamas, line them up, turn on some music, and dance together for a bit. When the song is over, we scoop them up and put them to bed.

In thinking about the upcoming Valentines Day I was reflecting on how much that simple activity feels like a celebration. So why not add it into your Valentine’s Day week celebrating?

Toss on their best jammies (perhaps some that might even have hearts on them or pink or red) and dance it out.

Feel like you want to make it a tiny bit more special? Here is a simple craft to add. Make this rhythm wand ahead of time and now you have something fun to twirl and dance with. Here’s how we did ours:

Gather your materials including:
1. paper towel tube
2. washi tape or stickers or markers
3. a stapler
4. ribbon scraps or curling ribbon
Have your child decorate the tube with your markers, stickers or washi tape.
When finished, pinch the top closed and staple the ribbon to it.

Now that you are all ready to turn those lights low and have your own jammie parade, here are 6 kid friendly Valentine’s inspired songs to add to your playlist.