Christmas is long gone and you might be missing the parties, social gatherings, and special events. Are you starting to feel those midwinter blues? Maybe it is time to add a little excitement to the ordinary routine of everyday life!
Valentine’s Day will be here soon and this year you can make it more than just a holiday for couples in love. Think about going back to those grade-school days when everyone got excited about Valentine’s Day. With a few fun, new ideas, you can make February a little more exciting for your faculty, staff, or workplace. Plus, you’ll encourage comradery and good morale among your co-workers.
Secret Valentines
Similar to a Secret Santa, draw names within your group and secretly give each other small gifts, notes of encouragement, Bible verse cards, and random acts of kindness. Have a party on Valentine’s Day to guess and reveal each pair.
Awards Show
Show your appreciation for your staff by having a special dinner where everyone receives an award for something special that they contribute to your team. Make the awards meaningful, but also include silly or funny awards. Use the event to build up and encourage one another in Christian service.
Talent Show
Many people have some kind of talent or silly skit they can share. Get together for a fun evening where everyone is a part of the entertainment. People can showcase individual talents or work together in groups.
Dessert Potluck
Invite everyone to bring a special dessert to share. Select judges to rate the desserts on taste, presentation, and originality.
Card Exchange
Revisit those elementary days where everyone exchanged Valentine’s Day cards. Encourage each person to make some kind of Valentine box and bring cards for each other. Create a time where people can “mail” their cards and get together to open them.
Book Club or Bible Study
Choose a book or Bible study that interests your co-workers. Get together to talk about it throughout the month of February.
Friendly Contests
Create an atmosphere of fun, along with a little competition, by setting up staff contests in February. Staff members could work individually or in small groups. Consider competition ideas like scavenger hunts, trivia questions, word problems, whodunits, word searches, crossword puzzles, sudoku, or any kind of mathematical challenge. A more specific Valentine’s Day idea would be to hide paper hearts around your workplace. Have your staff count them or collect them and see who can find the most.
I noticed . . .
Provide sticky notes for your staff. Encourage them to actively thank one another for the ways that each person contributes to the team. For example, “I noticed that you stayed late to put away the computers. Thank you!” “I noticed that you raked the leaves out front. Thank you!” “Thank you for taking the time to help my student who was injured during recess.”
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