(Image by Sarah Pflug from Burst)

Valentine’s Day is not just for adults.  It’s the perfect day for children to show how much they love their family and friends!  Homemade cards are a meaningful way to show you care. Besides the joy it will bring to those that receive them, homemade cards will provide children with a fun opportunity to practice many reading and writing skills.  

Pre-K and K: Make a Heart Valentine

(name recognition, fine motor skills, tracing, letter writing)

This is a simple, traditional and easy way for young kids to begin making their own cards.

Materials:  Red, pink or white construction paper, children’s scissors, markers, crayons, a variety of decorations such as pom-poms, stickers, glitter, cotton balls, stapler, and glue

1. Fold one piece of construction paper in half.  Use a marker to draw half a heart on one side starting at the crease side. Staple the top and bottom outside corners together.  
2. Let your child cut along the marker line.  This will help them develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination (important for writing).
3. Open it up and write a name or simple message (such as “I love you, Dad”) on the inside of the heart in yellow marker.  The kids can name each letter as they trace the words using a marker or crayon.
4. Decorate with other materials.

1st and 2nd: Make a Rhyming Valentine Poem

(rhyming, beginning, middle and ending spelling)

Use the same materials as the first activity and repeat the same steps except let the children do all the work. They can also fold a piece of construction paper in half.

1. Read a Valentine’s day book with rhyming in it such as Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane de Groat.  
2. Write this poetry starter on the inside of the card, “Roses are red, Violets are blue”.  
3. Brainstorm words that rhyme with red and blue.
4. Help them come up with ideas even if they are silly. Let them practice spelling by writing the letters that they hear in the beginning, middle and end of the words.
5. Decorate.

3rd and Up: Write an Acrostic Poem

(vocabulary, parts of speech)

An Acrostic Poem is a type of poem where the beginning letter of every line spells out a word.             

                                Makes the most delicious spaghetti and meatballs

                                Organizes all my after-school activities 

1. Decide who to write a poem for. Write the person's name in uppercase letters vertically.
2. Think of adjectives or nouns that that start with the name letters and describe or make you think of the person the poem is about.  
3. Put the poem on colored construction paper and decorate it with Valentine’s Day stickers or drawings.   

Although it may take longer to make cards from scratch, the time and creativity will be worth it since these cards will be treasured for years to come!