It’s fun to use a holiday theme in your writing activities to tie the lesson to your celebration, and Valentine’s Day provides a perfect opportunity to do just that. This modern holiday, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, has roots in the Roman festival dedicated to Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. The day, which is celebrated annually on February 14, has evolved from its origins as a pagan festival into a celebration of romantic love, marked by Valentine’s Day cards, chocolates, and romantic dinners. It’s an opportunity to make writing fun and engaging through greeting cards and heartfelt letters. Here are some fun and easy ways to incorporate the Valentine’s theme into your classroom activities.

If you want to focus on wordplay:

Hidden in Your Heart

Supplies: Purchase a package of pre-cut paper hearts, or cut your own from scrapbooking or construction paper.

Directions: On individual hearts, spell out one of the following words or phrases. Let your child find other words hidden within the longer word or phrase and write them down on a list. Older children can have a contest to see who can come up with the longest list of words.

• VALENTINE’S DAY: say, lend, vial…
• HEARTS: star, ear, rat...
• I LOVE MY FAMILY: mail, yam, live…

If you only have a little bit of time:

Messages from the Heart

Spread Valentine’s love throughout your home by hiding heart messages for your family.

Supplies: Hearts cut from red, white, pink, purple, and light blue paper.

Directions: A day or two before Valentine’s Day, have the kids prepare and sign little love messages on their stack of hearts. You can make some, too! Then, on Valentine’s Day, encourage everyone to play Cupid by hiding the message hearts around the house for others to find. Messages can be tucked into shoes, pockets, bedroom or kitchen drawers, in a favorite book, under pillows, in the toy box, or into PJs. Be creative! Everyone will have fun giving and receiving these little love notes!

Heartfelt Sentences

Give your younger children some sentence-writing practice.

Supplies: Colorful hearts cut from construction or scrapbooking paper (or a purchased package of paper hearts), glue stick, large sheet of construction paper or sentence strips.

Directions: Write words your children can read without help, including family members’ names, color words, common sight words, number words, etc. Encourage your kids to form sentences from the words on their hearts, gluing the words to the construction paper or sentence strip.

I Am Loved

Help your children think of pets and people who love them. Ask them to complete this sentence, filling in the blank with a different name each time. They can write one or more sentences, depending on their age and ability.

I know ________ loves me because…

If you want a longer writing activity:

Valentine Writing Prompts

Stimulate writing ideas by providing your children and younger teens with some heartfelt writing prompts for a Valentine’s card.

• Write an acrostic poem using the words FRIEND, HEART, or VALENTINE.
• Make a list of ways you can show your love for your family members.
• Write a letter to a parent, grandparent, or sibling telling them why you love them.
• Tell about a time when you felt especially loved.
• Draw a picture of yourself and a friend or family member enjoying a special moment where you felt or expressed love. Write one or two sentences—or even a whole story—about it.
• Write a poem entitled “Love Is.”
• Write a paragraph or essay telling what makes someone a good friend.
• Write a paragraph or essay defining and describing love.
• Imagine a world where everyone loved their neighbor as much as they loved themselves. What would it be like to live in such a world? How would families and communities be changed?

Explore the Legends and Traditions of Valentine’s Day

Help students connect with the historical and cultural aspects of Valentine’s Day while engaging their creativity and writing skills.

1. Learn the Legends

Begin by introducing the legend of Saint Valentine. Discuss how he became known as the patron saint of love, healing the jailer’s blind daughter, and defying the Roman Emperor to marry young couples. Also, mention the Catholic Church’s role in establishing February 14th as Saint Valentine’s Day, replacing the older Roman festival.

2. Write a Story

Ask the children to write their own short story based on the legend of Saint Valentine. They can choose to focus on one of the legends, such as the saint healing the jailer’s blind daughter or performing secret marriages. Encourage them to think creatively, imagining how these events could have taken place.

3. Discover Global Traditions

Have the kids explore how different cultures celebrate Valentine’s Day. They can write a short paragraph or create a poster about traditions like Japanese women giving chocolates, Chinese Valentine’s Day, or how co-workers exchange Valentine’s cards in some workplaces. Don’t forget to mention the Welsh patron saint associated with love, whose day is celebrated separately.

For even more Valentine’s writing activities, check out these blog posts:

Valentine Writing Prompts for Kids
Writing Prompts for Valentine’s Day
Make a Valentine Mailbox