10 Valentine's Day Literacy Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

What better way to show your toddler or preschooler that you love them on Valentine's Day than by having fun and building their literacy skills? Here are 10 super simple ideas.

Letters

1. Make word or alphabet love bugs.

2. Go on a kiss hunt for letters.

Poems & Rhymes

3. Read some Valentine poems together.  Or memorize them.  You can find several that are great for preschoolers at Can Teach. 

4. Brainstorm rhyming words with a Valentine theme. (Ask your kids what rhymes with "heart" and see what they come up with. Or do inappropriate words relating to bodily functions only cause giggles at my house?)

5. Read a Valentine poem aloud and leave the last word out.  See if your preschooler can fill in the blank.  For example, you would say, "Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, and so are _____."         

Songs & Fingerplays

6. Find Valentine songs and fingerplays at  The Holiday Zone.

7. The Ballad of Valentine is a great book to read/sing.  It's set to the tune of "Clementine" and tells the story of a girl named Valentine and her secret admirer.

Books

8. Read books with a Valentine theme and retell the story.  Make it even more fun by adding some simple props like our valentine story counting props.

Writing Practice

9. Make your own Valentine cards and decorate them with kisses.

10. Take advantage of all the great printable resources available.  Younger kids can trace the lines on these Valentine printables from Creative Preschool Resources.  Older kids can practice tracing Valentine words with printables from DLTK. 

  

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