by PBateman

Created on: February 04, 2009

Valentine's Day is a fantastic opportunity for parents and teachers to celebrate love together with their children and teach them about its true meaning. It is important for children to learn the meaning behind all the red roses and romance so they know what real love is about. Here are some ideas that you could use:

Poetry - get the child to close their eyes while you read to them a famous love poem (such as Byron's 'She walks in beauty'). Talk about what they like about the poem, and how the poet has used words to create certain meanings. Encourage the child to draw a picture in response to the poem. You could display the poem and the picture side by side.

Music - play a piece of music or a song about love. Encourage the child to reflect on it and write their own poem in response. These activities encourage the appreciation of someone else's expression of love.

Building each other - Love can be shown for one another by what we say. Get the children to write their name in the centre of a piece of paper. Others can write compliments about that child on the paper, and they can do the same for other children. Talk about how it feels to get and give compliments, and encourage the child to give compliments to people they know regularly.

Do something kind - Love can be shown through actions. Think of ways to help someone in need - perhaps making a cake and a card for someone who is grieving or visiting someone in the community who is lonely. Hospices and hospitals welcome children visiting - perhaps the child could make cookies, take them in a basket and offer one to each patient there. If possible try to practice 'random acts of kindness' in secret so that the person has a pleasant surprise.

Make something - there are always countless craft ideas on Valentines day! A child could hand paint flowers, a pattern or picture onto a plain glass vase with glass paint. They could either pick or buy flowers to go inside, and give this as a gift to someone special. They could paint an emblem, motif or their name onto smooth pebbles collected at the beach. These could be given to people as a way of remembering the child.

Find something - you could create a treasure hunt with clues relating to love, and at the end they could find the treasure of a gift or card made especially for them.

The best fun activities are those that you child will remember and treasure in the years to come. Happy Valentines!

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