Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! If you don’t usually incorporate writing when you celebrate, do something different this year and share the power of words with your students. 
Here are four ideas:
1. Pass out this Valentine’s Mad Lib during your classroom celebrations. This activity provides an opportunity for your students to complete a story with a Valentine’s Day theme. They fill in the blanks with various parts of speech. The more creative your students are with their adjectives, adverbs, and nouns, the better! Have students work alone, in partners, or in a group. For younger students, create a word bank that they can use to fill in the blanks that cover the various parts of speech. Allow your students to share their stories when they’re finished!
2. Instead of the usual store-bought Valentines, challenge your students to make their own handwritten Valentines to pass out to their classmates.
3. Encourage your students to write a short story, poem, or a thoughtful note during class to deliver to their loved ones after school. These gifts come from the heart and will go a long way in making someone’s Valentine’s Day extra special. Take this opportunity to teach your students how to address an envelope.
4. Come up with a list of writing prompts about love for your students. Leading up to Valentine’s Day, give your students time during the day to respond with quick writes in their journals. How does being or having a special friend make you feel? What do you do to show those around you that you care? What does love mean to you? What was your favorite Valentine’s Day? What do you like best about Valentine’s Day? Write about a time that you felt loved. These are just a few ideas to get you started.
a. You can also incorporate figurative language. Have your students write similes, metaphors, and personification ideas about love. E.g., Love is… Love is like… My heart…
Do you have a certain way you encourage writing in your classroom during this LOVEly holiday? Please share in the comments below!
