February and Valentine’s Day are very special highlights for kids. At Christmas, children are excited about getting presents. At Valentine’s the focus changes to giving and kids are excited to be able to create something to share. At Valentine’s they participate just like all the adults and feel quite grown-up themselves.
To start a series of Valentine’s activities here’s a warm-up. Go for a walk, either outside or inside and watch for all the things that are red. Look up and down and all around. This helps with kindergarten readiness by encouraging children to notice their environment and to pay attention to one thing in particular. Back at the table, draw and color about some of these red things that you saw. The drawing is a form of recording their observations. For littler ones, adults can draw what children suggest. Have a look at Red is Best by Kathy Stinson. What do you like best that is read…er, I mean red?
