High Maintenance Mom

I've found Valentine's Day to be the perfect opportunity for my kids to practice writing. Since I have two boys who claim they do not like to write, I try to start a few weeks before Valentine's Day. In preschool, we left valentines for everyone for fun - my kids would sign the first letter of their name or take days to write out their name on each card. When we started elementary school, I found the kids in our school were very serious about making Valentine's Day into a big deal. I was shocked by the Valentine's Day celebration and by the amount of candy in B's kindergarten class. I've always tried to make the holiday more about doing something fun than sugar so I try to look for fun "activity" Valentine's Day cards. This year, we are trying to make our own. We've already made six so we'll see how far we get. Some schools use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to do a post office unit. The kids address cards to each other and then they figure out how to best deliver them in a classroom. Below are a few fun card suggestions...

• Give stickers for kids to decorate their own cards or Valentine's Day Cards - Bugs n Bees Assortment with Heart Stickers.
• Let kids use rubber stamps to make cards such as the Melissa & Doug Stamp Sets Butterfly And Hearts Stamp Set.
• If your kids like to bead, consider making bracelets or necklaces for friends with Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Stringing Beads with over 200 beads.
• Another "time consuming" card idea is to create Shrinky Dinks Cards.
• If you just want a beautiful card to sign, consider Sabuda Cakes Pop Up Cards, Set of 8 Cards with 2 Different Cake Designs.
• Make your own cards from scratch with 40 Multi-Color Cards With Envelopes or from a kit such as the Make Your Own Valentine Cards kit with stickers.
• Here are two more card sets that are not specifically for Valentine's Day but are fun to use. Make Your Own Cards (more pink colors in this one) or Make Your Own Cards II - For Boys.
• My kids have recently found scratch and sniff stickers. They think they are the coolest thing ever, which makes me laugh. Stinky Stickers Mixed Shaped Jumbo Variety Pack-525 Stickers.
• It's often fun to be able to do something with a card after you receive if. These include a string for lacing around the edge - Set of 12 Valentine Vintage Style Lace-Up Cards.
• We've always loved puzzle cards but sometimes there are too many pieces. This set of Valentine Puzzle Cards has only four pieces.
• And don't forget that kids also love pencils and erasers such as 12 Conversation Heart Pencils.
• Writing: If your child is really young, they can "sign" the card with the first letter of their first name. If they are a little older, they can write their name, short nickname, or initials. As they get older, they can write their full name and their friends' names.

Some kids enjoy making Valentine's Day cards with their friends so if you have a large class, you might consider getting help, I mean having friends over and making it a party. Happy Valentine's Day, a little early.