Valentine’s Day is almost here. Love is in the air! Here are some short, easily implemented ideas for writing this February.
1. Love Letters
Discuss with your students what love means. As a class, brainstorm about how people show them they are loved. Use this brainstorm to create a model love letter for your students.
Once you have created and shared your model letter, task your students with creating their own love letters. They can be to a parent, a pet, a friend. Students will love using flowery language. They will also be eager to deliver their love letters on Valentine’s Day.
2. Roses Are Red
We have all heard the poem, “roses are red violets are blue….” Use this poem as an inspiration for a silly poetry lesson in your classroom. My students love coming up with their own unique rhymes to fit into the poem.
Your students will love sharing their creations with one another. I usually save the poems until Valentine’s Day. At the end of the day we have a share around. Students end the day laughing and giggling. It is a wonderful, quick lesson.
3. Candy Time
Valentine’s Day is a very busy time for candy makers. Why not create your own newspaper, “The Candy Times?” Students can research the history of different candies and create newspaper articles about them. Your class can also interview other students in the school and report out on what candy is liked best. They can also write about what candy is least liked.
This lesson will allow you to teach your students about newspaper article writing in a fun and unique way. Students will love researching and chatting about many different confections.
4. Creative Cupids
Present your students with the following scenario: Cupid’s arrows have fallen into the wrong hands. It is their job to creatively come up with a story of where the arrows are. What sort of mishaps might occur? How will Cupid find his arrows in time for Valentine’s Day?
This creative writing lesson is a great way for students to use their imaginations in a fun way.
5. Valentine Thank Yous
Valentine’s Day is a day to show love. Why not show some love to the people who don’t get recognized as often as perhaps they should? Share with students examples of thank you cards. Provide a list of possible sayings for the cards. Next, challenge students to list people who probably should be thanked more often than they are. List may include their parents, doctors, nurses, veterans, even the mailman! Students can be very creative as we know!
Show some love to the individuals on the list. Have students create cards, address envelopes, and get them ready to be delivered. Delivery can take place on or near Valentine’s Day. What a great way to show some love from your students!
These quick writing assignments are great ways to incorporate Valentine’s Day into your classroom. What activities do you like to do? How do you show writing love in February?
By Danielle Muir
This piece was originally published in 2019.
