One of my favorite preschool valentine activities happens to be one of our favorite early literacy activities as well(of course)! 🙂 I love, love, love making books with my students. Our “I Love” book is incredibly simple, but it provides a chance for the kiddos to practice early literacy skills.
Related: 60+ Valentine Activities for Preschoolers
Materials
The materials list is short for this one! Here’s what you’ll need (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Red construction paper
- White construction paper
- White printer paper
- Scissors
- Stapler and staples
- Markers
- Crayons
Prepping the Book
Simply staple a piece of red construction paper to 5 pieces of white paper. Cut everything into the shape of a large heart. I used white printer paper this year, but white construction paper works just as well. Cutting out the heart shape can be done before or after stapling. It just depends on your preference and the sharpness of your scissors.
Making the Book
I worked with my students to make the “I Love” book over the course of a few days. During center time, kiddos were called over one at a time. This allowed me to give each child individual attention throughout the entire book making process. I explained that we were going to make a book about things we love. If they needed it, I prompted them by asking what people/animals/foods/activities/etc. they loved. I then wrote down their words and they illustrated each page.
The Learning
Kiddos get a lot out of preschool valentine activities like this! Here are some of what this book making teaches:
- We write left to right.
- A book’s illustrations match the printed words.
- Spoken language can be captured in print.
- Sight words like ‘I’ and ‘love’.
- Letter-sound correspondence.
Extending the Activity
The kids’ “I Love” books were put into their book boxes once they were done. They’ll be able to reread the books often before taking them home (and rereading them there)! In addition to reading the books, here are a few other ways to extend the learning:
- Have the children do the writing, with appropriate scaffolding of course.
- Write one of their sentences on a strip of paper, cut it apart into individual words, then have them reassemble the sentence.
- Have the children make some of the words using magnetic letters.
- Encourage the children to read their books to their friends, as well as other teachers!
What kind of preschool valentine activities have you enjoyed with the kiddos this year? Do you have any literacy-based ideas to share?
If you’re looking for more preschool valentine activities, or just Valentine’s Day fun for kiddos of all ages, please stop by my Valentine’s Day Pinterest Board.
Preschool Lesson Plans for Valentine’s Day
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes book suggestions, printable plans, over 30 learning activities (both whole group and centers) related to the theme, and corresponding printables.
Grab the Hearts Preschool Lesson Plans and the Valentine’s Day Preschool Lesson Plans
You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers
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