Valentine’s Day, celebrated on February 14, dates back to ancient Rome.

Sending a valentine in the United States is not a serious declaration of love as in some other countries. Children usually send valentines to the other children in their class and to the teacher. Friends and relatives exchange valentines. For that we can thank Esther Howland, a young woman from Massachusetts, who in 1848 started the first mass production of valentines.Now valentine cards and candy are a fun way of keeping in touch with those we care about.

ACTIVITIES:

Make your own valentines: Although many store-bough valentines are designed for children, come in large packs and are quite inexpensive, it is lots of fun to make your own. Pink, red and white paper, crayons or markers and a little bit of imagination are all you need. Dress up the cards with glitter, doilies ,laces ,stickers, or feather if you wish.

Valentine Collage(ages 18 months and older): Prepare hearts of different colors and sizes, ribbon, feathers, etc. Older children can use glue on paper. For younger children tape a piece of contact paper sticky side up securely onto a table. Paper shapes will stick easily to the contact paper.

Heart rubbings( ages 3 years and older):First cut hearts of different sizes from heavy paper. Place those hearts under a blank piece of paper and rub over the shapes using the side of a crayon. The hearts will magically appear.

Valentine’s day Post Office ( ages 5 years and up): Set up your own post office at home. Decorate mailboxes for every member of the family. Use a rubber stamp to show that the valentines have been properly mailed. Deliver to the boxes.