Inside: Spread kindness this Valentine’s Day with these printable Kindness Valentines kids can give to their classmates and friends.
It was December 26.
The first words out of my kids’ mouths after, “Good Morning,” was “So…when’s Valentine’s Day?”
Luckily, we have a countdown calendar they can set to see how many days are left.
Because my kids love Valentine’s Day.
And when you’re a kid, what’s not to love?
You get to make buy cards with superheroes and cartoon characters and stickers or mini tattoos to give to your friends and classmates.
And then you get to deliver them to your friends’ heart decorated mailboxes or sticker-covered paper bags as you race around the classroom, trying to stay calm.
And then the best part?
You get to open your Valentine’s. See what your friends gave you. See what cards they chose.
This year, because we’re raising our kids to be kind and friendly and empathetic, they’re also going to be sending these Kindness Valentines to their classmates.
So while they’re spreading Valentine cheer, they can also spread more kindness.
To their classmates, their friends and the adults at school.
Why Should We Encourage Kids to Spread Kindness?
If we want our kids to be kind and empathetic, we can’t cross our fingers and hope it happens.
We have to be intentional about it.
We have to talk about kindness, expect kindness and model kindness.
We have to praise kindness when we see it.
And we have to set our kids up for success by giving them ideas for simple acts of kindness.
Because believing in the value of kindness isn’t enough. We have to act on it.
Kindness is doing kind things and speaking with kind words.
And for kindness to become a habit for our kids we can suggest these simple, normal, everyday acts like these.
We can read books with them that have a message of being kind, being friendly and being an includer.
And we can show them how easy it is to compliment other people to lift them up with these Kindness Valentine’s Day cards for their classmates, friends, and school staff.
More Valentine’s Day Ideas:
We love Valentine’s Day and spend much of February celebrating it.
Want some more Valentine’s Day kindness activities?
Invite the Kindness Elves to bring kindness ideas to your kids.
Spread Kindness Notes to family members on their doors every day of February.
Create Valentine’s Day art like these beginning sewing projects, this Valentine’s Day Pointillism art and this Valentine’s Day Countdown Clock.
And once they get all their Valentine’s Day cards, you can keep them and turn them into simple, reusable Valentine’s Day placemats to use year after year.
We also love to read Valentine’s Day books.
Here are a few of our favorite Valentine’s Day books:
In My Heart: A Book of Valentines
How to Use these Kindness Valentines:
1. Download and print these printable cards on cardstock paper (download them below).
2. Decide which cards your kids want to use:
- Kindness notes they can fill out from themselves
- Kindness notes they can fill out from a Secret Valentine
- Kindness notes that are blank from a Secret Valentine
- Kindness notes that are blank from them
- Kindness notes they can fill out for the adults at school.
If you are an educator, you can give each student several to fill out. You can assign them secret valentines to give compliments to their classmates. And you can encourage them to fill out cards for the school staff.
These are also perfect for students who want to participate in your Valentine’s Day card exchange but don’t have any to bring in.
3. Cut the cards apart.
4. If your student is able, have them fill out the Kindness Valentines for their classmates, giving out compliments.
Make sure you make a card for every classmate and don’t unintentionally exclude someone.
If they’re not writing yet, they can dictate their answers to you and you can write it for them. They can sign their name or write the first letter of their name.
5. If you’re filling out Valentine’s Day kindness cards for the adults at school, here are some people to write one for:
- Classroom teacher
- Classroom aides
- Specialists: PE Coach, Art Teacher, Music Teacher, Tech Teacher, Spanish Teacher, Science Teacher
- Librarian
- Custodians
- Afterschool care
- Cafeteria workers
- Lunchtime/Recess aides
- Office Staff/School Secretaries
- Nurse/Health Office Clerk
- If your child has a 504/IEP: Resource teacher, Vision Specialist, O&M Specialist, etc.
- Teacher from previous years
6. Kids can color or decorate the cards if they want.
7. On Valentine’s Day, send the cards to school and pass them out to classmates, friends, and adults at school and watch the kindness spread.
And then, of course, get ready for the inevitable next question: “So…when’s St. Patrick’s Day?” (Then you can use these St. Patrick’s Day kindness notes).
Download the Kindness Valentine’s Day Cards here.
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