Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity for preschoolers to practice writing skills and have fun making things for others. This is an activity that I did with Maya (age 3) and Cole (22 months) to celebrate the holiday. I purchased small, tin mailboxes from the dollar bins at Target. I added the names of our family members with foam craft letters on the sides of the mailboxes. A decorated shoe or cereal box could also be a great "mailbox" as well.

Here are some pictures of our Valentine's Day writing activity.

 

Maya and Cole were given their mailboxes with letters inside. The letters were small cards with "To ____" and "From ____" as well as a message such as "I love you!" The names and messages where written on standard office labels. I placed a sticker in the upper, right-hand corner, which served as the stamp.

Maya immediately got to work writing a letter to Cole. She picked a label with Cole's name (written in colored pencil) and traced it with pen. She picked another label with a pre-written message, "You're the best!".

Into the mailbox...

 Cole's surprise...

Thank you Maya!

Maya and Cole have been writing letters to family and friends ever since. Next time I will take pictures with my camera, instead of my phone. However, I didn't think that I could capture the same enthusiasm for the activity a second time...or that hug! Let us know if you decide to try this activity at home and how it goes.