Lesson Plan

Teaching Kindness for Valentine's Day

These two lessons teach young children how to express kindness through reading, creative expression, and art.

  • Grades: PreK–K, 1–2

Teaching Tip Speak in a low, calm voice when children speak out of turn during instruction. This will model appropriate behavior and help the class focus on your redirection. Respond to unkind language or inappropriate remarks by politely asking for the person speaking out to apologize. In turn, encourage the receiver of the apology to express acceptance. Sometimes, visiting in private with one or both parties about behavior can help reinforce expectations and settle minor disputes that disrupt the learning environment.

 

Woof! Woof! These lessons teach the concept of kindness and help children become more aware of how kind messages can be created and shared through reading, creative expression, and art.

 

Have a Heart-to-Heart!

Objective: The following activity nurtures essential:

  • social and emotional skills
  • creative expression skills

Have children bring a stuffed animal from home for circle time. Gather close with animals hugged tight and ask children to be good models for listening and learning. Explain to children that it is normal to feel sad when we are afraid, hurt, or touched by circumstances that "pull at our heartstrings." Ask children to talk about times that they have felt sad for themselves or someone else. Inquire what they did to help someone else cheer up or what someone else did to help them feel better. Talk about the concept of kindness. How can we be kind to family, friends, animals, and the environment? Set aside ample time for children to share thoughts and experiences. Pin small cut out hearts on every child and stuffed animal to end this heart-to-heart session about kindness.

 

Send "Eat and Be Sweet" Messages!

Objective: The following activity nurtures essential:

  • language and literacy skills
  • social and emotional skills
  • fine motor skills

Discover Emily Elizabeth and Clifford's efforts to get ready for Valentine's Day by reading Clifford's First Valentine's Day by Norman Bridwell (Scholastic). Use this reading to introduce the role of the post office in every community. Have children retell story details. Show children how to cut out various sizes and shapes of hearts by folding paper and tracing 1/2 of a heart, then cut on fold. Give children their own small box of "Sweethearts" (small candy hearts with words) for an "eat and be sweet" fun time making Valentine's Day messages. Have home addresses handy. Assist children in placing their heart messages in a small envelope. Address, stamp, and mail!

Extend: It's a good feeling to send and receive kind messages!

  • Take a field trip to the post office to discover how mail is handled in your community.
  • Ask out-of-town or traveling family and friends to send your class postcards.
  • Establish a classroom mailbox and post office area for children to send kind notes to classroom friends, volunteers, and school personnel.

 

Clifford's Library

These books support Clifford's Big Ideas and reinforce early literacy skills:

  • Subjects:
    Feelings and Emotions, Early Social Skills, Kindness and Compassion, Valentine's Day, Winter Themes, Social and Emotional Development
  • Skills:
    Listening and Speaking
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Teaching with Clifford

Find out how you can use Clifford as a teaching tool! Includes tips, lesson plans, and other resources for the Pre-K and Kindergarten classroom.