Valentine’s Day is almost here, and love is in the air!

One of our favorite songs of all time likens love to “an open door,” which is really true! Love has a way of opening our hearts and minds to new experiences and possibilities. And what better way to express our feelings and share our love than through writing?

Lift the Flap “Cards”

WriteReader is the perfect platform for children to create books for family, friends, classmates, and teachers, which can be printed and gifted as “cards”. You can also email the WriteReader book links to parents, who can forward them to families living far away. Here are a few creative ways to create lift-the-flap or pop-up “cards”:

1. Create a book using WriteReader.
2. Print on colored paper, like red, pink, or lavender.
3. Insert black and white clipart images and then color them once printed.
4. Add glitter and Valentine’s Day stickers.
5. Create simple origami tulips and glue them on the book.
6. Cut and glue paper doilies along the edge of the cover to resemble lace.
7. Cut and glue different sizes and colors of paper hearts on top of each other.
8. Don’t add an image to the cover page. Cut and glue cupcake liners on the book; then, draw and color icing and sprinkles above it.
9. Turn it into a lift-the-flap “card” and gift it!

Appreciation Messages

One fun way to share love is through “appreciation messages”. Each student can create a book or message for their loved one – maybe their lovely teacher! – and add their unique flair to it. They can also record a personal message to create a “singing card” using the audio button.

Then, using the ‘merge books’ feature, the teacher can combine all the messages into one collaborative book!

Many Doors of Love

Everyone, no matter how young or old, can have an impact on the lives of others by showing love in tangible, practical ways. You might also wish to read the storybook Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deeds by Emily Pearson as an example of this.

• Brainstorm ideas for improving your school, such as donating your allowance to buy an outdoor buddy bench, raising money to buy a wheelchair swing, or painting a mural. Then, have the children write about one idea they like best using persuasive writing.
• Organize a school collection for the local food bank. They need food all year long, not just at Christmas. (In cold climates, a ‘warm socks and gloves’ drive for shelters is also a great idea.)
• Children can create flyers or newsletters about the collection using WriteReader and distribute or post them throughout the school.
• Visit a local seniors’ home. Children can make a few books ahead of time to hand out to the seniors. They don’t have to be Valentine’s books/cards; it’s just something to bring a smile to their faces and make them feel loved.
• Write about pets and how much we love them. Write about how pets show their love to us.
• Children can create books/cards for people in the military service and visit retired vets.
• Talk about environmental concerns together. Write about how small actions can have a big impact if we all do it. Spread some love for Mother Earth!

The image bank and prompts section provide more ideas for spreading the love! So go on, write, and make the world a better place. After all, love is there, waiting for you. All you have to do is step through the door!