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    Looking for a few resources to help your students fall in love with learning this Valentine’s Day? With these love-inspired books, heartwarming crafts, and ready-to-go resources, you’ll have everything you need to encourage your students to put their love and adoration for learning on display this Valentine’s Day! Plus, check out our favorite Valentine's Day books.

    Slugs in Love + Valentine’s Day Craft

    In Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson, young readers learn that even slimy slugs fall in love sometimes. After reading, encourage students to show their love for this book with this heartwarming Slugs in Love-inspired craft!

    What you need: 

  • Writing paper
  • Scissors
  • Pencils
  • Black crayons
  • Crayons in assorted colors
  • Glue
  • One sheet or piece of the following per student:

    • 12- by 12-inch red construction paper
    9- by 9-inch light pink construction paper
    10- by 5-inch green construction paper
    9- by 12-inch tan construction paper
    4- by 4-inch white construction paper
    1- by 1-inch black construction paper
    2- by 2-inch hot pink construction paper

    What you do:

  • Ask students to draw a heart on the red construction paper with a pencil, then trace it with a black crayon.
  • Next, encourage students to carefully tear out the heart shape without using scissors.
  • Instruct students to repeat steps 1 and 2 using the light pink construction paper to create a smaller heart shape.
  • Have your students glue the pink heart to the center of the red heart.
  • Ask your students to place the green paper horizontally in front of them and use scissors to cut inch-long vertical slits across the top of the paper. (This is for the grass.)
  • Next, students will glue the grass to the hearts with the vertical slits overlapping the bottom of the hearts.
  • Students will then fold the tan paper in half and trace one hand on it. Be sure to tell students to keep their hands closed, except for the middle and index fingers held in a V shape.
  • Next, have your students cut out the hands with the paper still folded to create two slug shapes.
  • Help your students glue the slugs next to each other on the hearts so the bottoms of the slugs meet the top of the grass.
  • To create the slugs’ eyes, encourage students to cut 4 small circles from the white construction paper and 4 smaller circles from the black construction paper. Help students glue the black circles to the white ones and glue one eye to the top of each finger shape.
  • To create a hat for Herbie, ask your students to cut a semi-circle from the remaining white construction paper and color it with a crayon. Next, have students glue the hat onto one of the slugs, to sit below the eyes.
  • To create 2 bows for Marylou, ask your students to fold the hot pink construction paper in half. Have them draw a bow shape onto the paper and cut it, with the paper still folded, to create 2 bows. Next, instruct students to glue the bows below Marylou’s eyes.
  • Have your students draw mouths on Herbie and Marylou using crayons.
  • Finally, ask your students to cut a piece of writing paper to fit the green grass and glue it on. Encourage your students to record their thoughts about the story here.

    No Valentines for Katie + Thumbody Loves You Craft

    In No Valentines for Katie by Fran Manushkin, young Katie Woo is the only one in her class who doesn’t receive a special valentine. And of course, she feels terrible. With this Thumbody Loves You Flower Valentine Craft, your students can make their own special valentine to show Katie that more than a few “thumbodies” love her and her story.

    What you need:

  • Pink die-cut hearts, 5 per student
  • Small green die-cut hearts, 6 per student
  • Small yellow die-cut hearts, 1 per student
  • 9- by 12-inch brown construction paper, 1 sheet per student
  • Red paint or ink pads
  • Thin black markers
  • Glue sticks
  • Scissors

    • What you do:

  • First, ask your students to glue 5 pink die-cut hearts together in a circular flower shape and glue a yellow die-cut heart in the center of the pink hearts. The pink die-cut hearts should look like the petals.
  • Next, students will glue 4 green die-cut hearts together in a straight line like a stem. Help them glue 2 green die-cut hearts to the sides of the stem to make leaves.
  • Instruct your students to cut a flower pot shape from the brown construction paper.
  • Help students glue the green die-cut hearts to the back of the flower pot shape so the stem appears to be growing out of the pot.
  • Students will now glue the pink-heart flower to top of the green stem.
  • At each table or group of desks, distribute the red ink pads or pour a small amount of the red paint onto a piece of paper or paper plate.
  • Have your students carefully dip a thumb into the ink pad or paint and stamp thumbprints onto each petal of the heart flower. Be sure to warn students not to get too much paint on their thumbs!
  • Encourage your students to decorate the flower pot with more thumbprints!
  • Finally, ask students to write "Thumbody Loves You" on the yellow heart.

    5 Valentine’s Day-Inspired Mini-Books and Ready-to-Go Resources for the Classroom

    Love will definitely be in the air in your classroom with these ready-to-go resources from Scholastic Teachables. Even better, these teaching materials are ready to go, saving you time when you need it most during the hectic holiday season. The 5 printables below can be purchased a la carte or are free to subscribers of Scholastic Teachables!

    1.     My Book of Valentine's Day Words

    With this Valentine’s Day-themed mini-book, students in grades PreK–2 will learn heartwarming sight words and vocabulary for this love-fueled holiday. They’ll also have the opportunity to tap their inner artist and work on their handwriting skills!

    2.     Mi Libro de Palabras de San Valentín

    This Spanish-language mini-book is perfect for early readers and will help students in grades PreK–2 develop their vocabulary and master reading in Spanish.

    3.     Valentine Surprise: Sing-Along Book PreK–1

    This Valentine’s Day sing-along mini-book tells the story of a young girl who creates and delivers a valentine. This mini-book is a fun and engaging way to help young readers develop the skills they need for success inside and outside the classroom.

    4.     Message From the Heart Glyph

    This heart-themed printable helps students in grades 1–3 develop important math and critical thinking skills by interpreting personalized glyphs.

    5.     Cupid Falls in Love: Greek Myth

    This love-inspired mini-book is the perfect way to introduce classic Greek mythology to students in grades 4–6. By learning about Cupid’s love for Psyche, students will be able to further reflect upon themes of jealousy, fear, and trust.

    Whether students are reading about romance between two slugs or learning about love from 2 Greek gods, there’s always a heartwarming way to teach students about love and affection on Valentine’s Day. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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