Encourage preschoolers to practice writing by having them design their own conversation hearts. Give younger children cut-out hearts. For older children, trace the shapes for them to cut out. Pass out small candy hearts for children to examine. They may either copy one of the messages such as "Be Mine" from a heart or think up their own. Since small candy hearts can be a choking hazard, you might also show children pictures of hearts rather than bring them in. If you do use real candy, promise each child an edible treat as long as they don't eat any hearts. Hang the hearts on the board.
Explain that Valentine's Day is when we show people that we love them. Give each child a piece of paper and ask her to think about who she loves and why. Ask children to draw illustrations of themselves with their loved ones. Adults may then ask children to explain their pictures and write down the responses as captions. Hang the pictures on the board under a heading of "Look at All the Things We Love!"
Encourage children to think about characters from their favorite books or movies. Give students pieces of construction paper. Ask them to pick two people from a story who have a loving, kind relationship. Give some examples from favorite class books such as a mother and child or a pair of friends. Ask children to draw a picture of the characters. Teachers must then ask children to explain the character's relationship and why they chose that pair. Write their responses on the pages and hang them up.
Encourage children to be thoughtful and kind to one another by publicly acknowledging these deeds. Cut out red and pink hearts. Tape a folder to the wall next to the bulletin board and place the hearts inside. Explain to children that each time you "catch" them doing something caring for another person, you'll write the child's name and actions on a heart and hang it on the board. You might also let children practice their writing by having them write their own names on each heart.