Home » Education & Career » Tips for Teachers » Love Letters

Love Letters

© Irene Taylor

Valentine's Day! A day of sending cards and flowers to those we love. But what about writing letters? Valentine's Day is the perfect time to have your child brush up on those letter writing skills. Teachers, give these ideas a try at school - parents and homeschoolers - these will work great at home, too.

A great place to begin is to review the proper form and parts of a friendly letter. Letter Writing - A Creative Tool for Your Child and Letter Writing Unit are two informative places to begin. If you need a little more help in basic letter writing, Hints on Letter Writing and the Better Letters: Lesson Plans for Teaching Letter Writing both offer many suggestions.

After you've reviewed your letter writing skills, check out some famous letters at the I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Someone a Letter page. Here older students can read letters of the "famous, the infamous and the ordinary, some of whom lived through extraordinary times."

Once you've brushed up on the basics, you and your child should decide who will receive the letters, and the content of each. Friends, grandparents, cousins and teachers are all excellent choices for the recipient of these "Love Letters". For more ideas, see what one class did for Valentine's Day as Pen pals share Valentine's Day page.

Have fun writing these Valentine Letters. You may wish to use special Valentine stationery, fancy pens and paper, or your favorite e-mail program. Add clip art to both printed and electronic letters. Here are a few Valentine's Day clip art site to investigate. The Clip Art of Romance, Awesome Clipart for Kids page, and Cat Stuff Holiday Graphics all have cute, free Valentine clip art. Or, if you have a card making program on your computer, investigate making pretty Valentine's Day stationery or letterhead. Whatever you choose, make your letters a special expression of Valentine's Day sentiments.

Another way to make your Valentine letters unique is to have them postmarked with the special Loveland, Colorado postmark. By sending your valentine wishes through the Loveland Post Office you can have your mail stamped with a special message from America's "Sweetheart City." Visit the Loveland Valentines Day Remailing Program site for more information.

After all of your letters are written and sent, you may also want to have some fun with electronic greetings for Valentine's Day. Don't forget the Care2 site for a wonderful selection of free, customizable electronic Valentine's Day cards.