Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
Valentine’s Day is a great time to bond with your child while making special memories together. If you’re looking for easy Valentine’s Day crafts and activities for kids, why not use this holiday as a chance to support their speech and language skills, too?
Themed activities are a fun and natural way to help children grow their communication skills. We’ve put together a list of simple, engaging Valentine’s Day crafts and activities that not only spark creativity but also encourage language development. Keep reading to find the perfect activity for your little love bug!
Make a Valentine’s Day breakfast
At my house, we always start Valentine’s Day off with these easy, heart-shaped cinnamon rolls from Sheryl at Lady Behind The Curtain. If your child is old enough, let them help you in the kitchen.
Practice following directions while making breakfast
Learning to follow directions is important for a child’s comprehension, school readiness, and almost every aspect of their future. Cooking is the perfect way to help your child learn to follow single- or multi-step directions in a hands-on way.
Here are a few examples of single-step directions to tell your child:
“Put the icing on the table.”
“Open the lid”
“Get the measuring cups.”
For multi-step directions, try something like these:
“Get out the pan, put it on the counter, then open the cinnamon roll can.”
“Unroll the cinnamon roll, roll each end back to the center, then pinch it at the bottom to make a heart shape.”
“Put the spoon in the icing, spread it on the cinnamon roll, then put sprinkles on top.”
Have a video chat with loved ones
If you can’t see everyone you’d like to in person on Valentine’s Day, video chatting is a great alternative. It’s also an opportunity to practice social language skills.
Practice social language skills on a video call
Ask your child who they would like to call and wish a happy Valentine’s Day. It could be grandparents, cousins, or a special friend from school. Before getting on the call, review some basic social skills that your child could practice:
Appropriate greetings, like saying “Hello!” and “How are you?”
Whole body listening (for example, staying still and focused)
Letting the other person speak without interrupting
Asking the person questions to keep the conversation going back and forth
Staying on topic without jumping to a new topic abruptly
Appropriate “wrap up” of the conversation, like “It was great to see you! Talk soon!”
Play Valentine’s Day bingo
Another crowd pleaser is Valentine’s Day Bingo. You can create your own board, or download one online. Check out these adorable Valentine’s themed bingo cards from The Incremental Mama. For added fun, use M&Ms or chocolate hearts to serve as the bingo “chips.”
Practice sentence structure while playing bingo
This is a fun activity for practicing sentence structure and general expressive language skills. For every word that your child gets to cover on their bingo card, have them practice saying longer sentences using that word. If they’re already using short phrases on their own, try to expand their phrases into sentences of four or five words. Here are some examples:
The candy is very yummy!
The flowers smell nice.
The heart is red.
You can keep your child motivated by reminding them that the more sentences they practice, the more candy they’ll get on their board. Then you can both enjoy a tasty treat once the game is over!
Read Valentine’s Day books
Reading with your child is the perfect way to build their receptive and expressive vocabulary. There’s nothing like curling up with a book with your child. The more you do this together, the more of a routine it becomes. Reading consistently together does amazing things for children’s language development.
Practice language and literacy skills while reading books
You can build receptive vocabulary by asking your child to point to various objects in photos. You might say, “Where is the flower?” or “Show me the dog.”
You can build expressive vocabulary by having your child name or describe items in photos. You might say, “What is this?” or “Who is driving the car?”
Try encouraging early literacy skills by targeting the following:
Help your child learn the correct way to hold a book
Model reading right to left by dragging your finger along each sentence as you read
Have your child identify letters and words on the page
Practice rhyming with selected words in the book
Here are a few sweet Valentine’s Day books:
Make a Valentine’s Day craft: Conversation heart banner
Here’s a cute Valentine's Day craft idea to try with your child: a make-your-own conversation heart banner from Aubree Originals. You can easily practice speech skills while you work on this craft, and your child will have a beautiful decoration to hang up when they’re done. It’s a win for everyone!
Practice speech sounds while making a heart banner
Here are a few ways to practice speech-sound production with this craft:
Write your child’s target speech words and sounds they are practicing as the “message” on each paper conversation heart. So, if your child is working on words that start with /s/, you might use “super” and “sweet.” Heidi Hanks, M.S. CCC-SLP, at MommySpeechTherapy.com has some awesome word lists where you can easily find the exact sounds you’d like to target.
You can also practice phrases if your child is at that level. As an example, let’s say your child is working on the /l/ sound. You could write phrases to practice together like these:
Love ya
My love
Love bug
I like you
I love you
True love
Make a Valentine’s Day craft: Pipe cleaner heart prints
For an easy craft, try these pipe cleaner heart paint prints. You’ll bend the pipe cleaners into heart shapes, leaving a little bit sticking up to hold on to. Then, dip the heart shape into different paint colors, and stamp it onto paper.
Practice functional words while making heart prints
As you complete the stamps, you can practice words with your child such as “down” and “up.” You can also work on words like “wet” and “dry” when talking about the paint. You can also try some functional words that are used to make requests or ask questions, like “help” or “more.”
Practicing speech at home should be fun!
At Expressable, our goal is to make home speech therapy practice fun, engaging, and easy to fit into your daily routine. Holidays like Valentine’s Day offer a natural way to support your child’s speech and language development while making special memories together. We hope these sweet Valentine’s Day activities for kids bring joy to your family and help your little one grow their communication skills!
For more holiday-themed speech therapy activities, check out our other articles on seasonal fun that supports speech and language development: Christmas and Hanukkah, Easter and spring, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.
If you think your child might need support beyond these at-home activities, consider talking with a speech therapist. You can also take our online screener to see if your child is on track or might benefit from a speech evaluation.
How online speech therapy can help your child
Working with a licensed speech therapist, your child can build communication skills in a structured yet flexible way—right from the comfort of home. Online speech therapy is flexible, convenient, and designed to fit into busy family schedules. With virtual sessions, you can attend therapy alongside your child, stay involved in their progress, and receive expert guidance on how to support their speech skills in everyday life.
Have questions? Schedule a free consultation! Whether you’re ready to begin speech therapy or just want to learn more, we’re here to help. Schedule a free consultation call with one of our specialists today and take the first step for your child toward clearer, more confident communication!
