Are you itching for some new ideas to try this month?  The following ideas were sent in by our creative Story Time Felts consultants!


Heart Attack

Something I have always loved doing is to give my friend's yard a heart attack.  Cut out a bunch of hearts from pink and red construction paper.  Then you can either leave them blank or write what you admire about your friend on them.  Tape some of the hearts to plastic forks.  Then comes the fun part, you tape the hearts to your friend's walls, and stick the forked hearts in their lawn.  It is a lot of fun for both you and your friend.



Pages of Love

One of my friends made me a couple of scrapbook pages of things we had done together as roommates in college.  It is a nice reminder of the fun times we had together.  I have a lot of cute pictures of my daughter and her friend.  I know that her mom would love it if I made a scrapbook page from them and gave it to her.  Free labor!


Loving’ Spoonful

Take a plastic spoon, a Hershey’s hug and a Hershey's kiss, some plastic wrap and ribbon.

Put the hug and kiss into the cup of the spoon, wrap with plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon. Make a little note to tie on the spoon that says: A spoonful of Friendship and a Hug and a Kiss for You!   


Best Friends Book

Write one sentence on each page, and draw a picture to go with!

_______ is my best friend because she/he likes to _______.
She/he also likes to _______.
We both like to ________.
Sometimes, we _______.
Our favorite thing to do together is _______.
 
 
Secret Love Notes
 
Write "invisible" valentines messages using milk or fresh lemon juice as ink, "write" a message on white paper. Then when you want to see it, you hold it over a light bulb that has been turned on. The message will magically appear!
 
 
Heart Headbands
 
Cut a strip of paper about 3 inches wide and long enough to go around a child's head overlapping slightly. Have the child decorate (markers, stickers). Staple to fit the child's head. Give each child enough heart cutouts so they have one for each child in the group or member of the family if this is a home craft. Let them decorate the hearts. Exchange hearts with each other and add them to the headband to make a crown of friends. For a child to do this as a sole craft - let them color the hearts and then print the name of a friend or family member on each heart for their crown.
 


Share the Love
 
Remember that one way to show love and friendship is to share with those that don't have. Valentine's is a great time of year to show your child how to "share love" by donating food to the food bank or taking a toy or clothing to a shelter.
 
 
Our Feathered Friends
 
Share love for nature by making a bird feeder and setting it up in your yard and talking about the importance of keeping it filled because the birds have come to depend on it.
 

Compliments Hearts
 
Make several hearts to give to friends and family. Decorate one side of the heart as desired. On the other side have your child write a sentence about the person the heart is for. Use headings like "I love you because:..." or "You are my friend because ..."
 
 
Love in Action
 
Think about all of the kind things a child can do for others and talk about how that makes the child feel and the recipient feel. Every time your child does a kind deed in February, write it on a heart and create a collage of hearts or streamer to decorate the child's room. Remind your child that kind deeds should be repeated each month and not just in February because it is important to show love all year long.


Love Songs

If You're Friendly and You Know It

If you're friendly and you know it,
clap your hands.
If you're friendly and you know it,
clap your hands.

If you're friendly and you know it,
and you really want to show it,
If you're friendly and you know it,
clap your hands!


Friend of Mine
(tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)

Will you be a friend of mine,
a friend of mine, a friend of mine?
Will you be a friend of mine
and (insert an action) around with me?

_______ is a friend of mine,
friend of mine, friend of mine,
_______ is a friend of mine,
who (insert same action) around with me.


Different Friends Song
(tune:  Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Love, love, love your friends,
Different as they seem.
Playing, laughing, joking, helping,
True friends are like a dream!


Friendship Poems

You cannot give a smile away
No matter what you do.
Every time you give me one
I'll give it back to you!

...

I have a friend
Whose name is _____
And we have fun together.
We laugh and play
And sing all day
In any kind of weather.

...

I had a box of crayons,
All shiny, straight and new.
I lent a friend the red one,
And -- oops -- it broke in two!

My friend said she was sorry,
But I said, "I don't care,
'Cause now we both can color
With one crayon -- we can share!