Top 3 Valentine’s Day Books for Kids
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to introduce books that celebrate love, kindness, and friendship while also supporting language development in young learners. Whether you're a speech therapist, teacher, or parent, incorporating themed books into your day can make learning fun and meaningful.
Here are our top 3 Valentine's Day books that we, as speech therapists, love!
1. Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff
This sweet story follows the beloved character Mouse as he creates valentines for each of his friends, highlighting the qualities he loves about them. This book provides a great way to introduce descriptive language, opposites, and sequencing, as children can recall and discuss how Mouse personalizes each valentine. Hands-on activities like crafting their own Valentine’s cards or playing an opposite game based on the book’s themes can help reinforce these concepts in a fun, interactive way.
2. The Shape of My Heart by Mark Sperring
This book explores familiar objects, from the shape of a heart to the shape of the sun, hands, and even footprints, making it an engaging and meaningful way to introduce young children to both concrete and abstract concepts. Its beautiful illustrations captivate little learners, and the repetition and predictability of the text make it an excellent choice for toddlers and preschoolers, reinforcing comprehension and helping with early speech development.
3. I Can Help by David Hyde Costello
This book is a touching story about kindness, problem-solving, and lending a hand to those in need. This book naturally lends itself to discussions about emotions, cause and effect, and social skills. Activities such as a community helper matching game or a dot heart art project with speech sound practice allow children to connect the story to their own experiences while targeting essential language goals.
If you’re looking for ready-to-go lesson ideas that integrate these stories with speech and language activities, pairing these books with our February Themed Lessons planner provides organized, engaging plans designed specifically for speech therapists and educators. With book-based crafts, sensory play, and interactive games, this resource ensures that your Valentine's-themed sessions are not only fun but also impactful in building language development.
Happy month of love!