God Gave us Love Valentine’s Day Unit Study is geared toward Preschool and Early Elementary. While the book is written for younger children I think it still lends itself well to be expanded for older children as well.

This sweet book God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergen teaches children about the different types of love God gave to us in a very simple way.
The love between moms and dads and the love of friends is different and it does such a great job of explaining it as well as the ultimate love of Jesus.
We thought it would be really fun to turn it into a small study that you can do for a day, a week, or stretch it out through the month of February.
God Gave us Love Unit Study
Crafts & Activities:
Bible Verses Copywork– There are so many Bible verses about love and the different types of love that you have no shortage of verses to work with. You can use them for practice in looking up scriptures, and then as copy work. Such a simple but meaningful way to extend the learning. For younger children,you could write out the scripture just leaving letters or individual words blank for them to fill it out for writing practice.

Some of our favorites are…
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Luke 6:35
Romans 12:9
Mark 12:32
Find ways to show love to those at home/community Brainstorm some ways you can show love to others. Doing a chore for grandma, taking cookies to the fire department, passing cold water out to the garbage workers, making thank you notes for law enforcement, writing letters to soldiers overseas, donating gently used toys and art supplies to a local children’s hospital, etc…
Then choose a few (or more) to do throughout your study.
Create a simple sensory bin- Sensory bins are the easiest way to combine fun and learning. Toss pink, white, and red pom poms, feathers, and chenille stems in a small container, add heart cookie cutters or letters to practice identification or simple sight words. This is a great relaxing transition activity for your child while you are setting up something else. To make it a truly sensory experience you can add a few drops of extract or essential oil -cinnamon, chocolate, lavender, and rose all fit the theme well! I like to include the book to encourage more talk about love.

Make chocolate paint- Make up a box of your favorite chocolate pudding, add a paintbrush and give your child free reign on the surface of your choosing. Let them just enjoy this yummy new art medium and then give them words to spell, shapes to make, etc.. to turn this sweet art project into a learning experience.

Make toilet paper roll stamps- This simple idea of bending a toilet paper roll to use as a stamp is fun, easy, and free! Children can use them to create pictures, or decorate other items like unfinished wood picture frames or cover a canvas with. To make your heart stamps simply press a sharp crease into one side of the roll

Set up a flower station- Pick up few bunches of flowers from the Dollar tree and set them out with different colored tissue paper, several options for vases, ribbon, and even floral foam for your child to enjoy some imaginative play time. You can turn it into a math lesson by making it a florist shop and practice adding up the flower totals as well.

Get your hands and your littles into some fun easy and colorful Homemade Valentine’s Day Playdough.
Snacks
For an easy and healthy snack – Combine 2 T. plain yogurt, 1 T. peanut butter, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon until well mixed. Serve with apples sliced thin, punched out with heart shapes using small cookie cutters.

Get out your heart shaped cookie cutters and you can turn just about anything into a themed treat to fit your study- pancakes, toast, fruit slices, tortillas, cheese, and more.

Valentine activities and crafts are just so much fun. Thank you for sharing these ideas at this week’s Encouraging Hearts & Home blog hop! My daughter and I will have fun with the tp tube hearts tomorrow as we get busy creating.