1. Buy or make a valentine for each kid in your child's class.
2. Do NOT address the envelops. Yes, you did read that right. The reason is that most 3 year olds do not know how to read and thus cannot pass out the specific valentines to their classmates. It also helps to avoid hurt feelings if some kids get special valentines and others don't. Your child can always mail a special valentine to his friend.
3. Sign your child's name on each valentine because 3 year olds also typically can't sign their own names. I plan on having OS "write" his name and then I'll print his name underneath his "signature".
4. Apparently some kids will send in valentines that have a piece of candy with them. If you want to do this, check with your child's school first to make sure it's okay, since some schools have a no food policy or allow food from an approved list only. Another option that some know people include is a small toy. Some specific examples I have heard of are pencils, playdough or McDonald's certificates. I have no experience with any of this so I thought I would err on the safe side. I bought a box of Cars cards that came with tattoos. I'll then do the wise thing: look through what OS got so that we'll have ideas for next year. By the time my younger son (YS) is in preschool I'll know exactly what to do! So although YS doesn't get the same amount of attention that OS did when he was a baby, since OS was an only child, he reaps benefits in other ways.
5. A lot of kids will give a valentine to their teacher. This can be a specially made valentine or just one that your child picks from their lot of valentines that they like best. Sometimes kids will bring in cookies they made for the teacher or a special treat that they made.

Labels: Preschool