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Kindness and Gift-Giving: Valentine’s Day Frame
Celebrating Black History Month
Burnley Allan (“Rocky”) Jones was an African-Nova Scotian political activist that dedicated his life to fight against the social injustices that Black and Indigenous people experience in Canada in the areas of human rights, race and poverty. He was known as the “Human Rights Champion” that simply wanted equality and justice for all.
Valentine’s Day Frame Gift
Valentine's day is right around the corner. Use this activity to engage your child in thinking about the different kinds of love we can have and how we can share our love with others. This activity will require finding sticks from the outdoors and loose parts from home to create an artistic frame.
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- Sticks
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- Yarn (Substitute with string, ribbons, elastic)
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- Art materials such as markers, crayons, coloured pencils
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- Paper or construction paper
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- Scissors
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- Optional: Glue
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1. Collect sticks from the outdoors.
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2. Set up your table with the materials required.
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3. Ask your child to wrap yarn (or substitute material) around the corners of the sticks to create strong corners for the frame.
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4. Optional: If you want to create sturdier corners for the frame, you can glue the ends of the yarn down, then wrap more yarn to cover it.
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5. Cut square piece of paper to fit the frame.
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6. Decorate, draw and write a message on the paper.
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7. 2 ways of attaching the paper to the frame:
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Hole punch the paper and thread yarn through the hole to tie it to frame.
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Glue the corners of the paper and attach to the frame.
Engaging with Your Child
Whether your family engages in celebrating Valentine's day or not, this activity is a great opportunity to talk to your child about positive emotions, expressing it in a creative way and engaging in the act of giving. Once you set-up a comfortable space to work on, ask your child questions like “Who do you love?”, “What do you love about them?” and “What are ways you can show them your love?”. If your child is young, support them in creating the frame and encourage them to make marks on a paper where you can attach it to the frame. For older children, encourage them in the process of this activity and support them where they need it. Ask your child “What do you love the most about X?”, if they are able to write, encourage them to express it in writing or you can write it for them. Begin with “I love you because...”. This will support their communication and language skills
After they have completed their art frame, ask your child to give it to the person they wrote about. If this person doesn’t reside in your home, mailing it out would be a safe option. This activity is a concrete way for your child to understand how to identify and express loving emotions and engage in ways to think of others in a positive way. This can support their development in empathy and teaches them about ways to express kindness.
Tip: You can extend this activity and ask your child to create a frame for frontline community workers that are working during these difficult times.
EarlyON