It's that time of year. For heart-shaped cards, writing the perfect love letter, making your best friend a fuzzy valentine, and coming up with the best way to show your loved ones all the different ways you appreciate them!
I am a former second-grade teacher turned online reading specialist helping children worldwide. With over eight years of teaching experience, I would love to share a list of the perfect gifts for young readers on Valentine's Day!
These ideas come from my experience working with many children over the years, seeing what excites them to read, and my collection of valentine ideas and materials!
Ditch the Chocolate!
I prefer to buy my daughter gifts that require us to spend time together over sweets or more things to add to her massive collection of toys. That's why this list is better than traditional valentine's day gifts like chocolates and teddy bears.
Books are a phenomenal way to spend time with children and show them that you love them. Plus, reading is educational and fun! It's a great way to bond with your child, build literacy skills, and instill a lifelong love of reading. This list of Valentine gifts includes a list of favorite valentine books for young children and other great gifts that early readers will surely enjoy!
(This blog does include affiliate links for your convenience, and I make a commission from qualifying purchases.)
This book is excellent for young readers ages 3-6 and grades preschool-kindergarten. It's an adorable story about teamwork, and who knows, the adorable illustrations may even spark up some ideas for your child to create their own valentines!
Kids LOVE this book! It's the perfect choice for kids from preschool to 3rd grade age. It's a great book for learning to rhyme and will definitely get them giggling and having fun. Gilbert, the main character, learns a hard lesson and must apologize to his animal friends. The story is about treating others with kindness, friendship, and forgiveness, with a silly twist!
This is a sweet book, especially for a little girl preschool-3rd grade age. Nancy has a secret admirer; your child gets to join her as she solves the mystery! Also, a sticker sheet is included with the book so that they can create their own special valentine!
This sweet story is best suited for a preschool-3rd grade age child. It is one of those picture books that you must add to your child's collection and a heartfelt valentine’s day gift. It is not only an excellent tool for helping children who are having a hard time with separation anxiety, loss, and grief. It is a book about a mother's true love for her children. The type of love that can travel to any length, a connection and bond that will be with them for the rest of their life.
This book is full of valentine’s day activities and engaging illustrations. Ninety-six pages, to be exact. It's a book that will keep your child entertained and having so much fun getting in the valentines day spirit! George is one of everyone's favorite characters. Your child will love learning with this curious little monkey. It includes doodle pages, puzzles, valentine's day cards, matching games, stickers, and much more!
A cute story for kids preschool age and up. The mother in this board book would love her little boy even if he were an alligator or even if he were a super-smelly skunk! A great one for parents to show small children how much they love them in a fun and playful way. Kids love this type of silly story!
This is one of my favorite books to pair with Valentine's Day crafts! The beautiful illustrations and storyline are a great way to spark young ones' minds on thoughtfulness and creativity as Cornelia Augusta finds the perfect valentine’s day card for each animal friend.
Laura Numeroff has written a number of very popular books for young children. You have probably heard of her titles, such as If you Give a Mouse a Cookie. My daughter personally loves, If You Give a Pig a Pancake! This is a great story about sharing, giving, and affirming others. It has cute illustrations and my students tend to really enjoy it!
This book is perfect for 5-8 year olds or grades 1-4. Children love this beginning reader chapter book series because the stories are hilarious and make reading fun! In this book, Junie is given a "mushy gushy valentime" and tries to find the person who gave it to her. Will she solve the Valentine's Day mystery?
Children always have a great time reading this series of books! It's good for teaching rhyming and repetition. It will surely bring about lots of giggles as you go on a wacky Valentine's Day adventure!
This is a great read for children ages 4-7 or grades preschool-3rd. There are beautiful illustrations and an adorable story about Mr. and Mrs. Bear. They have never celebrated Valentine's Day before because they usually hibernate!
This is a cute story about a goat who sets out to collect gifts for his first love on Valentine's Day. Kids will crack up at his nontraditional selections of valentines gifts to show her his love for her. A perfect tribute to the love one has for their first love...their mother!
This is a great story for children preschool-3rd grade age. What child does not love monster books?! It's a funny book about how some people might not love all the yucky, mushy gushy stuff Valentine's Day brings. That's where best friends come in handy. Someone who understands you and feels the same way you do.
Another book perfect for preschool-3rd grade age children. A great story about friendship, problem-solving, and creativity. Gerry makes beautiful valentines for each of her friends but forgets them at home. She has to develop a new way to express what is special about each of them in their own way.
Now that I have introduced you to some of my favorite valentine’s day books through an extensive book list. Here are some Other Unique Valentines for Young Readers!
15. Rechargeable LED Book Light This is a great gift to encourage reading. Kids love turning out the lights and reading by booklight! It makes reading seem exciting and fun. Plus, this cute design is perfect for valentines day!
This unisex sweatshirt is an adorable gift you can give your child on the morning of Valentine's Day to wear to school and help them get in the spirit! It's a great sweatshirt for young kids learning their alphabet. They love noticing the letters they are working on out in the world, and the cute design will also remind them of how much you love them throughout the day!
17. Heart Bookmarks
These bookmarks are an adorable and unique gift idea for children! They are a great reminder of your love for them and a great way to keep their place in books, notebooks, and more!
This is a great gift for children to put beside their bed and implement reading into their bedtime routine! It's an adorable design! I love that it holds pens and pencils, has 2two different light modes depending on how bright they want the light for their studies, and it even charges their phone! Older kids will love that it even has a phone stand for their phone as well.
Affirmations are a great way to spend quality time with your child and start seeing a change in your child's belief systems. Positive affirmations are statements or phrases they repeat to themselves throughout the day to keep a positive mindset and high self-confidence. Building affirmations into their daily routine and leaving reminders to keep them on track throughout the day is essential. This set is super cute, and it comes with a free affirmation coloring book!
Or download your FREE affirmation cards as a gift from me here!
I hope you enjoy these books and gift ideas as much as I have over the years with my students and now in my own family as my daughter grows up!
Happy Valentine’s Day and happy reading!!!
About the Author
Janay Neufeld is an online reading tutor, reading specialist, and confidence coach for kids. She combines her life coaching for kids certification and over eight years of teaching experience to help children reach their goals in reading and beyond. The mindset work she weaves into her sessions helps children excel in all areas of life! She is passionate about helping children gain confidence in themselves and their reading. All sessions are done online via Zoom from the comfort of your home! Click the button below to register for a FREE Reading Assessment and start the process of receiving weekly reading instruction catered to your child's specific needs.
