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Teaching Kids About Valentine’s Day

For kids (and maybe some adults!) Valentine’s Day is all about chocolates, pretty flowers, and telling your friends and family “I love you!” But do you ever wonder where these sweet traditions came from, or why we celebrate on February 14th?

Let’s all learn some interesting facts and history about the day we celebrate love.

  1. Valentine’s Day is believed to be named after a Roman priest who helped people get married in secret

Emperor Claudius II of Rome banned marriage because he wanted his men to be good soldiers and thought falling in love would make them uncooperative in battle. Valentine, who was apparently a hopeless romantic, believed the law to be unfair, so he married people in small, quiet ceremonies. He was eventually caught and killed on February 14.

  1. The first-ever “valentine” was written by the man, himself

While imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. It’s said that he wrote her a love letter right before he died to make sure she knew how he felt. We carry on this tradition today by professing our love in sweet, small messages on February 14th.

  1. There was a celebration of love in February before Valentine was born

This holiday has roots in a pagan festival that was held in Rome every February. It was a sort of matchmaking event where boys selected the name of a girl from a box. The two would stay spend time together during the festival to see if they liked each other and wanted to pursue a relationship. Some people fell in love at first sight and got married by the end of the day!

IMAGINE EARLY EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE

Here at Imagine, we help our students understand and celebrate holidays by learning about their interesting histories.  Contact us today to learn how we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day and other upcoming holidays!