Celebrating Valentine’s Day when you have children can seem null and void, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, including our children in holiday activities can actually be fun. When I was younger, my elementary school teachers used to help me and my classmates make Valentine’s Day crafts. Sometimes, our vice principal would even stop by various classrooms to read Valentine’s Day books. As simple as that sounds, I remember the excitement from me and my classmates when we heard different tales of love from books.
To help you celebrate this Valentine’s Day with your little ones, we’ve rounded up a list of 20 books that will create fun and love-filled memories.
P.S. If you want to keep the Valentine’s Day theme going, have your little ones wear their cute Valentine’s Day pajamas while you read together!
Valentine’s Day Board Books
Tiny T. Rex and the Perfect Valentine
This book is all about a tiny dinosaur in a big world who discovers what Valentine’s Day means for him. Featuring 18 pages of illustrations of Tiny the small T. Rex and his friend Pointy, this book shows little ones how to get through a difficult moment.
Mama Loves You So
This was actually one of the first books I bought when I found out I was pregnant with my son. It features 16 pages of illustrations that talk about how a mother’s love knows no bounds. The great thing about the illustrations is the fact that different species of animals are featured, so it'll begin introducing them to your infant or toddler.
Besos for Baby
This charming bilingual book is filled with endearing illustrations of Mami and Papi giving their bébé muchos besos. It’s a sweet story of love transcending any language.
Construction Site, You're Just Right
The characters from the bestselling series Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site each receive a special note from a mystery writer in this newly-released lift-flap book out just in time for V-Day.
Pop-Up Peekaboo! I Love You
Little ones love an interactive book, and the Pop-Up Peekaboo series is a toddler favorite. Help your little one guess who's behind the surprises.
Count to LOVE!
This book is all about cuddling with your little one and counting with them. It’s a cute take on the usual counting games played with infants and toddlers. The other great thing about this book is that it's part of a series that celebrates Black and Brown families.
Little Blue Truck's Valentine
For little ones who love the Little Blue Truck series, follow Little Blue as he delivers valentines to all his friends.
You're My Little Cuddle Bug
Celebrate your love for each other as you read this sweet book, complete with tactile pages for an interactive reading experience.
Ten Little Valentines
Ten tactile hearts help little ones count down from ten to one in this Valentine’s Day-themed board book.
Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!
If you or your children are a fan of the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, you’ll love this cute tale about Mouse spending Valentine’s Day with those he loves. It has 24 pages of cute illustrations that will create fun-filled memories for your children.
L is for Love
Learning the alphabet can be as easy as A,B,C with this love-themed alphabet book—like A is for Affection, B is for Buddy, and C is for Caregiver.
Valentine’s Day Picture Books
Love Is
As relatable to parents as it is to kids, this sweet book shows love in action as it shares a sweet story of tender love and care.
I Am Love: A Book of Compassion
This uplifting book encourages children to look inward and love themselves for who they are. Centered on the themes of mindfulness and wellness, I Am Love reminds children that love is stronger than fear and hate because love has transformative powers. Self-love is equally powerful.
Love Grows Everywhere
This kind book teaches the simplicity of how love grows in all places while also being a fun read with rhymes throughout.
In My Heart
An Amazon Teacher's Pick, this sweet book can help build emotional intelligence by helping kids understand how different emotions feel.
Hug Machine
A little boy dubs himself the "Hug Machine," giving hugs to everyone in sight—from benches to porcupines—because he believes that everyone deserves some love.
also available as a board book
Love From The Crayons
Everyone’s favorite box of crayons, from the best-selling book The Day the Crayons Quit, are here with a Valentine’s Day-themed story, and it's not just pink and red who star in this tale.
Love is a Truck
Here comes an ode to trucks of all kinds! This is ideal for any book-ready toddler.
One Love
Bob Marley’s daughter authored this sweet story with lyrics from Marley’s iconic song.
A Kids Book About Empathy
For adults and kids alike, this book is perfect for starting conversations about how to feel "with" others rather than feeling for them.
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated for timeliness.