This ONE TRICK will make signing class valentines (almost) painless for your kids

It’s that time of year again, if you read my Class Valentine Post from last year, you know that I think your kids should already be planning and making their class valentines. That was just one of the tips I gave to prevent (what I playfully labeled) Valentine Frustration Syndrome.  In our house of all boys, class valentine making causes quite a lot of grief.  There are complaints, tears and hand cramps, especially for my kids between 4 and 6.  But I discovered a tip that was so smart, that I had to write a separate post about it, in attempt to get the message out and try to eradicate Valentine Frustration Syndrome all over the country.  And hopefully someday, the world.  ;)

Anyway, here is the trick and it works whether you and your child make fancy Pinterest worthy Valentines (see my board of ideas here) or you buy the cheap (yet lovable, due to their ease!) paper ones that you can buy anywhere this time of year (seriously, I feel like I have seen them at the hardware store!) The biggest issue for class valentines in our house is all the name signing.  Our poor kids have to write their name 20-30 times depending on their class size. And if you are anything like me, you leave it to the last minute, so they have to do it all in one or two sittings.  Plus, if you have a child who is between the ages of 4-6, they already struggle with writing his or her name as it is!  So, my solution was to have my kids TRACE their names instead.  That way they are getting good handwriting and name practice and it is easier on them.  Seriously, it has nearly  eradicated Valentine Frustration Syndrome in our house, minus the years I try and get them to make a cute Pinterest type Valentine!

So, the how to: You can either simply take a yellow marker or highlighter pen and write your child’s name for him and have him trace it.  Or if you are really lazy (like me!), you can take a set of mailing labels like these here (affiliate link) Avery Easy Peel Address Labels for Laser Printers, 1 x 2.625 Inches, White, Pack of 750 (5260) and go onto your computer.  Next, go to the Avery website for a template or you can use Microsoft Word or something similar to type in your child’s name.  If you want to go really basic (my preference), just use a simple font like Arial and make it a light color.  If you want to really get official, so they get good quality handwriting and name practice, you can download your own Primary Dotted/Tracing Font on Font Space  It’s actually great to have on your computer for any sort of writing practice at home. I bought an official set years ago and it is well worth it!

Anyway, the rest is easy! Print out your labels, stick them on the valentines.  My kid loves doing this part- especially since he thinks he is cheating the system, lol.  Then he spends time tracing his name.  I do really try to give him only a few at at time, however.  Even if you are just tracing your name, it is still a lot for any kid when it is all 30 at once! Here are how ours came out:
We didn’t need to do anything in the “To” part of the valentine because his teacher asked us to leave it blank for ease when passing them out. So I just put an arrow on the front and we stuck the sticker on the back. But you can do what works for you.  Remember, the labels are helpful if you want your child to have good quality name writing practice, you can also simply write his name for him in yellow to trace.  And if you are worried about what the teacher might think?  As a former teacher myself, I couldn’t care less (unless your child is in 2nd grade or above!) and I probably wouldn’t even notice with all the valentines floating around the classroom on the holiday. Besides, if the teacher complains, you can tell her she can come to your house and deal with the tantrums that happen when you make boys like mine sit down to do 30 valentines! ;)

Speaking of the teacher on Valentine’s Day, don’t forget her!  I like to do something simple (but yet bigger than the cheesy cards that come with the school pack).  Sometimes I go back to my labels and make something fun to stick on a box or bag of candy.  Here is an example of how a simple label can make it seem a bit more festive!

But, what about you?  What is the valentine making process like in your house? Am I the only one with boys who would make a fuss over the whole process?  How do you handle it if you are in a similar situation?

Also, are you looking for class valentines so that you can get started? These brands on Amazon are a great compromise between the fancy DIY Pinterest kind and the cheap, simple ones you buy at Target and drug stores.  The best part is that they will arrive at your house in a few days and you can get started right away. Oh and don’t forget the labels to make your life (and your child’s!) so much easier.  (All links to Amazon are affiliate links which means I get a small a percentage at no increased cost to you.) Happy Valentine’s Day!