Tomorrow our students will celebrate the wonder of love notes as they collect valentine cards from their classmates. In preschool the cards aren’t addressed with the name of the student, but there is still the same delight in collecting an abundance of love messages and looking at the pictures on each one.
In this age of succinct emails and text messages, the value of love notes doesn’t have to be lost. Children love discovering a note from a parent in their lunch box, a reminder that they are thinking of them during the day.
Children also like writing or dictating a note to parent. Whether a child suddenly misses his dad or scrapes her knee and wants mommy to be there, writing a note evokes your presence. We’ve discovered that the process of writing those emotions on paper works better than explanations that you’ll come back.
The magic words “Do you want to write your mom a note?” can instantaneously pull children out of a cloud of temporary withdrawal or sadness. Younger children often clutch the note as if the paper itself contains that loving connection between you. At the end of the day, if you discover a note saying “l miss you,” don’t feel guilty. It only represents love sent through the mysterious process of writing.
Notes can also transform situations between children. It’s hard to get one’s thoughts together during conflict, but one preschooler used notes to communicate effectively. If he felt left out, he would draw a big sad face (his) and a big happy face (the other person’s) to show the latter his dismay. He always felt better after getting those strong emotions down, and sometimes the note got him back in the game. He preferred initiating his own form of communication rather than having a teacher intervene.
Sometimes it helps a child to write down their feelings if it is hard to express them orally.
You can try note writing at home. If your child has strong feelings toward a sibling, writing a note can help the situation. It smooths the way, while sometimes talking during an upset can make it worse. Notes can also convey an apology and communicate love that strengthens the connection between people.
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