Learn some Valentine's Day Facts For Kids of all ages! We're sharing the holiday's history along with some other fun trivia questions and interesting facts.
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These Valentine's Day Facts for kids are a great way to understand the history of Valentine's Day as well as share some fun Valentine's Day trivia with friends and family throughout the month of February leading up to National Lovers Day!
Check out our 365+ Fun Facts For Kids
Valentine's Day Holiday
Valentine's Day happens within the Winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Summer season in the Southern Hemisphere.
There is also all kinds of Valentine's Day fun for kids including a number of making cards, crafts, games, coloring pages, and art projects. We've included a number of those to celebrate all that is Valentine's Day.
Before we jump right in, you will not want to miss our Febuary Fun Facts, Groundhog Day Facts and President's Day Facts!
What is Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day, otherwise known as St. Valentine’s Day is a festival held every year to celebrate love and friendship.
When is Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day is February 14th each year.
History of Valentine's Day
Why Is It Called Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine, a priest from the Catholic Church in the 3rd Century who lived in Rome. There are two stories about who Saint Valentine is. Both were said to have died on February 14th.
Saint Valentine Story
The first of the stories is of Saint Valentine, who would secretly officiate marriages of soldiers to their sweethearts during a time when Emperor Claudius II banned marriages.
The second story was about another priest named Valentine who was killed on February 14th for converting Romans to Christianity. This was a time when the Romans believed Christianity was a cult.
Regardless of which Saint Valentine it was, over 200 years later in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius I, named Feb. 14 as a feast day, also known as the "Feast of Saint Valentine" or Saint Valentine’s Day. Saint Valentine became the patron saint of engaged couples and happy marriages.
In the 14th century, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem that associated the day with love. It is believed to be the beginning of celebrating this day of romance.
King Henry VIII declared February 14 a holiday in 1537.
Fun Facts About Valentine's Day
- The first Valentine's Day was in Paris on February 14, 1400.
- In medieval times, love was sometimes symbolized by the image of a hunter's knot or love knot, signifying an unbreakable bond.
- Lovebirds go by the common name Agapornis birds and travel in pairs.
- The mating season of birds is in February and often why birds are associated with love and known as the love birds.
- Groundhog Day was originally held on February 14th.
- Alexander Graham Bell filed a patent application for the telephone on February 14, 1876.
- On Valentine's Day 1990, the Voyager 1 spacecraft took a photograph of Earth from space. Carl Sagan called it the "Pale Blue Dot," emphasizing the fragility of our planet and the importance of love and compassion.
- The heart shape we associate with love has been traced back to ancient times, symbolizing not just romantic love but also compassion and friendship. P.S.... You can Learn to Draw a Heart too!
- The heart symbol wasn't always associated with love. Some ancient cultures believed the heart was the seat of intelligence and emotions.
- The United States Postal Service releases special love-themed stamps for Valentine's Day, featuring various romantic designs.
Greeting Cards
- In 1415, the Duke of Orleans wrote the oldest love poem, the first Valentine. He wrote it for his wife.
- People have been expressing their affection through handwritten love letters for centuries!
- The first mass-produced Valentines Day cards were in 1840 by Esther Howland in Boston. Afterward, she was credited with commercializing Valentine's Day Cards in the United States.
- Additionally, she is known as the "Mother of the American Valentine."
- The Washington Post started a tradition in the 20th century, offering free Valentine's Day postage for love letters. It became a beloved way for people to share their heartfelt messages.
- In the United States, there are over 145 Million greeting cards sent each year.
- It is the second most popular day to send greeting cards next to Christmas.
- Teachers receive most Valentine's Day cards each year.
Roses + Flowers
- It is estimated that 2 billion dollars are spent on flowers for Valentine’s Day.
- Red roses are often called the “flower of love”.
- Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, loved the red rose.
- 250 million roses grown for Valentine's Day.
Cupid
- According to Time, the legend of Cupid dates to 700 B.C. He was a Greek God of love named Eros. He was the son of Venus, the goddess of love.
- Eros was more of a heartthrob than the charming cherub that he is depicted as today.
- Legend is that Cupid would shoot his arrow into people’s hearts which would make them fall in love!
XOXO
- The X became a symbol for a kiss in medieval times, or Middle Ages, because people who couldn’t write signed their name as an X, and kissed it to show good faith.
Chocolate
- Richard Cadbury created the first heart-shaped Valentine’s Day candy box in 1861. This is the same box of chocolates that we often buy as Valentine’s Day gifts.
- Each year, over 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are bought every year.
Don't miss our Valentine's Day Snacks full of lots of delicious treats!
Conversation Hearts
- A pharmacist named Oliver Chase in Boston invented the machine to mass produce make medical lozenges for sore throats. He then shifted from lozenges to candy and founded the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO).
- The first candy lozenges became Necco wafers.
- Oliver's Brother Daniel joined his brother and figured out how to stamp the wafers with messages using vegetable dye.
- It was soon after that they figured out how to turn the wafer into a heart shape for Valentine's Day. At that moment, the first conversation heart was born.
- Conversation hearts have a shelf life of 5 years.
- The number of conversation hearts made every year exceeds 8 billion.
Other Valentine's Day Facts
- Jewelry is the Valentine's gift that people spend the most on, with over 5 Billion in the United States
- 9 million people, pet owners, buy Valentine's Gifts for their pets.
- In the Tower of London, there's a legend that birds propose to each other on Valentine's Day. Imagine the feathery romance in one of the most historic places!
- There are islands around the world shaped like hearts, such as Tavarua in Fiji and Galešnjak in Croatia, adding a touch of natural romance.
- The concept of love languages, popularized by Dr. Gary Chapman, includes words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.
- Scientists believe that the scent of a person can play a role in attraction due to the presence of pheromones, chemical signals that can influence behavior
Valentines For Kids
Valentine's Day is a fun time to spend with family and friends as well as celebrate the season. We have many different activities that will be fun for the whole family this Valentine's Day but especially for kids. Check out these Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day Crafts
We have a number of different crafts that are great for Valentine's and Love Month. For example, here are the top three ways to express your creativity through art.
Here is the Full Valentine's Day Craft List
Kids Valentines Cards
We have lots of free printable Valentine's cards that are great for kids to hand out to their friends and classmates. For example, here are a few of our favorites.
Here is the Full Valentine's Day Cards For Kids List
Valentines Printables
Load up on some fun Valentine's Day printables which include Valentine's Day games, puzzles, printable crafts, coloring pages, and more! In fact, here are a few of our favorites.
Here is the Full Valentine's Day Printables List
Valentine's Day Coloring Pages
If coloring is your jam, then you certainly won't want to miss our fun Valentine's Day coloring pages. Lots of them!
- Happy Valentine's Day Coloring Pages
- Valentines Color By Number
- Valentine's Day Color Sheets
- February Coloring Pages
We highlighted these Fun Facts along with some other fun kid's crafts in our February Crafts along with our 101+ Easy Kids Crafts.
You also do not want to miss our 101+ Printable Coloring Pages For Kids and 101+ Printables For Kids full of Crafts and Coloring Pages.
Lastly, we hope you and your sweetheart have a HAPPY Valentine's Day!
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Valentine's Day Facts For Kids
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