< Writing Prompts

Valentine’s Day Writing Prompts

Valentine’s Day brings much inspiration to writers of all ages and backgrounds. Use these creative writing category prompts, designed specifically for Valentine’s Day, to craft love stories of all kinds. Responses to these prompts can vary by genre. Writers are encouraged to use rich detail and language, as well as all steps of the writing process (brainstorming, drafting, revising, and polishing), as best suited for their goals as a writer. Keep in mind that some prompts may demand contextualization depending on the learner’s age and needs.

Valentine’s Day Writing Prompts

Category 1: Animals in Love

No matter the creature– skin, scales, or fur– let these prompts take you into the world of animals in love. This set of creative writing prompts offers writers an opportunity to get a glimpse of how animals express admiration, both small and tall.

Grades K-2:

  1. Choose an animal and research how it falls in love with its mate.
  2. Write a story about a cat that falls in love with a dog.
  3. Write a story about a penguin who falls in love with a polar bear.

Grades 3+:

  1. Create an infographic about a species where one partner worships the other and goes to extreme lengths to provide for them.
  2. Identify an animal that has many partners in its life. Why does the animal have more than one partner?
  3. Identify an animal that meets the love of their life. How do the animals show loyalty to one another?

Category 2: Lasting Love

From the time we develop an understanding of what love is, we come to understand that love can last a lifetime and beyond. This set of Valentine’s Day creative writing prompts offers writers an opportunity to celebrate love that endures.

Grades K-2:

  1. Interview someone about a time when they fell in love.
  2. Write a story about a couple who meets in elementary school and stays together all their lives.
  3. Design a card for couples who are celebrating 50 years of Valentine’s Days together.

Grades 3+:

  1. Research the longest recorded relationship between two people. What do you think made it last?
  2. In which countries do people tend to have the most successful relationships? Complete some research and write an article to explain your findings
  3. Design a series of greeting cards for people who are not traditionally represented in mainstream greeting cards.

Category 3: Family Love

Our concept of love often begins inside of our homes.We feel love and express love to our family members. From the time we develop an understanding of what love is, we come to understand that love can last a lifetime. This set of creative writing prompts offers writers an opportunity to celebrate love among family members.

Grades K-2:

  1. Write about how you would help a family member if they experience a heartbreak.
  2. Write about someone in your family who has fallen in love.
  3. Write about someone in your family who you’re excited to spend Valentine’s Day with.

Grades 3+:

  1. Write about someone you know, without naming them, who has not had much luck with love. Write a happy love story where they find the perfect person.
  2. Write about a wedding you hope to have someday. Who would you want included in the wedding ceremony to be there on your special day?
  3. Write about a family who loves their pet cats, Alvin and Henry.

Category 4: Gal Pals

Our friendships can also spur a kind of love unlike romantic love and family love. We come to lean on our friends and forge bonds in ways that make us feel “meant to be” with these people. This is especially true in groups of girls and women. This set of creative writing prompts offers writers an opportunity to celebrate love among friends.

Grades K-2:

  1. Write about a group of women who stay best friends all their lives and celebrate Valentine’s Day together each year
  2. Write about two girls who support each other through heartbreak
  3. Design a flyer for a friends-only gathering called “Palentine’s Day.”

Grades 3+:

  1. Write an essay about friends who empower one another.
  2. Complete research about cultures where women are known to have very strong bonds. The societies can be matriarchal, which means that the women have where they are delegated much power.
  3. Write about a group of teachers who are friendly. What do you think they have in common? What do you think they talk about?

Category 5: Puppy Love

They called it “puppy love!” This set of creative writing prompts offers writers an opportunity to celebrate and engage in stories of puppy love— the magical, the unexpected, the hilarious!

Grades K-2:

  1. Write about a puppy who always sees another puppy being walked outside and is totally in love with the puppy who goes for walks.
  2. Write about two dogs who set out to find love for their owner, Paul, who is going through heartbreak.
  3. Write about two puppy dogs who initially fight over a toy at the dog park, but then fall in love.

Grades 3+:

  1. Design a Valentine’s Day greeting card from pets to their owners.
  2. Write a story about a dog who wants to surprise its owner for Valentine’s Day.
  3. Write a Valentine’s Day song about dogs who love their owners.

Category 6: Distanced Love

It’s true that sometimes we cannot be close to the people we love. Sometimes people move away or live far away, but our relationships endure through our creative expressions of love. This set of creative Valentine’s Day writing prompts offers writers an opportunity to celebrate and engage with the idea of how love can survive and thrive, even at a distance.

Grades K-2:

  1. Write about how communication is an essential part of any relationship.
  2. Write about how you’d plan to stay in touch with a friend who moved very far away.
  3. Write a short poem about falling in love in the summertime and having to move away at the end of the summer.

Grades 3+:

  1. Research and write about long-distance relationships. What makes them successful? What leads them to failure?
  2. Create an infographic for couples who are celebrating Valentine’s Day away from one another. Write down three strategies that they can use to celebrate their love, despite their separation.
  3. Write a two-part story about a couple who meets virtually, and then eventually meets in-person for the first time.