We all know that reading and writing are closely related, so here's a holiday story starter for you to use. Just copy and paste the text below into your word processor, adjust the font, and print for your student(s)!

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Jacob looked around. No one was in sight, so he quickly dropped the envelope and ran. He had gotten away with it! Now Lisa would never know who had left the envelope on her back step. That was good, because if anyone ever found out about it, he'd be in big trouble. Gloating to himself over his success, he walked away quickly down the street.

When he was out of sight, a small boy stepped out from behind the bush in Lisa's backyard. Jimmie had seen everything, and wondered if he should tell his big sister what had just happened. He knew Jacob from riding the same school bus, even though they were in different classes. He had a decidedly bad reputation. Would Lisa want to know? Probably. Would he tell? Maybe. He decided to wait and see what happened when his sister came home.

When Lisa headed into the house, she noticed the envelope on the back step. "That's odd," she thought. "I don't remember dropping this here." She bent to pick it up and then opened it. Her mouth dropped wide open with shock and then she screamed........

Now you finish the story!

Try this fun game with your readers! Make a set of construction paper hearts, then cut a different jagged line across each. Write one part of a word or even a whole sentence on each half of the heart, then mix them all up. Students can "mend the broken hearts" by solving the jigsaw puzzles to make whole words or sentences.

Starting several weeks before the holiday, guide your young reader to learn common Valentine words. Put words on flashcards, like love, Valentine, be, mine, forever, friend, and so forth. Play games with your flashcards, like Memory (need two sets). Your young reader will also enjoy an active flashcard game: scatter the cards around a play area face-up on the floor. Give the order to run (or jump, hop, skip, roll, gallop, etc.) to the card you announce. This will keep them moving and also get them reading the cards!

Make up some sentences about Valentine's day or copy off some of that wonderful(?) poetry from old greeting cards. Write each word on a separate card and give the stack to your student. See if he or she can put the poem back into the proper order. Need to make the activity a bit easier? Write entire sentences or phrases on the cards to arrange in order.