Kindness Connects: Kindergarten Students Take Part in Global Valentine’s Exchange

Kindergarten students at St. John Paul II Catholic School in Brooklin have been spreading kindness across the globe by participating in a heart‑warming valentine card exchange. This initiative teaches young learners the power of kindness while building real‑world literacy, math, and geography skills.

Kindergarten families at the school were invited to participate in the card exchange initiative by sharing with their families and friends. The intention was to help spread kindness throughout the community. Little did they know the initiative would extend far beyond local borders.

The project sparked enthusiastic participation with classrooms and families across all Canadian provinces, the United States, and beyond North America, including Australia, England, the Philippines, and more. Students are eagerly awaiting responses from other countries and territories as the exchange continues to grow. 

Throughout this exchange, each student handmade a valentine card that included a fact about living in Ontario or Brooklin, a message of kindness, and sticker decorations. They have also been sending thank‑you cards for the valentines they have received. 

This global initiative blends fun with meaningful cross‑curricular learning. Students have gained hands‑on experience with letter writing, strengthening early literacy skills; math skills through learning about and counting stamps and postcards; and geography, as they scratch off new locations on a world map whenever a card arrives. They learned about postage, including sending and receiving national and international mail, and the difference between letters and parcels. 

In Mrs. Patton’s kindergarten class, students enjoy spending the morning writing the cards and assembling their valentines while she assists students with addressing the envelopes. 

“My kindergarten students have said they love making people happy. Their favourite part is sending heartfelt messages to thank the senders for participating in this Valentine’s Day initiative,” said Mrs. Patton. “This project teaches students valuable literacy, math and geography skills, and also instills in them the importance of celebrating joy, love, and community connection.” 

The exchange reinforces the kindergarten classes’ values of always being kind. By reaching beyond their community, students learn that small, thoughtful actions can brighten someone’s day, whether they’re across town or across an ocean.