Child Delivering Valentine's Cards To Classmates Coloring Page

Three children stand close together in a classroom, and a large heart is passing between them. The boy in the middle holds it against his chest with both hands, a wide heart shape taking up most of his front. The boy on the left reaches toward it, and the girl on the right holds a small stack of cards of her own while she leans in to look. All three wear ribbed knit sweaters with turned cuffs, long trousers and laced boots. Behind them a row of desks and chairs runs across the page.

The sweaters are the best part to color. The ribbing at the cuffs, collars and hems is drawn as fine parallel lines, so a different shade on each child is enough to tell them apart without any other work.

The desks behind are simple frames and go quickly, which balances the detail in the foreground.

The big heart is blank. It is the natural place to write a name before anyone starts coloring.

American schools settled into the classroom card exchange in the early twentieth century, when penny valentines made it possible for every child to bring one for everybody. Before that, a valentine was something you sent to one person and usually did not sign.