8 Valentine's Day Classroom Ideas and Activities — Creatively Teaching First (2024)

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days to celebrate in the classroom! My students are always full of excitement and smiles! I want to share with you some of my favorite Valentine’s Day classroom ideas and activities. I have used these activities over the past couple of years, so please don’t think I do them all in one day. I spread them out throughout the week or I pick and choose a couple do on the day and will save the rest for another year.

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #1 - Valentine’s Day Jar Craft and Writing

I always love doing a cute writing craft for Valentine’s Day and this one has been my go to for many years. It is simple, yet engaging for many grade levels. I have used this with first and second graders. This Valentine’s Day classroom activity is perfect for students to think about they can fill other people’s hearts with love.

The valentine jar is very easy to prep! Simply print the jar and hearts on colored cardstock or paper. I usually print the jar on light blue and the hearts on pink and purple. Then I select the writing page I would like for my students to use and print the number of copies I need. Last, I cut pieces of ribbon to tie around the jar. This isn’t necessarily something that needs to be done, but I think it provides an extra special touch.

Students glue the hearts to the jar and staple the writing page to the back. It makes a great bulletin board!

You can download the Valentine Jar HERE.

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #2 - The Biggest Valentine Ever

These Valentine’s Day stations and activities go right along with the bookThe Biggest Valentine Everby Steven Kroll. It is one of my favorite valentine books! My class and I have so much fun having a Biggest Valentine Ever Station Day. We read the book, eat a snack, and have a ton of fun with these Biggest Valentine Ever stations and activities! There are 10 station signs and differentiated station activities included. The stations and activities are engaging, fun, and full of literacy skills, math skills, and STEM skills! I love using these stations before a break or on a holiday.

I can usually get all the stations and activities done during a literacy and math blocks. I keep the students in their literacy or math groups. This way it makes it super easy to plan for the day. The activities are math and literacy related, so it is perfect for keeping students engaged!

Below are a few pictures of the activities we do, but you can read much more about it on the blog HERE.

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #3 - The Valentine Sweet Shop

This is one of those activities that will keep kids engaged for quite a while. My students loved celebrating Valentine’s Day by visiting The Valentine Sweet Shop! Students can select and buy their favorite treats from the shop. I had my students select 5 treats.

To prep, I folded 18x24 pieces of construction paper. I chose to use pink. You will want to fold it so the paper will open up like a shop. Then I printed off the papers by students were going to use. You could print in color or print in black and white and have students color.

First, students glued on the title and sweet shop picture to the front of the paper. Then students selected their 5 treats and glued them in their treat bag. They wrote the name of their treats and the price in the table under the bag. This paper was glue to the center section inside the folded paper. Next, they glues the selected treats to the outer sections of the paper. I reminded students to just glue the top section so they could lift the flap up. Finally, students glue the correct set of coins on each treat’s flap.

It was very helpful for my students to have a visual as they completed this project. I do recommend putting one together before the students do. :)

You can download the Valentine’s Day activity HERE.

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #4 - Valentine’s Day Read Alouds

If all else fails, read a book. This is my motto I will always live by. I keep our read alouds for the month in a small basket by our library. I place a few extra books in there for times when we just need a break or if we have an extra 10 minutes. There are many adorable stories to read on Valentine’s Day!

My Favorite Valentine’s Day Read Alouds

Love Is by Diane Adams

The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond

The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #5 - Valentine’s Day Student Bookmark Gift

I don’t feel the need to give my students something every holiday, but my students do participate in a card exchange, so this was a fun alternative to cards. I give each of my students a personalized bookmark. My students love anything personalized and a bookmark was the perfect little gift! You could pair it with a book too!

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #6 - Valentine’s Day Play-Doh Student Gift

This is another great alternative to a traditional card for your students. These Valentine Playdough Mats are very simple and cost friendly! My students love anything to do with Play-Doh and these are super fun for Valentine's Day! They can decorate a cookie or cupcake, and fill a jar with candies or cookies.

I simply print a playdough mat and treat tag for each student. I place the playdough mat and party size Play-Doh in the bag. The mats and treat bag topper fit perfectly with basic sandwich bags. Finally, I sign my name and tape the treat tag on top.

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #7 - Valentine’s Day Math Centers

I like to sprinkle in some Valentine’s Day math centers into our days leading up to the holiday. I place the math centers in our math tubs that we use during our daily math workshop. The math centers add a bit more fun to our daily routine.

Valentine’s Day Classroom Idea #8 - Fill Your Heart with Love

My youngest daughter was born right before Valentine’s Day and I wanted to do something special with my class before my leave began. I wanted my students to remember our time together and all the special moments we shared. I draw a jar on a large piece of white paper and printed out some hearts. The students wrote things they wanted to remember from our time together on the hearts. I taped the hearts to the jar and hung the poster in our classroom. It was a very special project to complete on my final days with my students.

8 Valentine's Day Classroom Ideas and Activities — Creatively Teaching First (11)

I also gave my students a little bag filled with candy hearts on my last day. I placed a jar printout with the same title as our poster and candy hearts into a bag and tied with a ribbon.

You can download the jar printout HERE.

I hope you found some fun and engaging ideas to do with your students on Valentine’s Day!

If you have any questions, need an explanation, or would like to bounce ideas off each other, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Happy Teaching!

8 Valentine's Day Classroom Ideas and Activities — Creatively Teaching First (13)

Winter, Valentine's Day

Emily Piatt

Valentine's Day, winter

8 Valentine's Day Classroom Ideas and Activities — Creatively Teaching First (2024)

FAQs

How can I be creative for Valentine's Day? ›

Shower your better half with all the love and affection they deserve this year.
  1. DIY Workshop: ...
  2. Go Dancing: ...
  3. Wine Tour: ...
  4. Private Tour: ...
  5. Themed Dinner and a Movie: ...
  6. Shopping: ...
  7. An Escape Room: ...
  8. Karaoke:

How do you teach kids about Valentine's Day? ›

Describe the day as one of sharing love for all people, not just romantic interests. Remind the child that gifts can come in other ways besides being wrapped, and that love can be shown through acts of kindness or words of encouragement–not only in gifts or candy.

What do we do on Valentine's Day at school? ›

Fun Valentine's Day Activities for Elementary Students
  • Have a month-long kindness challenge. ...
  • Exchange notes of kindness. ...
  • Have a door-decorating contest. ...
  • Read some Valentine's Day books. ...
  • Make a heart collage. ...
  • Craft up some Valen-slime. ...
  • Set up a candy heart estimation jar. ...
  • Do a crystal heart science experiment.
Jan 29, 2024

What is the most popular Valentine's Day activities? ›

Best Valentine's Day Date Ideas for Her
  • Take a Romantic Dance Class. ...
  • Revisit a Sentimental Spot. ...
  • Write a Love Letter. ...
  • Make a Delicious Dinner. ...
  • Go to the Ballet or Opera. ...
  • Attend a Local Festival. ...
  • Provide a Day of Pampering. ...
  • Give Her a Handmade Gift.
Mar 21, 2024

How can I make Valentines Day special without gifts? ›

How to Celebrate Valentine's Day Without Buying Gifts
  1. Make a Meal. One of my favorite things to do is have friends over to my house for a meal. ...
  2. Bake Cookies. I don't know about you, but I love getting containers filled with tasty treats around the holidays. ...
  3. Write a Card. ...
  4. Frame a Photo. ...
  5. Have a Movie Night.

What is a fun fact for kids about Valentines day? ›

Fun V-Day Facts

Around 60% of Valentine's Day cards and gifts are purchased in the 5-6 days before the holiday! The people who receive the most valentines each year are teachers! Wives, partners, and school children are close behind. Men spend around twice as much on Valentine's Day than women do.

Why do we teach children about Valentine's day? ›

Valentine's Day offers an excellent teaching moment for parents to share with their kids the importance of being loving, kind people, and to teach them how to be caring to others. The best way to teach your children kindness and compassion is by demonstrating it yourself.

What is Valentine's day in simple words? ›

What is Valentine's Day? St Valentine's Day is an annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration. Every year on 14 February people celebrate this day by sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends.

What do school children in the United States do on Valentine's Day? ›

School children often exchange Valentine cards and candy with their classmates. Sometimes students make their own Valentine cards in class, which are usually decorated with images of hearts, red roses, or Cupid.

How do you pass out Valentines in class? ›

When passing out Valentines, place each student's decorated bag on top of their desk and have kiddos walk around and plop a Valentine card in each. Another easy way to do this is to arrange all the bags in a line on the floor instead of on each desk. This way is definitely quicker if you're short on time!

What are good Valentine's Day gifts? ›

  • Valentine's Day Beauty Gift. Beauty Sleep Overnight Lip Mask in Pink Champagne. ...
  • Practical Gift. Phone Bag. ...
  • Custom Jewelry. Personalized Bar Pendant Necklace. ...
  • Gift for Mom. Enameled Cast Iron Heart Cocotte. ...
  • Little Gift. Heart-Shaped Tea Bags. ...
  • Personalized Guitar Picks. ...
  • Vintage Valentine Seals Puzzle. ...
  • Best Floral Perfume.
Feb 5, 2024

What do some people do on Valentine's Day? ›

Whether you want to do something in the spirit of Valentine's Day – buy yourself some chocolate, watch a romantic comedy – or just do something that you love – read a great book, play video games, go for a walk — choose something that will feel emotionally restorative.

What do we do at Valentine's Day? ›

Couples take the opportunity of Valentine's feast day to exchange sweet words and gifts as proof of love. Such gifts typically include boxes of chocolates, cupcakes, and red roses, which are considered the emblem of sacrifice and passion.

What should a 14 year old do on Valentine's Day? ›

Valentine's Day Date Ideas For Teens
  • Movie. Watching a movie together with your love is one of the best first Valentine's date ideas. ...
  • Go for a picnic. ...
  • Go for a sporting event. ...
  • Theme party. ...
  • Dinner date. ...
  • Coffee. ...
  • Visit a concert. ...
  • Indoor plan.

What do we celebrate during valentines Day? ›

Valentine's Day is a holiday when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It is also called St. Valentine's Day. The holiday has expanded to express affection between relatives and friends.

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