Valentine's Day in the classroom. It's a chaotic day filled with cards, candy and chaos if you let it. What if you could have the fun but keep things under control too? That is my kind of classroom celebration. Keep reading to find some EASY and FUN activities for Valentine's Day.
My secret to a day of celebration: KEEP YOUR ROUTINES INTACT!
There, I said it. I firmly believe that small children thrive best in routine, and when you throw out all of the regular routines in favour of a day of activities that are totally out of the norm, you will have problems. That's not to say that you can't sprinkle fun activities throughout the day but do so within your regular routine.
The card exchange is the highlight of the day for the children. I want to ensure that they actually take the time to check out their valentines rather than just counting up the candy and sticker treats they receive. That is why I created this FREE activity, and it has been a hit with my students year after year. You can get it for yourself by clicking on the cover below.
After the students have opened all of their cards, they get a copy of the graphing sheet and take a close look at each card to determine which category it fits into the create the tally chart and then the graph. Believe me when I say that everyone is engaged during this task. I love to watch them look over their cards. Afterwards, we create a class graph to see what type of card was the most received.
Crafts are a fun and creative part of any day of celebration. We create our own Valentine's bag or folder before the card exchange. Making heart animals has become a new favourite, and I have found lots of inspiration on Pinterest. My students use heart tracers to create the parts of the animal and then glue it onto a folded piece of construction paper or paper bag, as pictured below. I love that no two are exactly the same.
I always continue with my regular math and language centers, although the centers are Valentine-themed, if possible. The one math center that has always been a hit is measuring with candy: conversation heart and cinnamon hearts.
Even though I remind them that the candy has been on the floor and handled by many, many children I always have some who can't resist it and eat it. #YUCK
Minute To Win It games are also a fun addition to the day. I usually save these to the end of the day. Two of my favourites are Stack it up! and Target Practice.
The challenge is to stack the conversation hearts to make the tallest tower.
Picture students sitting across from each other on the carpet. In between each pair is a cup. One student tries to toss as many conversation hearts as he/she can in one minute while his/her partner retrieves the misses and tosses them back so the game can continue. It is pure chaos, but the kids have a blast.
At the end of the day, you will go home exhausted but less frustrated if you enjoy the day within your regular routines. I hope you have a great Valentine's Day with your students!
Until next time,
My secret to a day of celebration: KEEP YOUR ROUTINES INTACT!
The Card Exchange
The card exchange is the highlight of the day for the children. I want to ensure that they actually take the time to check out their valentines rather than just counting up the candy and sticker treats they receive. That is why I created this FREE activity, and it has been a hit with my students year after year. You can get it for yourself by clicking on the cover below.
After the students have opened all of their cards, they get a copy of the graphing sheet and take a close look at each card to determine which category it fits into the create the tally chart and then the graph. Believe me when I say that everyone is engaged during this task. I love to watch them look over their cards. Afterwards, we create a class graph to see what type of card was the most received.
Valentines Crafts
Crafts are a fun and creative part of any day of celebration. We create our own Valentine's bag or folder before the card exchange. Making heart animals has become a new favourite, and I have found lots of inspiration on Pinterest. My students use heart tracers to create the parts of the animal and then glue it onto a folded piece of construction paper or paper bag, as pictured below. I love that no two are exactly the same.
Fun and Games
I always continue with my regular math and language centers, although the centers are Valentine-themed, if possible. The one math center that has always been a hit is measuring with candy: conversation heart and cinnamon hearts.
You can check the centers out by clicking on the image below.
Even though I remind them that the candy has been on the floor and handled by many, many children I always have some who can't resist it and eat it. #YUCK
Minute To Win It games are also a fun addition to the day. I usually save these to the end of the day. Two of my favourites are Stack it up! and Target Practice.
Stack it up!
The challenge is to stack the conversation hearts to make the tallest tower.
Target Practice!
Picture students sitting across from each other on the carpet. In between each pair is a cup. One student tries to toss as many conversation hearts as he/she can in one minute while his/her partner retrieves the misses and tosses them back so the game can continue. It is pure chaos, but the kids have a blast.
At the end of the day, you will go home exhausted but less frustrated if you enjoy the day within your regular routines. I hope you have a great Valentine's Day with your students!
Until next time,
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I think the Valentine sort is BRILLIANT!! I'll never do it another way again! :) It was a fun day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up!
~Erin
Mrs. Beattie's Classroom
I am glad it was a success in your classroom too! Thanks for stopping by.
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