Take a look at all these LOVELY ideas you can integrate in your lesson plans next month.
Chocolate Play Dough (Not edible)
Make play dough using your favorite recipe. Omit the food coloring and let the children knead the dough in cocoa. It will look and smell like chocolate. Purchase a box of valentine candies and remove/eat the candies. Children can roll up the dough and put them in the paper containers.
Valentine Sandwich (Edible)
You will need a heart shaped cookie cutter, bread, cream cheese, and red food coloring to make this sandwich. Mix the cream cheese with red food coloring until it is pink. Cut a heart out of the bread with the cookie cutter. Spread on the cream cheese.
Special Delivery
This is an activity I did over 40 years ago in my classroom. I guess that's why we sang "The postman's on his way" instead of the more politically correct "The mail carrier is on her way." You just go ahead and sing it anyway you like because I bet your kids won't care a bit.
You will need a gift bag or cloth bag for this game. Write "Special Delivery" on the bag. Each child writes his or her name on an envelope and places it in the mailbag. One child is “it” (aka mail carrier) and skips around the room as you sing the song below. At the end of the song, “it” reaches in the bag and chooses an envelope. “It” delivers the envelope to that child and they exchange places. The game continues until each child has had a turn and received an envelope.
The Mailman's on His Way (Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)
The mailman's on his way.
The mailman's on his way.
He's bringing lots of Valentines,
I hope he comes my way.
*Change to "maillady" and "her way" when a girl has the bag.
*You could use photos and first names for younger children.
Five Little Cookies
(Hold up 5 fingers to begin.)
Down around the corner at the bakery shop
Five little cookies with sprinkles on top.
Along came (child’s name) with a penny one day.
He/she bought one cookie and ate it right away!
4…3…2…1…
*Make cookies out of felt or fun foam. Pass out pennies to five children have them exchange their penny for a cookie when their name is called.
(I used puff fabric paint to make my sprinkles.)
Heart Puzzle
Cut 4" circles out of red paper. Cut 4" squares out of red paper. Give each child a circle and a square. Demonstrate how to fold the circle in half and cut on the crease to make two half circles (semi-circles). Can the children make a heart from the two halves and the square?
Valentine Concentration
Cut 4” squares out of red poster board. Take duplicates of valentine stickers and place them on the squares. Mix up the squares and place them face down on the carpeting. Play a memory game where children turn over two squares at a time and try to match up like stickers.
Love Is…
Do a language experience chart where each child completes the sentence, “Love is…” You could also make individual books where each child completes the sentence “Love is…” and draws things that she loves.
Pointer
Children will be thrilled with a little heart pointer. Let them choose a sticker and attach it to the end of a craft stick. They can use it to read, identify letters, shapes, and so forth.
This is a simple Valentine gift that parents will treasure. Let children wrap a small box or a piece of Styrofoam with wrapping paper and a ribbon. (It would be extra special if the children designed their own wrapping paper.) Add this note:
Here's a bookmark children can make for themselves or they can give it to a friend.
