Activities Page 5
Family Love Tree
Create a family love tree.Find a bare branch about 12 to 18 inches in length.Spray-paint it white or leave it natural,if you wish.Set the branch upright,in a jar filled with marbles, stones, cat litter etc...Place the arrangement on a table. Cut out 2 or 3 dozen pink,red & purple hearts.(Hearts can be about 2" wide.) Punch a hole at the top of each heart & set the hearts in a basket with some string & pens next to the tree.Encourage family members to write on a heart what they appreciate & love about another family member,then hang it on the tree.              Another idea is to have the teacher ask the children & write the affirmation on the hearts.

Valentine Counting Book
Here's an idea for using the teacher's valentine cards. Use them to make a counting book, a shape book, color book etc. The students will enjoy seeing theirs in the book.  

Valentine Picture Frame
Have the students make a simple picture frame by gluing popsicle sticks together.  Then glue on the little candy hearts with the sayings that are so popular around Valentines Day.  Finally, add a picture and put a magnet on the back.

Love Bug Game
Verse by Dick Wilmes
Love bug, love bug Who do you see?
I'll give you a big hug If you're pointing at me!
Form a circle with one child in the middle. 
That child covers his eyes and points while slowly twirling around. 
Others say the rhyme.  The child uncovers his eyes and hugs the person he's pointing at.

Alphabet Heart Mates
Make a necklace for each child by cutting a heart shape out of posterboard, punching a hole in the top and tying on a loop of yarn. Divide the heart necklaces into pairs.  On each pair print an upper-case alphabet letter and a matching lower-case letter. Give each child a necklace to put on.  Help the children identify the letters on their necklaces.  Then let them walk around to find their " alphabet heart mates." Variation:Write matching numerals on the pairs of necklaces.  Or draw on matching shapes such as circles, squares and triangles.

Heart Lacing
Cut a large red heart shape from posterboard. Punch holes around the perimeter using hole punch.
Let children lace yarn through holes.

Foil Heart
Materials: Aluminum foil
Piece of red, white, or pink construction paper
Glue
Scissors
Red paint
Q-tips
Directions: Cut two hearts out of aluminum foil.  Glue them on to a piece of construction paper. 
Have the children paint the hearts with the Q-tips and red paint. Makes a sparkly valentine.

Math Hearts
Cut several heart shapes in half.  On one side write 4 + 1 =, on the other side, the answer.  Do this using different math problems.

Heart Rhyming Game
Cut out enough hearts for each child in your class.  Glue a magazine picture on each heart.  Place all the hearts in a large paper sack.  Have each child take a turn to choose a heart from the bag.  Let each child name words that rhyme with the picture on their heart.

 Valentine Box Toss
Materials: A big heart shaped box
Play dough hearts the children have made
Directions: Make your favorite play dough recipe.  Have the children use cookie cutters to make heart shapes out of the play dough.  Let the heart shapes dry completely. Spray the heart shapes with clear lacquer (this strengthens the shapes). Once the hearts are dry, place the candy box on a carpeted area in your classroom. Have the children toss the hearts into the candy box.

Valentine Wreaths
Materials: Construction paper
Scissors
Paper plates
Glue
Yarn or ribbon
Directions: Cut out different sized, smaller hearts from red and pink paper (a whole bunch of them). Then cut the middle out of a paper plate and glue the hearts all over the plate to make a valentine wreath. Make bows with some yarn or ribbon.

Colorful Carnations
Cut the ends of three white carnations and put them in a vase of warm colored water. 
(Colored with food coloring.)  Wait for a while and soon the color will creep up into the flower.

3-D I Love You Card
Have children trace and cut out their handprint.  Glue the handprint to a piece of paper, then glue the middle and index fingers to the palm, and you have a valentine that says "I Love You" in sign language.

Valentine Candy Cards
Cut out a large heart from red cardboard or construction paper.  Write your message and glue your candy as part of your message.  Use your imagination.

Bunch Of Hearts
Cut out a bunch of felt or paper hearts for the children to use as counters.

Button Covers
Make button covers out of felt.  Cut hearts out of felt.  Cut a slit in the middle of each to fit over a button. Decorate with wiggly eyes for a neat effect.

Name Tags
Use heart shaped paper for nametags.

Sponge Paint Heart Prints
Use paint to sponge paint hearts onto construction paper.
Happy Hearts-Face Painting
Face paint red hearts on cheeks!

Puppet Play
Have a puppet play of The Queen Of Hearts.

Fingerpainting
Use vanilla pudding tinted pink or red and pink and white paints.

Heart Relay
Set up two teams.  First person in each team runs up to a pile of hearts which have an action written on them.  (Hop, jump, clap, etc.)  Do that action back to the next person on your team in line.  The first team to finish wins.

Candy Box Puzzle
Use the shape of a heart candy box and cut a puzzle out of construction paper, wallpaper, or felt, etc.  You can store several puzzles in the closed box.

Valentine Poetry
Inspire the children to write poetry by first sharing some poems with them.
Different Hearts - Science
Find pictures of a real heart and a play one.  Tell about the differences. Have them take turns listening to each other's heart with their ears to each other's chests.

Heart Crowns
Make crowns for the children by cutting out headbands from grocery bags and glue construction paper hearts to the headband.  Provide collage materials to decorate the headbands such as feathers, ribbon, shiny bits of wrapping paper, etc.

Activities  1  Activities 2  Activities 3 
Activities 4  Activities 5 
Poems 1  Poems 2  Poems 3  Poems 4  Poems 5  Poems 6 
Recipes 


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