Valentine’s Day Themed Centers & Activities

Valentine’s Day centers & activities are an annual staple in elementary classrooms. I am happy to share some fun ideas & activities with you that are easy to prep! This blog post suggests activities that are most appropriate for K-3 classrooms. Please feel free to adapt or modify it to meet your student’s needs.

Let’s get ready for February 14th?

Engaging students in themed activities like Valentine’s Day Literacy & Math Centers is a great way to reinforce academic learning.

Centers should be done in small groups of 4. (Four is ideal so they can partner up if needed, but just do your best with what you have).

Literacy Centers

You can mix up materials for reading and writing at this center (so that the timing will align better with a craft or art center that may take a little longer) or separate out and have one reading center and one writing center.

Reading Center

Indulge your emergent readers with a curated book bin full of level-appropriate reading and Valentine’s Day themed stories. This center is generally best suited for mixed-ability readers so kids can buddy up and read together.

This helps build literacy skills for all levels of reading. The more advanced reader gets to practice & model the skills while the other children benefit from a read-aloud.

K/1- Draw and Write (Writing Center)

These were always my favorite type of Centers to teach. Drawing activities help reluctant kids find the words they want to use when talking about what they want to write isn’t working or if they are still developing the hand strength to sustain writing. I have kids brainstorm a list of writing ideas a day or two before they begin the draw and write center. This way, they have a list ready to go on the bulletin board or up as a writing reference in class for days when there isn’t a specific writing prompt or when they get stuck.

K/1/2 Pattern Center

Kids can make pattern pony bead bracelets with Valentine colours (all shades of pink, red & white) or set out a full assortment & let them get creative.

Valentine’s Day Math Centers

I love a good count and sort (to reinforce the number sense skills they are already learning in class).

CANDY CONVERSATION HEARTS can be used for K-3 math skills and are generally the star of valentines activities & centers! Valentine math activity is great for kids to sort & count.

• K/1 can sort & practice 1:1 matching the oral number counted to the actual amount that is there and apply it to addition & subtraction equations.
• Grades 2/3 can sort & write the fraction of candy hearts. See our Candy Heart Fractions worksheet

Valentine’s Day Coloring Pages & Book Marks

Print out an assortment of valentines day coloring pages and a new box of crayons or markers. For an easy DIY bookmark craft, cut up strips of Valentine’s coloured construction paper and set out stickers and markers or crayons. “Laminate” them with clear packing tape.

Valentine’s Day Sensory Bins

Sensory play is a perfect way to practice fine motor skills.

You will need:

• A large storage container (preferably with a lid for easy clean up and storage)
• coloured rice, scoops & just add other items to reinforce whatever extra practice is needed in class. You can add lowercase letters for K-1 to practice sound/letter identification or CVC words for 2nd graders to practice spelling words.
• Heart gems can be added for additional math practice they can count & sort or write equations.
• Add an academic element with sight words (add ZINGO sight word game pieces or handwritten words on sentence strips) or dominoes for math. Kids read sight words or the domino patterns (ex:3+3=6) and use a recording sheet to keep track of what they found. in the bin

Playdough Center

For K-2 I like to incorporate a lot of prewriting centers including homemade play dough. Writing can be tough on younger kids since they have not yet developed the strength to sustain writing for longer periods of time. I like to keep playdough activities & centers an option up to 2nd grade. Kids really need hands-on activities at this age, and playdough helps build the hand muscles required for writing stamina.

Valentine’s Day Themed Cookie Cutte

Valentine’s Day Craft

Arts and crafts are a must for a party day!

The photo shows Valentine’s sponge painting. We made card-sized art here, but whatever size of paper you have will do. Try a structured direct instruction craft, or you can have an open-ended art invitation.

Process art is an open-ended art invitation where materials are curated for a specific theme or purpose, and children use their imaginations to make their creations. They are so much fun and really easy to prep! Set out simple materials that are Valentine’s activities, like plastic hearts, tissue paper, paper hearts, pom poms, and anything else you may find at the Dollar Tree, and let the kids create whatever comes to their imagination. I like to set out a couple of different materials to help the decorations stick to the paper or card like clear tape, a hot glue gun, glue sticks or Elmer’s school glue.