One of my FAVORITE things is incorporating the seasons and holidays into my classroom. Kids are so excited about them anyway, it's a great way to easily bring ENGAGEMENT to your curriculum! Obviously it has to be meaningful work and not just cutesy projects. So, here are 7 easy ideas for bringing Valentines Day into your classroom while maintaining rigor and real work.
1. Build a Monster Valentine Bags
Do your students exchange valentines in your classroom? If so, you most likely have them build their own valentines bags. Why not take something that is normally just an art project and bring math into it?! Set up a store and have students buy pieces for their valentines bags. They will be so engaged they don't even realize how much math they are doing.
Take it a step further - let them shop with manipulative coins, differentiate prices, or give them a budget! This takes a Valentines Day activity you were already planning on doing with your students, and brings it into your math block with a TON of rigor and math.
CLICK HERE to see the Monster Valentine Bag I love to use with my students. The menus are editable so you can change the prices so they are just right for your students.
2. Spreading Love Bunting
I love taking the time in February to talk about kindness with students and strengthen that classroom community feeling. It's easy to take a few minutes to have a classroom meeting about ways to show kindness and love, and it puts it in students' minds first thing in the morning. Make an anchor chart or list as a class and hang it up for the month. Ask students to choose one things from the list each morning to do that day!This quick printable bunting is a perfect way for students to write their own ways to spread love and kindness. It makes a fun classroom or hallway decoration for February that also reminds them to BE KIND!
Speaking of kindness...let your students practice friendly letter writing by writing notes of appreciation to classmates and staff members! You can let students choose someone to write to and have them draft a letter. Let students peer edit each others' letters before they write their final drafts. So. Many. Writing. Skills.
CLICK HERE to see my favorite Valentines - FOOD PUNS!! These are so fun and include writing papers, and they make the most adorable bulletin board. These will bring a smile to anyone who receives one!
I'm a big believer in incorporating PBL, or project based learning, into the classroom. I love letting students SEE how you can use your learning in the real world. This math project lets students plan a classroom valentines party - the food, decorations and entertainment. This is a thorough project that lets students work with differentiated menus and budgets to plan an EPIC Valentines Day party for their class.
5. Valentines Day Choice Board
Choice boards are a staple in my classroom - giving students' choice lets them take ownership of their learning and they are guaranteed to be more engaged when they have chosen what they're working on. I love using seasonal boards in my classroom because it brings some fun into our everyday routines, but all of the activities hit different math and ELA standards for a great spiral review and challenge. These are perfect early finisher activities for February!
This Valentines Day choice board is full of 9 no prep seasonal activities and printables that will keep your early finishers challenged all month long!
Do you have a writing center in your classroom? If not, you should! Letting students have daily writing time helps give them TONS of practice and exposure to different writing types. I love having seasonal prompts I can throw in my center to keep students excited to write. Mix in persuasive, narrative and informative writing so they get to interact with several types of writing.
THESE writing prompts have differentiated writing lines for students and print and go writing toppers that students can color when they're done with their writing!
7. Color by Code: Valentines Edition
Color by codes are one of my (and my students!) favorite morning work activities. I love them because they are FULL of practice, and one picture normally lasts students for several days or a full week. Students love them because they get to color, and it doesn't feel like just a worksheet. Also, I love letting students cut out the picture and mount it to black paper - I use them as seasonal decor by taping them to our classroom cabinets.
CLICK HERE for some Color by Code sheets that practice double digit addition and subtraction with regrouping!
Keeping students focused on learning during an exciting holiday can be challenging, so I hope you found some easy ways to incorporate the holiday into your curriculum! Leave a comment telling me how else you add in some Valentines Day fun to your classroom!
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