What are some key teacher tips to celebrating Valentine’s Day in the classroom?

So, you need some fun Valentine gift ideas for your classroom this year?  The kids love this season.  The holidays have been over for a while and all kids love passing out Valentines.  Here are some tips to making Valentine’s Day fun for everyone, including you this school year.

Have the kids help make February’s Classroom Calendar.  It doesn’t matter how old the kids are a Calendar, done well, can include everyone.  It can be huge, artistic; all of the kids can color the placement markers for each day that comes.  You could even give individual calendars to the kids to color and create.  This can be a Valentine gift idea as well.

One thing you don’t want is someone to get left out when it is time to exchange their Valentine cards. So here is a Valentine gift idea that allows all the kids to pass out their own Valentine’s and can save the parents money too.  Each year after Valentine’s Day I sneak into Target or a local department store only to find their Valentines up to 75% off. I pick them up and have them for next year.  If you haven’t thought of that remember that they are pretty cheap any ways.  Or you could have the kids design their own. What a fantastic art lesson. You can even have a guest artist come in showing how to make Valentine gift cards.

It is always good to teach kids to give.  Why not have the kids take on this Valentine gift idea.  Have your students send a Valentine to a student that has special needs.  Or you could have your students give Valentine’s to your local veterans.  One year my students made Valentines for a nearby nursing home and I bought bakery fresh Valentine cookies to go with their sweet cards.  Let the kids enjoy blessing others and seeking to put others first.

When the big day comes, have a party but remind the kids that if they pass out one Valentine they must give one to each child in the class.  All words must be kind.  I encourage the kids to not add candy to their card, but instead ask them to bring a store bought treat that we can all enjoy. This helps with clean up and making sure everyone feels special.

Let Valentine’s Day cross the curriculum.  Play heart math games, spell out love words, and research the meaning and history of this special day. No matter what make these Valentine gift ideas for your classroom ones to remember for always.