Love and Learn: Five Valentine's Day Activities for Kids

Valentine's Day isn't just about chocolates and flowers; it's also an excellent opportunity to infuse some STEM, Writing, Reading, and Art into the festivities. Here are five engaging Valentine's Day activities that will captivate the hearts and minds of kids in grades 2-6.

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1. Candy Heart Catapults: Launching Love into the Air

Bring physics into the Valentine's Day celebration with Candy Heart Catapults. This hands-on activity not only introduces kids to the principles of force and motion but also adds an exciting twist to the traditional exchange of sweet treats.

Materials:

• Craft sticks

• Rubber bands

• Plastic spoons 

• Small plastic or paper cups

• Candy hearts

Instructions:

• Build the catapult by attaching craft sticks with rubber bands to form a triangle.

• Attach a plastic spoon to the base of the triangle, creating the launching mechanism.

• Load a candy heart into the spoon.

• Pull back on the spoon and let go to launch the candy heart into the air.

• Experiment with different launch angles and observe the distance the candy heart travels.

• Create a “bullseye” for students to aim for, or land on!

This activity combines engineering and physics concepts, encouraging kids to explore variables like launch angle and force while having a blast with their candy catapults.

2. Valentine's Day Emoji Writing

This Valentine’s Day-themed Emoji Writing activity will get EVERY student writing! Seriously, even the most reluctant writers, or students with “writer’s block” will be engaged and motivated with these fun Valentine’s Day emoji prompt pieces. This is an excellent way to integrate any ELA or writing standards. 

Here’s how it works:

• Students cut out and arrange the emoji pictures in the sequence of their choice. These are glued onto the writing sheet. 

• Next, they write a creative, concise paragraph that follows the sequence of the specific emoji representations. 

• Lastly, students draw an illustration that represents their writing.

3. Lovely Lava Lamps: A Chemistry Celebration

Transform Valentine's Day into a colorful chemistry experiment with Lovely Lava Lamps. This activity combines elements of chemistry and art, creating a mesmerizing display that will capture the imagination of young scientists.

Materials:

• Clear plastic or glass containers

• Water

• Vegetable oil

• Alka-Seltzer tablets

• Food coloring

Instructions:

• Fill the container about one-third full with water.

• Add vegetable oil until the container is nearly full.

• Add a few drops of food coloring.

• Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into small pieces and drop them into the container.

• Watch as the colorful bubbles rise and fall, creating a lava lamp effect.

This experiment explores the science of density, showcasing how oil and water don't mix and how gas is produced during the chemical reaction of the Alka-Seltzer with water.

4. Card-Making with PAL-entines

PAL-entine Templates

Organize a fun and creative card-making party. Provide a variety of craft supplies such as colored paper, markers, stickers, and glitter. Encourage kids to design and personalize their own Valentine's Day cards and add positive messages. This activity not only taps into their artistic side but also spreads love and positivity.

Here’s a fun “PAL-entine” template that you could print out and use for 3-dimensional cards!

5. The Love of Reading: Valentine’s Day Read Aloud

There are some wonderful love and kindness-themed picture books that are perfect for this time of year. A read aloud is a calm, reflective activity that ignites thoughtful discussions and strengthens student literacy skills.

Here are some of my favorite Valentine’s Day books:

Love from the Crayons by Drew Daywalt

How to Catch a Loveosaurus: A Valentine’s Day Adventure by Alice Walstead

Be You! by Peter Reynolds

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These engaging projects allow kids to explore and learn in a festive and love-filled atmosphere. Who said learning can't be sweet and educational at the same time?

Happy Valentine's Day, scholars!