Valentine’s Day Activities For Preschoolers That Everyone Will Love
Jan 26 . 3 min read
Need some engaging and high-quality Valentine's Day Activities for preschoolers that keep the learning and fun rolling all throughout February? From sensory bin ideas to hands-on literacy and math, I’ve got you covered!
Check out my top Valentine's Day activities for preschoolers that will sure to be a hit with everyone this Valentine's Day season! I can't wait to see what inspires you and your kids!
Nine Awesome Valentine's Day Activities for Preschoolers
1. Love Letters
Practice spelling and reading familiar words or letter and sound recognition using envelopes and a set of alphabet tiles or manipulatives. Make it as fancy or as DIY as you want or need. Attach the materials to a wall to create a vertical activity for extra physical development benefits and whole body engagement!
Need ready-to-print hands on learning materials that can be laminated and reused for all kinds of literacy, math, & social-emotional learning fun? Check out the February Is For Hearts Preschool Learning Pack, and keep student engagement high without spending hours searching, brainstorming, & creating materials from scratch!
2. Love Notes
Create a craft and writing station with the supplies necessary for children to write kind notes to friends and family members. Whether drawing pictures, scribbling, or writing simple words or phrases, spreading love and joy to others through writing is a great way to encourage fine motor and early literacy skills!
3. Cupcake Counting
Combining sensory play with counting is a great way to encourage early math skills! Of course, you can easily adapt a learning invitation like the one above using any sweet treat, sensory bin filler, and number cards. Plus you can differentiate for skill level to focus on larger numbers, adding, subtracting, or any other mathematical focus!
4. Love Potions
Preschoolers love investigating cause and effect, chemical reactions, and building their fine motor skills through fizzy play! Baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring are all you need to create bubbling potions that early learners will enjoy engaging with over and over again!
5. Heart-Themed CVC Word Sorts & Practice
Give your emergent readers the chance to practice reading in a hands-on, thematic way that is engaging and fun! Whether sorting words by word family, listening for onset/rime, differentiating using the blank template, or working on spelling and writing, this resource is a favorite of mine! Preschoolers and teachers love the vibrant colors and inclusive images in this resource that can be used all month long.
If you want to check it out, head over to my TpT shop and see what inspires you and your kids!
6. Counting Chocolate
Using one of my favorite books, How Does Our Food Grow? by Brooke Jorden & Kaye Widdowson, we talked about where chocolate comes from, and then we did some cookie and chocolate counting, adding, and fractional parts work. This is so easy to adapt and differentiate for various ages and skills, making it perfect for a multi-age group or home setting!
7. Heart-Melting Math Mats
Counting, adding, and subtracting are always more fun for early learners when done with a seasonal theme! Use playdough, heart-shaped counters, or even real candy to fill these vibrant tens frames and practice matching written digits to different amounts!
8. Hearts Go Pitter- “Pattern!”
Use these thematic pattern mats and matching manipulatives to encourage early learners to match or recreate patterns based on shapes, colors, or other materials! This helps preschoolers develop concepts of same vs. different, spatial recognition, and sequential order. Patterns are an essential foundational math skill, and with a Valentine’s Day twist, these foundations are even more fun!
9. Breathe From The Heart
Breathing mats are one of my favorite tools for helping preschoolers learn to regulate their big emotions. Whether they trace the lines with their fingers or use playdough to engage with the mat while saying or listening to an adult recite the affirmations, helping children learn to breathe deeply is an excellent grounding tool during times of emotional upheaval. (Works great for us as adults, too!)
I always love creating and using thematic deep breathing mats for our early learners because it keeps them engaged and willing to try new mindfulness strategies! We paired this deep breathing mat with Call Your Mother, which is such a sweet book by Tracy C. Gold.
Remembering that you have a safety and support net, whether it’s your mother or somebody else in your life, is a powerful mindfulness strategy that helps us remember we aren’t alone during the hard times. It also helps us to show our children the power of being that safe place for somebody else.
Want these vibrant, versatile printables for math, literacy, and SEL?
They're ALL in my February Is For Hearts Preschool Learning Pack!
Click here to snag them ALL... for just $5!
Want to get started with some high-quality play-based lessons and activities for early learners but not quite sure where to begin?
Want to save time while still ensuring that your instruction is expertly planned and culturally responsive?
Claim your copy of Intentional & Inclusive: The Ultimate Teacher Toolkit to my favorite inclusive and antiracist activities and see what inspires you are your kids!
What are you doing with your preschoolers for Valentine's Day this year? I would love to hear from you, so please always feel welcome to reach out!
Thanks for reading!
