10 Fun and Easy Valentine’s Day Activities for Your Elementary Classroom ❤️

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to spread kindness, celebrate friendships, and add a little extra fun to your classroom! 🌹 Whether you’re looking for quick activities or ones that pack an educational punch, I’ve got you covered. Here are some of my favorite fun and easy Valentine’s Day activities for elementary students.

1. Handmade Valentine’s Exchange

Nothing beats the charm of handmade cards! Set up a simple crafting station with construction paper, markers, stickers, and glitter (if you’re brave!). Encourage your students to create cards for classmates, family members, or even school staff. You can pair this with a lesson on writing kind notes, teaching students how to express gratitude or compliment someone in their cards. 💖

2. Valentine’s Day Math Activities

Who says math can’t be festive? Add a Valentine’s twist to your lessons with themed problem-solving activities. For younger students, practice addition or subtraction with heart-shaped counters. For older students, try my Valentine’s Day Math Activities for 2nd and 5th grade! They’re perfect for reviewing key skills in a fun and engaging way. Bonus: they’re print-and-go, which means less prep time for you! ❤️

3. Classroom Compliment Chain

This activity is a simple way to foster kindness and community. Give each student a strip of paper and have them write a compliment about a classmate. Then, link the strips together to create a "compliment chain" that can be displayed in your classroom. By the end of the day, your students will feel all the warm fuzzies! 😍

4. Valentine’s Reader’s Theater

Bring some dramatic flair to your day with a Valentine’s-themed reader’s theater! Not only will your students have fun acting out parts, but they’ll also practice fluency and expression. If you don’t have a script handy, create a quick one about friendship or love.

5. STEM Challenge: Build a Candy Heart Tower

This is always a favorite! Provide groups of students with candy hearts and toothpicks and challenge them to build the tallest tower they can. This activity combines teamwork, engineering, and a little healthy competition. Pro tip: set a timer to add extra excitement! 🍭

6. Valentine’s Day Reading Activity

Celebrate the day with a fun reading activity! You can use high-interest passages tied to Valentine’s Day and have students practice comprehension skills like finding the main idea or making inferences. Pair it with discussion questions or a quick writing prompt to reflect on the theme of love and kindness.

7. Hand-Drawn Animal Valentine’s Cards

This year, I created a set of adorable hand-drawn Valentine’s Day cards featuring cute animals that are perfect for sharing with students. These cards make it easy to spread some love while adding a personal touch. If you’re short on time, they’re ready to print and go—just add your name and you’re all set! 🐾❤️

8. Friendship Poetry Writing

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to celebrate friendship. Have students write acrostic poems about a classmate’s name or use prompts like, “What makes a good friend?” Pair this activity with some fun heart-themed paper, and you’ll have a keepsake they can treasure.

9. Valentine’s Craft Corner

Set aside time for a simple but creative craft! Whether it’s making heart garlands, decorating paper bags for a Valentine’s exchange, or painting rocks with kind messages, your students will love the chance to get creative.

10. Kindness Scavenger Hunt

Hide little heart-shaped notes around the classroom with acts of kindness written on them. For example, "Tell a classmate one thing you like about them," or "Pick up a piece of trash without being asked." Students can collect the hearts and complete the acts of kindness throughout the day. By the end of the day, your classroom will be filled with positivity!

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to infuse some extra joy into your classroom while fostering community and kindness among your students.

Which activity will you try first? Let me know how it goes, or share your favorite Valentine’s Day ideas in the comments! 🌹❤️

Happy Valentine’s Day, teacher friends!

Xx, Laura