Valentine's Day isn’t solely reserved for expressions of love among adults; it's also a fantastic opportunity to spread joy and foster learning among preschoolers. Engaging in Valentine’s Day themed activities not only makes the day special but also nurtures a range of developmental skills in young minds.
In this blog post, we'll explore delightful preschool activities for Valentine's Day, specially crafted to bring smiles and fun learning to your little ones. After all, there's no better way to celebrate love than by fostering growth and learning in these budding hearts. Let's dive into our curated list of preschool activities for Valentine's Day and make this celebration an enriching experience for your children.
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- Preschool Activities for Valentine’s Day
- Download our Valentine’s Day Printable Pack!
- Download the Valentine Printable Pack!
- Common Questions about Valentine’s Day for Kids
- Try these Heartfelt Valentine’s Day Preschool Activities!
Preschool Activities for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day Activity 1: Overflowing with Love Eruption
Add a little fizzy Valentine’s Day fun to the popular baking soda eruption activity. Hide some heart cutouts beneath your baking soda and surprise your child with an overflowing heart eruption.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A container
- A handful of heart cutouts
- Lots of baking soda
- Some vinegar
- A drop of dishwashing liquid
1. Add heart cutouts to the container and cover it with baking soda and a drop of dishwashing liquid
2. Mix your vinegar into a cup of water and get your child to pour it into the container. Watch the hearts overflow out of the container as the mixture erupts.
You’ll want to keep additional supplies on hand as your little one is bound to do this over and over again! You can also extend the play further by including some spoons to scoop the hearts out for some sensory play when you’re done with the eruption.
Valentine’s Day Activity 2: Fill My Heart Lacing Activity
Lacing activities are fantastic for young learners, offering a delightful combination of fun and skill development. Watch little fingers push and pull strings through the holes, creating a masterpiece with their weaving.
For this activity, make a cardboard cutout of a heart and poke holes about 1 inch from the edge around it. Tape a short piece of pipe cleaner to one end of your string, and knot the other end in one of the holes. Get your child to fill up the heart by poking the string through the holes from one side to the other until the whole heart is covered!
Lacing activities not only enhance fine motor skills but also promote hand-eye coordination and concentration. As children work through the challenges of inserting the thread through the holes, they develop patience, persistence, and perseverance; having a sense of accomplishment when finishing their little project.
Valentine’s Day Activity 3: Beaded Hearts Math Activity
Looking for a fun and engaging Valentine's math activity? This simple hands-on exercise will get your child falling in love with math while practicing counting and addition.
Prepare some heart shapes using pipe cleaners, and present them to your child with some beads and dice. Get your child to roll the dice and thread the beads according to the number on one side. Do the same for the other, and once they’re done with both sides, twist the bottom to close the heart. Let them count the total for a fun way to practice their addition skills.
Incorporating threading activities in your math activity not only offers an enjoyable time for your kid but also helps promote a range of fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, focus and spatial awareness.
Related: Download our Valentine’s Day Printable Pack! More heart-filled list of Valentine printables and activities to enjoy with your children on Valentine’s Day. Join our mailing list and get access to our free printable library!
Valentine’s Day Activity 4: Love You to Pieces Stained Glass (TeachStarter)
Transform your windows with an engaging project that doubles up as a beautiful decor. These delightful “stained glass” hearts can be proudly showcased on your windows, infusing a burst of color into your room and enhancing the festive atmosphere.
Besides that, you can also use this activity to make a Valentine’s Day card for loved ones!
Activity 5: Valentines Cutting Hearts Activity (Craftulate)
Try this incredibly simple cutting project that kids will enjoy for Valentine's Day! It requires minimal setup, and there are numerous possibilities for using the finished hearts once you’re done. This activity helps introduce symmetry to your child, as well as work on their much needed scissors skills.
Developing scissors skills in children not only improves their fine motor abilities but also strengthens hand muscles, refines coordination between the eyes and hands, and lays the groundwork for essential life skills like cutting, writing, and other intricate hand movements.
Activity 6: Cookie Cutter Painting (Hands on as We Grow)
Here’s another easy prep activity to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your toddler. All you’ll need are some heart cookie cutters (try looking for them at the Dollar Store!), paint and paper. It can get messy though, so be prepared!
Activity 7: Frozen Heart Sensory Play (Learning and Exploring through Play)
Did you know cake molds can be used for play too? Freeze water beads in them for a delightful sensory play that will keep little hands busy for a long time. You can offer some tools to help them melt the heart such as paint brushes, squibbers and pipettes to work on their fine motor skills.
Activity 8: Cupid’s Arrow Toss (Playground Parkbench)
Cupid’s Arrow Toss requires a bit of prep, but it’s simple enough with supplies you might already have at home. It’s also versatile enough to be adapted for kids of different ages. Besides working on their number recognition, your little ones will also be having a good workout tossing the arrows.
Activity 9: Flying Cupids Balloon Rocket (Little Bins for Little Hands)
It’s never too early to learn about physics, and this little experiment will help introduce your child to energy and matter and the relationship they share with one another. Test out different shapes and sizes of balloons and watch how Cupid flies differently across the room. It’s a great activity to get in some science talk with your child.
Activity 10: Love and Kindness Game (I See Me)
This delightful game is ideal for fostering kindness and spreading love among children! All you’ll need is some paper hearts and a colour spinner. Players will take turns giving each other heartfelt compliments to encourage one another.
Download our Valentine’s Day Printable Pack!
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Common Questions about Valentine’s Day for Kids
What is Valentine’s Day?
Valentine's Day is a special day when people show love and kindness to those they care about. People give each other cards, share sweet messages, and sometimes give small gifts like chocolates or flowers. It's a day to tell friends and family how much you love and appreciate them.
What can we teach preschoolers about Valentine’s Day?
We can teach preschoolers that it's a day to show appreciation for the special people in their lives, not just romantically but also to friends and family. Kids can engage in creative activities like making cards and expressing their feelings through small gestures. It's a joyful opportunity for kids to learn about expressing love in various forms and creating a caring and supportive community around them.
How do you make Valentine’s fun for preschoolers?
To make Valentine's Day fun for preschoolers, you can create engaging and age-appropriate Valentine’s Day preschool activities that celebrate love and friendship while incorporating a little bit of learning!
Try these Heartfelt Valentine’s Day Preschool Activities!
Valentine's Day provides a wonderful opportunity to infuse love and learning into your kids’ lives. These activities not only celebrate the holiday but also contribute to the holistic development of young minds. By incorporating themes of love and friendship into educational activities, your little ones can have a heartwarming and enriching Valentine's Day experience.
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Valentine's Day Themed Activities for Preschoolers
Valentine's Day presents a fantastic opportunity to engage preschoolers in activities that not only make the day special but also nurture their developmental skills. By incorporating themes of love and friendship, these activities can foster growth and learning in young minds. Here are some delightful preschool activities for Valentine's Day:
Activity 1: Overflowing with Love Eruption This activity involves adding a Valentine's Day twist to the popular baking soda eruption experiment. By hiding heart cutouts beneath the baking soda, you can surprise your child with an overflowing heart eruption. This activity promotes sensory play and can be repeated multiple times to enhance the child's learning experience.
Activity 2: Fill My Heart Lacing Activity Lacing activities are excellent for young learners as they enhance fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and concentration. In this activity, you can create a cardboard heart with holes around the edges. Your child can then weave a string through the holes, filling up the heart and creating a masterpiece.
Activity 3: Beaded Hearts Math Activity This hands-on math activity combines counting and addition skills with the Valentine's Day theme. Using pipe cleaners shaped like hearts, your child can thread beads onto them based on the number rolled on a dice. By closing the heart and counting the total number of beads, your child can practice their addition skills in a fun and engaging way.
Activity 4: Love You to Pieces Stained Glass Transform your windows with colorful "stained glass" hearts made from tissue paper or other translucent materials. These beautiful creations can be showcased as decorations or even used to make Valentine's Day cards for loved ones.
Activity 5: Valentines Cutting Hearts Activity This cutting project helps children improve their scissors skills while creating symmetrical heart shapes. It enhances fine motor abilities, hand muscles, hand-eye coordination, and lays the groundwork for essential life skills such as cutting and writing.
Activity 6: Cookie Cutter Painting Using heart-shaped cookie cutters, paint, and paper, this activity allows children to create heart-shaped paintings. It encourages creativity and fine motor skills while celebrating Valentine's Day.
Activity 7: Frozen Heart Sensory Play By freezing water beads in cake molds, you can create a sensory play activity that engages children's fine motor skills. Offering tools like paintbrushes, squibbers, and pipettes can enhance their sensory exploration and hand-eye coordination.
Activity 8: Cupid's Arrow Toss This activity involves tossing arrows to hit numbered targets, promoting number recognition and physical activity. It can be adapted for different age groups and helps children develop their motor skills.
Activity 9: Flying Cupids Balloon Rocket By experimenting with different sizes and shapes of balloons, children can learn about physics, energy, and matter. They can observe how Cupid flies differently across the room, introducing them to scientific concepts in a playful way.
Activity 10: Love and Kindness Game This game fosters kindness and spreads love among children. Players take turns giving each other heartfelt compliments, encouraging positive interactions and empathy.
These preschool activities for Valentine's Day not only celebrate the holiday but also contribute to the holistic development of young minds. By incorporating themes of love and friendship into educational activities, children can have a heartwarming and enriching Valentine's Day experience.
Remember, these activities can be adapted based on the age and abilities of the children you are working with. Have fun and enjoy celebrating love with your little ones!