Simplify your sweet Valentine's classroom celebration with these hints, tips & planning ideas:
Organize Parent Helpers. Get more parents involved and contributing to the class party with free online signups! Schedule the items you need brought in (snacks, drinks, decorations) and the tasks you need help with (story reader, craft leader), and invite parents to sign up from the convenience of their computer or smartphone. Rely on eCalendar syncing and automated reminders to keep everyone on track! Get started now
DIY Valentine's Holders. Decorated shoeboxes, paper plates stapled together, even upcycled cereal boxes all make great DIY Valentine's holder. Designate party craft time for creating holders for the valentines and cards students swap shortly after.
Healthy Snacks. It's easy for students to get overloaded on sugar and candy on such a sweet holiday. Opt for healthy snack options at the class party that are still festive:
- Red and pink fruit kabobs
- Heart-shaped cheese cut-outs
- PB&J heart-shaped finger sandwiches
- Trail mix with pink and red m&m's
- Pretzels dipped in red & pink icing
Storytime. Find two or three stories about Valentine's Day, love or a similar subject that a class parent volunteer can read towards the end of the party to help kids wind down. Great Valentine's books include Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, The Very Special Valentine by Maggie Kneen and Christine Tagg, and Today is Valentine's Day by P. K. Hallinan.
Teacher Gift. It's always fun to suprise one of the people students' love most with a special gift on Valentine's Day - their teacher! Consider collecting donations or items for a class group gift or work with other class parents to create a student-led "Why I LOVE My Teacher" video or card. More ideas here
Capture memories. Ask a parent helper to take pictures with their camera or smartphone and then share them with the room parent to post on the class blog, webpage, or in the next eNewsletter!
Play a conversation game. Valentine's games and activities are as simple as getting creative with that novelty Valentine's candy kids love - conversation hearts! Stock up on a couple bags of hearts and have students play:
- Conversation Heart Bingo > Use candy hearts to play Valentines-themed bingo
- Conversation Heart Stack 'Em > Have kids compete to make the tallest heart stacks
- Candy Heart Relay > Use chopsticks to add a level of difficulty to your typical race
Bonus Idea: Kissing Jar! Fill a big jar with chocolate kisses and have each student guess how many are in the jar - award the top three guesses with a festive pencil or homework pass.
Favor favor. Award small prizes for game and activity winners as well as little Valentines-themed favors for all the students. Think colorful (and useful) school supplies like erasers, pencils, notepads, sharpeners, etc. Add glitter or heart stickers for that Valentine's flare!
Also see:
Class Party Ideas on Pinterest
10 Teacher Appreciation Gift Baskets
