Can you believe February is here already? And with it, comes Valentine’s Day. February 14 will be upon us before we know it. It’s the holiday of pink, purple, parties, and friendship. Here is an array of six activities that I hope will be helpful in your classroom for Valentine’s Day.
1. Valentine’s Day Connections Game
My latest game addiction is the New York Times Connections game. If you haven’t come across it yet, you have 16 words that must be divided into four categories of four words each. Each group shares a common thread. Here is one I created in Canva that you can use with students. Our Digital Marketing Specialist, Sara Qualls, shared this bonus: Swellgarfo.com has created a handy dandy web tool where you can create custom puzzles based on the New York Times daily Connections game. Pretty cool!
2. 3D Printed Conversation Hearts
Conversation candy hearts are a colorful and cherished part of Valentine’s Day celebrations. They originated in the 19th century with the New England Confectionary Company (NECCO) and have evolved into an iconic treat featuring short expressions of love and friendship. After NECCO’s closure in 2018, Spangler Candy Company took over production, continuing the tradition with new flavors and messages. If you happen to have a 3D printer, why not try printing your own heart with a special message? Below you will find the Tinkercad steps and a video explanation.
How to 3D Print a Conversation Heart
Below you will find the detailed steps to get you and your students started with their own hearts. I also recorded a short video (3:40) on the process.
- Step 1: Under Basic Shapes, choose the heart.
- Width and length: 49 mm x 41 mm
- Depth: 3 mm
- Step 2: Under Text, choose your letters.
- Tip: I would keep the number to just three to five characters.
- Word Suggestions: Mom, Love, BFF, XOXO, Hugs, QT Pie, Smile
- Step 3: Align your letters.
- Step 4: Group the letters.
- Step 5: Leave the default dimensions (width, length, and depth) for the letters.
- Step 6: Move and center your word on top of the heart.
- Step 7: The word and the heart will be on the same plane and you need to raise the word with the black teardrop tool 3 mm. Leave 1 mm “buried” in the heart.
- Step 8: Group the shape and the words together.
- Step 9: Save and download the .stl file to print.
3. Friendship Bracelets
Red Heart Yarnspirations provides three types of patterns for friendship bracelets: the fishtail, twirled, and twisted. This should be a low-cost activity as far as materials go. A skein goes a long way! But I suggest finding a colleague or parent who knits or crochets. If they are like me, it is very hard to throw away those last little bits of a skein. I bet they would be willing to donate to your class instead of scrapping the yarn. You only need a small quantity of yarn for these bracelets. Check out the PDF instructions here.
4. Valentine Acrostic Poems
An acrostic poem is a form of poetry where the first letter of each line spells out a word or message when read vertically. They are popular for their simplicity and creativity, offering a structured yet flexible format for expression. If you are interested in putting an AI twist on an acrostic poem, try asking a chatbot to generate one. Try two prompts: a generic prompt and a more specific prompt to see the difference in what the AI generates. Here are two example prompts:
Generic: Write an acrostic poem with my name: Peggy. Limit each phrase to three words or less.
Detailed: Make an acrostic poem with my name: Peggy. Limit each phrase to three words or less. Include something about training in robotics, love for rescue dogs, baking, residing in Austin, Texas, and crocheting.
The detailed poem you see above was generated by ChatGPT 3.5 but the final poem I am sharing was adjusted to my liking. Remember, AI can get you started, but you get to put on the finishing touches.
5. Two Are a Pair
This slide deck was created in Canva. Two Are a Pair consists of giving you the first half of a famous pair. Participants guess the missing half of the pair. For example, if you are given “Bonnie,” the response would be “Clyde”. The first ten pairs should be known by students and the second set of pairs are a bit dated. So, if you are meeting with your teachers or coaches and want a Valentine’s Day activity, try this out.
6. Valentine’s Day Idioms
Valentine’s Day Idioms is a fun language arts twist on idioms! In this Valentine’s Day activity, students team up to guess the idioms and expressions related to love and friendship. Individuals or partners can guess the idioms and then determine their underlying meanings. Learning idioms has never been sweeter!
7. Valentine’s Day Breakout
And of course, would it really be a holiday without a digital breakout? The Valentine’s Day Breakout has five digital locks:
- 7 Letter
- 3 Word
- 5 Direction
- 3 Number
- 4 Color
Remember, email me at preimers@tcea.org and I will send you the answers. Access the breakout here.
With this diverse mix of traditional and technology-infused activities, your classroom is sure to be filled with fun, creativity, and lots of Valentine’s Day spirit this February. From puzzles to crafting stylish bracelets, there are options for every interest and ability level. So break out the red, white, and pink to try out these unique Valentine’s Day ideas.