Valentine's Day Ideas for Preschoolers

Valentine's Day ideas for toddlers that will help you create a one of a kind atmosphere of kindness and giving in your classroom and at home.

Showing loved ones that we value them is a great lesson to teach young children. Avoid the commercial frenzy and create a meaningful holiday by celebrating your relationships with people in your class and family.

You can skip ahead to the Valentines Day activities or take a moment and first read about the history behind Valentines Day. It gives a better understand of why we do things today and where did the tradition come from.

History of Valentine's Day

There are different stories behind Valentine's Day but they all have one common thread: Love, courage and friendship.

In the romantic version, Saint Valentine was a Roman nobleman who lived at about third century A.D. He was a Christian priest during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius II. Emperor Claudius believed that married men did not make good soldiers since they were more loyal to their wives and children than to him.

He therefore issued a rule, not allowing soldiers to marry. Valentine disobey this ruling and secretly continued to marry young lovers.

When Valentine was caught he was thrown to jail. Claudius did not spare his life and the legend tells that before Valentine was killed, he sent a letter to his daughter signed: From your Valentine. On February, 14, A.D. 270, Valentine was beheaded and buried.

During the middle ages celebrations of Valentine's Day spread to other countries such as England.

Today, Valentine's Day is a popular holiday in many countries and is an opportunity to celebrate love and friendship.

Valentine's Day Theme Kindergarten Activities

Books

Find out what are my top five all time favorite Valentine's Day stories for young children.

Arts and Crafts

From love birds, to heart cards, collage and banners. You can find activities that promote social skills, fine motor skills and language development.

Music

It is a misconception that children only enjoy listening to 'kids' music. From my experience children love grooving to adult tunes. Here is my playlist for Valentine's Day:

1. All You Need is Love - The Beatles

2. Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elton John

3. In My Life - The Beatles

4. I See The Moon - Jim Brickman

5. Love Me Do - The Beatles

6. The Glory of Love - Bette Midler

Cooking

Share the love in the kitchen with these yummy Valentine's Day Recipes for preschoolers.

Love Notes

Set up a mailing station with sentence strips that say "I love you" "You are my friend" "You are special to me" Give the children time to copy the words and 'mail' it to their friends.

Heart of Good Deeds

Cut out a large size heart and fill it up with good deeds the children did for one another.

Games

Musical Chair Game

Set up musical chairs the usual way except this time the rules change. This time no child can leave the game. Every time you stop the music and remove a chair the child that is left without a place to sit needs to be invited by his/hers other friends. By the end there should be one chair and all the children sitting on it!

Jokes

Here is a cute Valentines Day Joke:

"Knock Knock,
Who's there?
Love
Love who?
Love YOU!"

Reaching Out

Call a grandparent, a godparent, an uncle, an aunt and tell them why you are happy to have them in your life.

Bulletin Boards

Visit this page for some bulletin board ideas and to submit your own bulletin board.