One of my favorite things about teaching young kids is getting to experience holidays with their excitement and expectation. Valentine’s Day is no exception! I have found that by engaging students with the holiday I can better hold their attention and engagement so we can keep learning. Here’s some fun and engaging Valentine’s Day activities that your students will love.

Valentine’s Day Hidden Pictures

My students love hidden pictures. They love trying to figure out what the picture will be. They love the thrill of figuring out the unknown. And if they love them – then so do I!

It can be hard to find this type of Color by Code in the primary grades. So often, they are pages that are similar to a coloring page where the picture is very obvious. And while students always enjoy them, something different happened in their focus and engagement when a hidden picture was used.

All of that led to creating editable hidden picture puzzles. Puzzles that could be used again and again for a variety of skills and concepts. While I generally only use a picture once during the course of the year, I can change it up the next year for a different skill.

The other thing I have done is to use the same skill but put it on multiple pictures so that there are a variety of pictures being completed. This is great for adding some extra fun when the kids realize their picture is different from their classmates. This also makes a really cute bulletin board with lots of different pictures.

You can find all of the Valentine’s Day Hidden Picture Puzzles in this resource. With multiple puzzles you will be all set for the weeks leading up to this “love”-ly holiday.

Valentine’s Day Writing

We always tell our students to write what they know about, what they have experienced. But, equally good advice is to write what you are thinking about. And in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day we know what is on their mind. These February Picture Writing Prompts are the perfect addition to your writing center.

This resource includes picture writing prompts for the entire month, which means you get Valentine’s Day but you also get Groundhog Day, President’s Day, picture prompts for the big football game, and more!

As a primary teacher one of my writing goals is to get my students thinking about details. Why? Well, this can take their story from a simple one sentence “I see a cat.” to more. It helps them start to expand their writing.

These picture writing prompts were created with this in mind. Each page has a picture that will help the students get started. But . . . there is plenty of space for them to add details to the picture too. Once they’ve added the details to the picture then it is easier for them to write about the details.

You can use these pages for a variety of writing styles too. For example, this Valentine picture could used for a personal narrative, creative writing, to write a poem, a how to for creating a valentine or even expository writing about how Valentine’s Day began. Give students a writing prompt or sentence starter, or let them use the picture for the inspiration.

Hands on CVC Practice

By February, we have completed quite a bit of instruction and practice on CVC words. But there’s always room to practice reading! These CVC reading comprehension puzzles are a great way to see if students are reading and understanding the CVC words.

I love to use these puzzles in small group before I release them as an independent center. In the small group I am able to informally assess basic reading comprehension skills. I am looking to see if students can blend the word, and understand the word the read so they can find the matching picture. I generally start by laying out all the picture cards. Then I give each student in the group a word card.

However, sometimes you’ve got kiddos that are struggling with reading. While we use this as a great practice activity, we also use it as a skills review for reading strategies. Here I lay out the word cards and give each student a picture card. They tell me the picture, then we use what we do know (beginning sound, ending sounding) to try and find a word that matches. Once we find one or more word cards that match the beginning or ending sound, we practice sounding out and blending the word until we find the right one.

Once student have played in small group, I put them out as a center activity they can do independently or with a partner.

And one for the teacher . . .

So this isn’t a Valentine’s Day activity for the students, although it kinda is. In most classrooms, students will exchange Valentine’s cards and treats with each other. Use this special Teacher Valentine card to show your students just how much care.

I don’t know what says primary teacher more than the alphabet. And this editable card allows you to add in your students name and your name before you print. In just a few minutes you have a special card for each student that is ready for the Valentine’s Day party. No stress!

Save these Valentine’s Day Activities

Just pin this to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can come back when need ideas for Valentine’s Day activities and more!