When someone says Valentine’s Day our minds often conjure images of roses, hearts, funny Valentine’s Day cards and love. But Valentine’s Day isn’t just a Hallmark holiday for lovers; it can be a great learning opportunity for children too.
According to History hand-made valentines are an American tradition that probably dates back to the early 1700s, and the first mass-produced valentines were first sold by Esther A. Howland in the 1840s. The origins of Valentine’s Day are somewhat murky, there are several different legends all centered around St. Valentine. One thing is for sure St. Valentine was the champion of lovers.
This brief video quickly illustrates one of the legends of St. Valentine; this is a perfect learning tool for School-Age children.
Valentine’s Day is a lot of fun but it is easy to overindulge with all the sugary snacks passed around in the name of St. Valentine. There are plenty of activities for at home or in the classroom that don’t involve a sugar overload.
Heart Art is always a great go-to for Valentine’s Day themed craft and Salt Dough Magnets are a great way to remember Valentine’s Day until this time next year!
Heart shaped sun catchers may take a few days to dry but are well worth the wait & a lot of fun to make.
Melting heart-shaped ice with salt & watercolors is a great way to not only work on color recognition but science as well.
There are also endless possibilities with a Valentines themed sensory tray!
Use things you have around the house to create tons of ways to use Valentine’s Day themed objects to work on basic math skills. Adding, pattern recognition, and counting are all great ways to celebrate the holiday without all the sugar.