I'm sure many teachers dread the Valentine's Day craziness, but Valentine's Day has long been my favorite day of the school year. Something about all the red and pink, hearts, friendship, and love. I think it's great that there is a day to stop and be reminded to cherish all the special relationships in my life. Today provided many meaningful conversations about friendship and the joy of sharing. Below are a few of the activities we did today.
The first part of our day was spent in "The Post
Office." Each child was given a turn to play mailman and pass out their Valentine's. This activity teaches friends name's, sorting, letter recognition, and sharing. The display
cases at the front of our class, worked out perfectly for setting out the mailboxes.
Next, the children played Pin the Heart on the Elephant. The kids thought this game was hilarious. I had them sit on the back edge of the carpet in two rows. Then I sent one to sit at the table with my TA to write their name. After they wrote their names, they came over to get a blindfold and get spun. I spun them, and spun them, and spun them. The kids laughed and laughed. Then they tried to pin their heart on the elephant. This game covered literacy, fine motor, large motor, good sportsmanship, turn taking, and following rules.
We also provided the children with a craft. The easiest/fastest way to prepare the materials, is to die-cut hearts and then cut out the extra on each heart. Draw two lines on each "half" of the heart. These are the lines the children will cut. Then, help the children weave the pieces together. This activity covered following directions, fine motor, scissor skills, patterns, and
This is a great way to use all those candy hearts from Valentine's day. This activity is a great one to save and put in the child's portfolio. 
