Celebrating Valentine's Day in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Celebrating Valentine's day does not just have to be for lower elementary. Lots of kids still enjoy it in the upper elementary classroom too. Hey, even the teacher loves it. 

I have a quick disclaimer to make. I work in a tiny school and I have the same kids for two or three years, depending on the year. I have had my current fifth graders since they were little third graders. With that in mind, I have to shake things up from year to year to keep it fresh since I teach multi-grade and get to hold on to the same kiddos for so many years. So because of that, I have to have a huge collection of activities that I can rotate each year.

Valentine's Day Boxes in Upper Elementary

Today, my fifth graders were asking if we could do Valentine's Day boxes. I have to admit. I love the boxes ....a lot. I enjoy seeing the creativity and originality or each student. Their personalities and passions shine through. They actually teach me something about themselves when they create these amazing boxes. It is always a surprise to see the boxes they create to hold their cards from our card exchange. They are excited to share and to see each others' and I think it is fun to create a little competition around them. So we will be doing that again this year. 

Valentine's Day Books in Upper Elementary

My students love...LOVE a good book. They love chapter books and also picture books. No book is off limits, including picture books that others may see as books for the younger crowd. Kids love growing up, but they also love the familiarity of a simple book. I love reading them just as much as they love hearing them. Here are some of the books I have collected through the years. 

Games

We love games and having fun. I love doing Minute to Win it challenges with the class. Kids this age are very competitive. A little competition is just what they need.

S.T.E.M. 

S.T.E.M. challenges are perfect for any holiday. They are perfect because they are not something we do everyday. They are a challenge, in a good way. They get kids interaction and work together. They stretch kids' creativity and ingenuity. They give kids a break from the usually learning tasks and bring a novel form of learning. They are super fun. Last year we did a Valentine's Day bridge building S.T.E.M that I got from Maniacs in the Middle. It was so much fun. This year, I purchased a class set of Valentine hashtag blocks that we will be using for small S.T.E.M. challenges. 

The History Behind the Holidays

I feel like this topic is included in every holiday I talk about. I just love helping kids learn about where traditions that surround the holidays came from and Valentine's Day is no different. Last year, I created several articles to help my students learn about some of the most obvious traditions. This year I created some more articles that I can use in my class. Here is a quick list what traditions and things my students learn about. 

Conversation Hearts

Valentine's Day Cards

Chocolate

Traditions around the World

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue Poems

Paris, the City of Love

The Love Lock bridge

We read and do comprehension activities. We extend our learning with other activities that tie into our learning as well. 

Card Exchanges and Small Gifts

Card exchanges are a must for me. We all bring cards (whoever chooses to) and some bring small candies to share with classmates. It is just so much fun to share and put a smile on the faces of others. The kids feel that. They feel the love. I enjoy bringing something small to share with the class as well. Maybe it is a pencil, a book, and special treat, just something to let them know they are loved and I am glad they are a part of our class family. 

Party

This year, we are having a donut themed party. I found cute donut erasers to pass out. We will have real donuts too. I am bringing glazed donuts and we will have a donut bar. Students will get to frost their donut with pink frosting and add sprinkles if they want. We will spend some time immersed in Valentine's books, eating donuts and maybe sipping some hot chocolate too. 

I hope these ideas help you find ways to make the holiday special in your classroom. Whatever you do, your kids will love it.

Here is a link to my History Behind Valentine's Day pack if you are interested. 

If you want to see some of the boxes we created in previous years click here. 

More Valentine's Day activities here.