Help your children understand what Valentines day is all about. Teach children about the love, friendship, kindness, and inclusion we have for each other. friendship, kindness, and inclusion.
Children learn best through play so why not try some of these Valentines day activities.
Activity 1 – Rice Play
Dye some rice red and try adding some of these items to keep it appealing to the children.
- Heart shaped cookie cutters
- Pink and red toys
- Cut out paper love hearts, add names or letters for older children
- red and pink cups, plates, spoons and bowels.
Activity 2 – Salt dough
- Make up some salt dough and roll it out
- Place the child hand over the top
- Use a plastic knife to cut around the shape of their hand.
- Cut a small heart in the palm of the salt dough, you can use a cookie cutter.
- Paint the dough once it has set
- Add a photo of the child or the family.
Red or Pink goes well with the valentines day colours but remember to ask the children what colour they want to use.
Activity 3 – Friendship Necklace
Making a Friendship bracelet is a great way of showing love and kindness to your friends.
- Get some string or ribbon – I would suggest getting some nylon string
- Using card cut out a heart shape, you can use paper but card is stronger
- Use the hole punch to make a hole in the centre of the heart
- Decorate the heart, write a friendship note or draw a picture.
- Place the string through the heart
- Get some different coloured beads add some to either side of the heart
- Tie up the ribbon or string
- now your child is ready to give their friend a Friendship necklace
Activity 4 – Discovery Basket
Create your own valentines discovery basket, this will be easy if you like the colour pink and red. Search around your house for items that are red, pink and white. place them in a basket and let your child explore the different objects that are the same colour. here are some items you could add:
- Red apple
- Plastic spoon, bowl, cup
- Cut out red hearts
- Lego
- Gloves
- Shoe
- Ribbon
- Red material
- Tinsel
Activity 5 – Jelly Play
Jelly play is always fun for children to explore, be prepared for children to eat the jelly. here are different things to try:
- Prepare some red fruits, strawberries, cherries and any other red fruit add the jelly and allow to set
- Find some red, pink and white objects to add, such as Lego, toy animals, other toys then add the jelly to set.
- Jelly on its own, this can be plain but it has a completely different texture to the others.
Activity 6 – Rock Painting
A fun different activity for children to explore
- Go on a hunt with the children and look for that perfect rock.
- Paint the rock red or pink maybe add some white spots or stripes or just paint a heart on the rock.
- Using black paint on their name
- Make them unique to the child.
Remember to always let the child make their own. you can make your own also to show them how you like it, and talk about why you like each of them.