It seems as if the ones who get most excited about Valentine’s Day are the elementary school aged children who love so many people and enjoy making and giving things much more than we older people do. I remember many fun Valentine’s Day parties that were thrown by parents and teachers while I was in school. Any excuse to not have to do school work was fun, but there was something about making crafts, playing games and having treats that can make a Valentine’s Day more special than just getting out of math class.
Are you looking for Valentine’s Day craft ideas for large groups? Perhaps you have been assigned to help your child’s class with their Valentine’s Day party this year. Maybe you home school or teach preschool and are looking for fun Valentine’s Day craft ideas for your own group of excited little ones. Whatever the need, there are all kinds of Valentine’s Day crafts that can be adapted and made suitable for large groups.
Below are some examples of just such Valentine’s Day crafts that are appropriate for the classroom. Just keep in mind that if you are planning on using food or candy for any of your projects, games, or treats make sure that you obtain a list of allergies form the children’s parents or from the teacher if she has such a list. For example, things like cookies and cakes are very traditional treats but for those with an inability to digest lactose, these treats can ruin a good time.
Heart man — A simple craft that is both inexpensive and easy to have a large group of kids working on is a man made out of hearts. There are multiple versions of this same craft, but the basic idea is that you make a man (or woman) out of construction paper that is shaped like hearts. Start with one big heart for the body and face of the heart person. Then cut out 4 more smaller hearts to serve as the hands and feet. Use long strips of paper that you have folded up accordion style to attach the hands and feet to the large circle. Draw the heart person’s face in the large center heart (add yarn hair for the girls if you wish) and enjoy. Although all of the heart people were made from the same process, coloring and decorating the person gives each person a unique look.
Mailboxes and Valentine’s notes — A fun classroom tradition that can be started by the making of crafts is to have all of the children come to school with materials that they can use to make their own mailboxes. This could be anything from an empty cereal or shoe box to a used oatmeal container. At school you can have the group of kids use construction paper, glue, crayons and the materials that they have brought themselves to put their Valentine’s mailboxes together. When the mailboxes are finished, allow the children to go from mailbox to mailbox and give each class member a Valentine’s Day note or treat.
Heart bingo boards — Another example for how a classroom craft can be turned into a game is to have all of the children create their own Bingo boards. This can be done a number of ways. Every child is going to need a Bingo card with an empty grid. You can have the children write in words that are related to Valentine’s Day or you can distribute squares of paper with pictures or words that the children can simply arrange on their board as they wish. Use conversation hearts to mark the squares that have been called out. The Winner gets all of the conversation hearts on her classmates’ boards at the time of the Bingo or she receives some other pre-determined prize.