Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for Early Years practitioners to introduce young children to themes of love, kindness, and friendship. While traditionally a day to celebrate romantic love, Valentine’s Day can be a great way to teach toddlers about positive emotions, caring for others, and the joy of giving.
A brief history of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has a rich history that dates back to ancient times, with origins rooted in both Roman and Christian traditions.
The most widely accepted story is that it is named after Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who was believed to have secretly performed weddings for couples during a time when marriage was forbidden by the Roman Emperor.
Over the centuries, the day evolved into a celebration of love and affection, particularly in the 14th and 15th centuries, when it became associated with courtly love. In the 18th century, Valentine’s Day gained popularity as an occasion for lovers to exchange cards, flowers, and sweet messages.
In modern times, Valentine’s Day is widely recognised around the world as a celebration of love, kindness, and friendship.
For Early Years practitioners, it’s an opportunity to introduce young children to the concepts of love, caring, and kindness in a fun and creative way through themed activities that promote social-emotional development and communication skills. Read on to discover our favourite Valentine’s Day early years activities.
Fun Valentine’s Day Activities for Young Children
Valentine’s Day Card Making
Provide children with blank cards, stickers, and crayons to create their own Valentine’s Day cards for friends or family. Expand the activity by prompting children to share who they are making the cards for and what they would like to say, fostering both emotional and social development.
Materials Needed:
- Blank cards
- Crayons, Pencils, or Pens
- Stickers
- Glue
- Glitter
Benefits:
Fine Motor Skills: By drawing, colouring, gluing, and adding stickers or glitter, children develop and refine their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. This supports the Physical Development area of the EYFS, particularly under the Moving and Handling early learning goal.
Creativity: This activity fosters self-expression and creativity as children make personalized cards, choosing colours, shapes, and designs. It aligns with the Expressive Arts and Design area of the EYFS, helping children develop their ability to express ideas and feelings through artistic activities.
Social Skills: Creating and sharing Valentine’s cards encourages children to collaborate, share materials, and communicate their thoughts and ideas. This supports the Personal, Social, and Emotional Development area, particularly in developing positive relationships and
Valentine’s Day Song and Dance
For a more musical Valentine’s Day early years activity, play love-themed songs and encourage children to dance or move to the rhythm. Expand the activity by using heart-shaped props or scarves to make the movements more interactive. Prompt children to express their feelings through dance, exploring different ways to move to the music and emphasising joy, love, and kindness. This promotes physical activity and emotional expression, while also fostering social interaction as children share the experience with their peers.
Materials Needed:
- Love-themed songs
- Heart-shaped props
- Scarves
Benefits:
Physical Development: Dancing to love-themed songs with heart-shaped props or scarves encourages children to use their bodies, improving gross motor skills, coordination, and balance. This supports the Physical Development area of the EYFS, particularly the Moving and Handling early learning goal.
Listening and Attention: As children follow the rhythm of the music, they practice their listening skills and improve their ability to concentrate on the sounds, beats, and changes in the music. This aligns with the Listening and Attention aspect of the Communication and Language area of the EYFS.
Social Interaction: The group aspect of this activity encourages children to interact with peers, share props, and dance together, fostering social connections and collaborative play. This supports Personal, Social, and Emotional Development, helping children build relationships and develop empathy and cooperation skills.
Kindness Rocks
Encourage children to decorate small rocks with positive messages, hearts, and kind words. Expand the activity by encouraging children to think about who they would like to share these kind messages with and where they might place the rocks around the setting for others to find. This promotes kindness and empathy while also fostering creativity and fine motor skills as children decorate the rocks.
Materials Needed:
- Small rocks
- Paint
- Glitter
- Stickers
- Pens
Benefits:
Social-Emotional Development: Creating kindness rocks with positive messages helps children understand and practice kindness, empathy, and thoughtfulness. It encourages them to think about how their actions can make others feel, supporting the Personal, Social, and Emotional Development area of the EYFS, particularly in understanding and managing emotions and developing positive relationships.
Fine Motor Skills: Decorating rocks with paint, glitter, and stickers helps children develop hand-eye coordination, control, and precision. This supports the Physical Development area, especially the Moving and Handling early learning goal, as children use their hands to manipulate materials in creative ways.
Language Development: Using positive words and phrases to decorate the rocks expands children’s vocabulary and encourages them to express kindness verbally. This links to the Communication and Language area of the EYFS, promoting both Speaking and Understanding as children practice using language to convey emotions and messages
Self-Love Heart Mirror Craft
Help children create heart-shaped mirrors using paper, mirrors, and decorative items. Expand the activity by encouraging children to look at themselves in the mirror and express positive affirmations, such as “I am kind” or “I am special.” This fosters self-awareness and helps build a positive self-image.
Materials Needed:
- Heart-shaped paper
- Small mirrors
- Glue
- Pens
- Stickers
Benefits:
Self-Concept: By using the mirrors and focusing on their own reflections, children can build a positive self-image and increase self-awareness. This activity supports the Personal, Social, and Emotional Development area of the EYFS, particularly in promoting self-confidence and understanding emotions.
Fine Motor Skills: As children glue, decorate, and handle the small mirrors, they develop hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and precision. This supports the Physical Development area, specifically the Moving and Handling goal, as they practice using tools and materials.
Communication Skills: Looking into the mirror and expressing positive affirmations encourages children to talk about their feelings, which helps to develop their language skills. This supports the Communication and Language area of the EYFS, particularly the Speaking aspect, as children use words to reflect on themselves and articulate their thoughts.
Heart Sorting Activity
Provide children with a variety of heart-shaped objects in different colours and sizes for sorting. Prompt the children to categorise the hearts by colour, size, or texture, encouraging them to describe the differences they notice. This fosters both cognitive development and language skills as children practice sorting and using descriptive language.
Materials Needed:
- Heart-shaped foam or paper pieces
- Small containers for sorting
Benefits:
Mathematical Development: Sorting heart-shaped objects by colour, size, or shape helps children develop early mathematical skills, such as categorisation and classification. This supports the Mathematics area of the EYFS, particularly the Shape, Space, and Measures early learning goal, as they learn to identify and sort objects based on different attributes. Who knew you can use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to improve numeracy!
Fine Motor Skills: Picking up and sorting the heart-shaped objects enhances hand-eye coordination and dexterity, which supports the Physical Development area, particularly the Moving and Handling goal. Handling small objects also encourages control and precision in fine motor movements.
Vocabulary Expansion: As children describe their sorting process (e.g., “big,” “small,” “red,” “pink”), they practice using new vocabulary and concepts. This supports the Communication and Language area, especially the Speaking and Understanding aspects, as they engage in conversations and expand their descriptive language.
Sharing Valentine’s Day Activities with Family
These Valentine’s Day activities for early years are perfect for sharing with parents and families. With eylog, you can showcase each child’s unique learning journey with their loved ones.
Find out more about eylog, or contact us today for a free demo.
