Valentine's Day Activities for Upper Elementary and Middle School Students

Teachers everywhere know that Valentine's Day always seems to bubble over with anxious anticipation and candy-fueled excitement for many students. There's a unique buzz in the air as students in upper elementary and middle school classrooms navigate Valentine's Day celebrations. That's why I love finding fun ways to harness all that energy with educational games and activities. Capitalizing on all of the excitement is a perfect way to engage students. 

In the spirit of making Valentine's Day more than just heart-shaped chocolates, I've curated a list of my go-to activities and games. These are not your run-of-the-mill, elementary school crafts. Nope, these are tailor-made for big kids who crave something a bit more sophisticated. Get ready to infuse your classroom with the perfect blend of Valentine's Day spirit and meaningful learning. Let's dive in!

BONUS: Many of these ideas work for virtual instruction as well!

Fact Hunt - Make learning about Valentine's Day super fun with a fact hunt. Type up some facts about Valentine's Day (or find some right here). Then, hide the facts around the classroom or school for students to find and add to their notes. This activity works well in a socially distanced classroom as well!

Doodle Poster - Doodles make learning so engaging. Encourage students to create a doodle poster with their collection of facts that they found on the fact hunt (above) or they can conduct their own research. You can even take the doodling a step further and host doodle challenges with Valentine's Day objects. Find my favorites here.

Rebus Valentine - Did you know that some of the very first Valentines ever sent where rebuses? That's why this FREE activity is a perfect way to celebrate the day. Students can create their own rebus valentines and even add an artistic element with this writing activity.

Jumbled Jokes - I love this activity! First, find a Valentine's Day joke. Then, jumble the punchline. Create directions for students to unscramble the punchline. Finally, share the directions for unscrambling out loud. This activity practices listening and following directions skills while bringing a few giggles to the classroom. Find a set of jumbled jokes with directions right here. (This is perfect for virtual learning.)

Anti-Love Letter - Skip the mushy sentiments associated with Valentine's Day and challenge students to craft an anti-love letter. Your students will love creating a break up letter and sharing it with their classmates. You can find my favorite way to teach this lesson (inspired by conversation hearts) right here.

Broken Hearts - Review vocabulary on Valentine's Day with heart puzzles. Simply write a vocabulary word on one side of a heart shape and its definition on the other. Cut apart the heart shape to create a unique puzzle. Pass out the separated words and definitions to students. Then, challenge them to find their matches before teaching their word to the class.

Pictionary - Playing a few rounds of Pictionary is always a hit with older students. Simply divide students into teams. Then, give one member of each team a word to draw while their teammates guess. You can find a list of words for students to draw here.

Cupid Says - Inspired by Simon Says, Cupid Says is a fun game to play any time during Valentine's Day. Make it especially fun for older students by letting them be "cupid" and give the directions.

True or False - Help students learn about Valentine's Day by playing a game of True or False. Share facts with students and have them decide if the statement is true or false. You can even take this activity a step further and have students research their own facts to share with students. Save time with this set of fact and fiction statements.

Wacky Libs - This lesson begins with students reviewing parts of speech. Then, with a partner, students will complete a Mad-Lib-inspired activity for a Valentine's Day history passage. The room will erupt with laugher as students read through their Wacky Libs (and they won't even notice that they are learning)! 

Timed Writing Prompts - Gather some fun writing prompts with a Valentine's Day theme for students. Then, add a time limit for students to complete their writing. Students will love racing the clock as they practice writing skills. Find timed writing prompts here.

Heart Racer - This game is so much fun! Gather a list of spelling words. Then, group students into teams of 4 or 5. Have teams line up behind a single piece of paper and a single pencil. Then, have teams work together to quickly spell out the word on the paper one letter at a time. Students should take turns adding a letter and then going to the end of the line. They'll need to move quickly to be the first team to spell the word correctly. This game is guaranteed to be a heart racer!

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Well, there you have it...some of my favorite ways to celebrate Valentine's Day while keeping kids learning. If you're looking for a set of creative writing activities to add to the mix, find a set of 5 right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Mary Beth

P.S. Don't forget to download this FREE Valentine's Day lesson!

Best Brain Breaks and Warm-Up Activities Every Teacher Should Try in the Classroom

Games are a tried and true way to engage students. Whether teaching in-person or remotely via a live session like Zoom or Google Meets, teachers know that games, brain breaks, and icebreakers are an awesome way to get students actively involved in learning. With the ever-changing landscape of education, I thought it might be nice to compile some versatile activities that challenge students in really fun ways. Best part? These activities are very low prep and work in a variety of settings.

These activities encourage students to listen, solve problems, be creative, and practice critical skills. They're designed to be easy to do with little to no prep. You can easily add one of these games to any lesson as a warm-up, closure, community building activity, or lesson extender. 

 GAMES & ACTIVITIES 

⭐How Many? Give students a category and then challenge students to see how many different things they can fit within that classification. At first students will respond with obvious ideas. However, as they brainstorm, their ideas will stretch and their creativity will grow. Students can jot their ideas down on scrap paper and earn points for each unique response when they share out.

Here are some categories to get started: occupations, things that are slimy, things that roll, animal noises, articles of clothing

⭐Listen Carefully: Read a short passage out loud to students. Then, have them answer questions based on what they can remember. Make it especially fun by awarding points for every answer that students get right. You can change up this activity by reading two versions of the same story. Mix up some of the details in the second version for students to listen for.

Give this activity a try with the passages in this set of FREE Brain Bursts. Add your information below and then check your inbox!

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⭐Silly Silent Spelling: Practice spelling words in a super silly way. Explain to students that you are going to be giving them a practice spelling test (definitely NOT the real thing). Just like a typical practice test, they'll listen for the word and write it down. However, here's the catch: you're only going to silently mouth the words. Students will need to read your lips to figure out what word they will need to write down. Of course, figuring out a word from a silent cue is not easy. That's what makes this fun. Students will write down some wild guesses as they spell their way through this game.

⭐One Word: Pose a fun question to the class and have them all think of a one-word answer. Then, give every student a chance to share their responses as you call on each of them. Here are some questions to get started:

--- If you were a type of dessert, what would you be?

--- Where do you feel happiest?

--- How would a soccer ball describe its day?

--- Where is somewhere that you would like to visit?

--- What would be the perfect gift for you? 

⭐Mystery Item: This activity is quick and easy to play. To prepare, write 5 or 6 clues about an object. Make the clues gradually increase in their specificity. Then, read the clues to students as they jot down their guesses for the mystery item until you reveal the answer.

⭐Punchline: Start telling a joke to students, and then have them guess the punchline. Find a ton of jokes for kids here.

⭐Strike a Pose: Explain to students that they are going to pretend that they are in a photograph. They will need to imagine that the photo was taken at the height of the event. All they have to do is strike a pose after you give them a situation. For instance, you might say, "haunted house," and then students would freeze in a pose that shows them frightened or terrified. 

Here are a few situations to try: Dentist Office, Roller Coaster, Last Day of School, Scary Movie, Food Fight, Race

⭐Timed Writing Activities: Engage students with a creative writing prompt. Then, "amp up" the fun factor by adding a timed element. Challenge students to race the clock as they write as much as they can in a fixed time period. Find my favorite prompts here.

⭐And Then...: This is a listening game for the entire class. Students will need to listen to and add to a growing story. You'll start the story with an opener like, "At the zoo, I decided to open the lion's cage, and then..." Next, you'll call on a student to explain what happened next. That student will add one line and the phrase "and then" before selecting another student to add to the story. 

⭐Listen and Draw: Students love this activity! To prepare, create a simple illustration filled with shapes and designs. Then, write out the directions for students. Have students complete the activity on a piece of paper. Read each direction to students and challenge them to replicate the illustration you instructed them to draw. (These are included in the exclusive freebie below.)

⭐Class Pet: Pretend that you have a new class pet. Explain to students that they will need to guess the type of animal. Students will need to ask questions and write their guesses on a piece of paper when they think they have figured out the new class pet.

⭐Add the Ending: Engage students as they practice writing and storytelling skills with this activity. First, students will listen to the beginning of a story that you read to them. Then, they'll take over the writing and complete the story. The story starters are a fun way to motivate students to write. 

⭐Alien, Tiger, and Cat: Here's an improvisational theatre game that works in the classroom. Explain to students that they can be one of three things: an alien, a cat, or a tiger. If they choose to be an alien, they need to hold their pointer fingers next to their head (like antennae) and say "bleeb, bleeb." To be a cat, they need to rub their wrist along their face (like a cat cleaning itself) and say "meow." Finally, to be a tiger they need to push their hand forward with a claw stance and roar. On your cue, every student will choose and act like an animal. The goal is to get everyone to choose the same animal (which is nearly impossible, but fun to try).

⭐Rapid Recall: Create a list of random words. Then, read the list of words to students. As you read the words, you might have students put their hands on their heads so that you know for sure that they aren't taking notes. Once you've read the words to students once or twice, wait about a minute before letting students write down every word that they remember. (Find ready-made lists in this complete resource.)

⭐Finish the Fact: Share the beginning of a fact with students. Then, challenge them to complete the fact. Have them share their guesses before revealing the complete fact. Find a collection of random facts here.

Want a free set of virtual classroom activities designed to be NO PREP and NO COPIES? Just add your name and email below.

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BONUS: Here's one more idea:

⭐Paper Airplanes: Help students practice following directions by challenging them to fold a paper airplane by following your directions. To get started, choose a paper airplane design to have students fold. Then, have students take out a piece of paper. They'll need to listen carefully to each of your directions to make their paper airplane. 

Wishing you tons of fun in your (virtual) classroom,

Mary Beth

P.S. Find a TON of ready-made activities HERE.

The Socially Distanced Classroom: Learning Activities that work with Social Distancing

 

When I first imagined a socially distant classroom, I had an overwhelming sense of sadness. I was flooded with images of classrooms under "normal" circumstances. I had flashbacks of kids rotating through fun learning stations, playing games together, reading in small groups, completing learning fact hunts, doing hands-on projects, and getting imaginative with their learning. For an instant, I felt like those days were over. 

Then, I remembered the most fundamental truth about educators: "Teachers are innovative." 

I knew it was time to think creatively about instruction. So, I took a deep dive into some of my favorite ways to get kids learning, and guess what? With small tweaks, we can still make learning engaging, motivating, and meaningful...and if it means that kids will have to do it 6 feet apart, no problem! The learning activities may be a little different, and we may need to get a little creative, but I'm hopeful that you'll be able to find some ideas below that just might work in your socially distanced classroom.

I love fact hunts! They're a great way to introduce or review material with students. Under "normal" circumstances, you would hide a ton of facts around the classroom or school. Then, students would rotate around and collect the information. Since students move around freely to collect facts, I thought that this might not work in a socially distanced classroom, but then I realized that with a few more parameters and a bit more planning it could work. Here's how:

• --- Write facts about a topic on 1/2 sheets of paper.
• --- Tape the facts around the classroom or along a hallway, spacing the facts at least 6 feet apart.
• --- Explain to students that they will be collecting facts as they rotate around the classroom.
• --- Designate where each student will begin.
• --- Then, after collecting the first fact have students move on your cue to the next fact as they rotate through every fact.

Adding a little movement to learning is a powerful and easy way to make learning fun. I've created fact hunts for back to school, literary devices, ancient civilizations, and holidays. They're always a blast. Check them out here.

Let's be honest, kids are always requesting to have class outside. Now is the perfect time to do just that. To prep, just set out flags, blankets, or cones to designate where kids can work while remaining socially distant. Then, have students bring their work outside. 

Since the kids are outside, they can also be a bit louder, so you can make it especially fun by...

• --- Letting students shout their spelling words
• --- Challenging students to read out loud in a way that everyone on their blankets can hear them
• --- Creating cheers to help remember important content
• --- Teaching new information and encouraging students to yell their responses

One of the troubling things about the socially distanced classroom is the fact that kids will have less opportunities to collaborate and work together. However, interacting with peers and working together is such a powerful part of the "normal" classroom. That's why this next idea is perfect! 

Jenny from Art with Jenny K and I created a series of collaborative anchor charts. Each student is responsible for creating an element of the chart independently. Then, the teacher assembles the collaborative anchor chart. The cool part is that not only is it creative and collaborative, it is also a powerful way for students to learn. When they see their own work as part of the chart, they're more connected to the learning.

We've created anchor chart parts on Finding the Main Idea, Sequencing, Summarizing and Growth Mindset.

I know what you're thinking, "Learning stations in a socially distant classroom?! Yeah, right!" I'm with you. At first, I thought learning stations would have to go away. But, then I realized that it's still possible to do the fun and engaging learning station activities with a small tweak. Specifically, instead of setting up different learning stations and having students rotate to each one, everyone in the class could stay in their seats and work on a single station's tasks at the same time. In other words, on the first day, everyone would complete station one. The teacher could serve as the "leader" of the station, reviewing the directions and ensuring that students have the right materials. 

While the rotations would be gone, many of the benefits of learning stations would remain because they still keep students engaged while chunking instructional material. Since stations also include a variety of activities, students will still be able to learn in various ways.

Some of my favorite stations teach critical study skills, reading comprehension, social studies, and even celebrate holidays. You can see them all here.

One of the concerns about socially distanced classrooms is that students will have to learn in a "sit and get" environment. As educators, we're always striving to move away from traditional lectures. That's where 3-D projects come in. When students can turn their learning or research into a 3-dimensional project engagement and buy-in soar. 

Here are some simple ways to make learning a little more 3-dimensional:

• --- Have students turn their notes into paper airplanes.
• --- Turn a single piece of paper into mini-books filled with notes.
• --- Let students create cootie catchers to review important concepts.
• --- Provide students with interactive notebook activities.

I love making learning more hands-on. Some of my favorite lessons are back to school mini-books, 3-D monuments for ancient civilizations, 3-D research projects and even 3-D writing lessons.

Doodling is a great way to engage students (even when they are socially distanced). Give students an opportunity to doodle during the school year and watch their engagement soar! Not only is doodling fun, it’s also been shown to help our brains process information. 

You can have students create doodles to showcase their learning at any time. Let students create doodles:

• --- To help them learn vocabulary
• --- As a way to review for a test
• --- For a book report
• --- As they learn about a new topic
• --- When they answer a test or quiz question

You might want to introduce Doodle and Do resources into your classroom. First, students complete doodle-style notes. Then, they practice their learning as they "do" different activities. You can get students doodling as they learn new vocabulary, nonfiction text features, study skills, novel studies, fact hunts, and even reading skills. 

The fact is, doodles are so adaptable and fun! Get inspired RIGHT HERE. 

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I hope you've found a few instructional ideas to bring into your socially distanced classrooms. These sure are challenging times for educators, but there's one thing we all know for sure: Teachers are innovative! I know that your students are so lucky to have you! If there's anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out to me at brainwavesinstruction@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary Beth