Free Valentine’s Day Preschool Lesson Plans
The season of love is here and it’s the perfect time to dive deep into kindness lessons as you celebrate your little ones! These Valentine’s Day activities for preschoolers are full of fantastic ideas that will make your preschool lesson planning a cinch!
You can download them as a set of free preschool lesson plans at the end of this post.
Free Valentine’s Day Activities for Preschoolers
From candy hearts to paper heart crafts, Valentine’s Day is so.much.fun in preschool. Kids love easy Valentine sensory bins, play dough activities, and other learning activities. Those little faces are so excited to share their handmade notes of friendship and care for one another (that many likely stayed up far too late the evening before to make special and unique).
There’s no denying that preschoolers have big emotions. Which means they love BIG as well. Teaching them to use those big emotions to give compliments to others, share their appreciation, and show affection is truly such a joy.
The 16+ Valentine’s Day activities for preschoolers in this list are sure to bring love and friendship to your classroom.
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Product on saleValentine’s Small Pack – 6 ActivitiesOriginal price was: $5.00.$1.00Current price is: $1.00.
FAQ About Teaching Valentine’s Day to Preschoolers
It’s traditional to do a card exchange on Valentine’s Day. It’s always something preschoolers look forward to and something that remains special. In addition to that, we also celebrate by doing a valentine process art project and doing thematic learning activities like these printable Valentine’s Day centers. You can try these Montessori inspired tray activities, have a special Valentine’s Day snack, and enjoy this beautiful Valentine’s Day sensory bin.
The best way to teach toddlers about Valentine’s Day is to teach the meaning of the holiday. It’s not about candy and receiving gifts; it’s a time to celebrate love and friendship and the joy of having other people in your life. This is a good opportunity to teach your toddler about kindness, too, by using these 28 days of kindness cards.
Say it back! Sometimes preschoolers don’t hear the words “I love you,” so I say it back to them. It’s important to teach preschoolers it is ok to express their positive emotions. If you feel uncomfortable telling your preschooler you love them, then say something like “I appreciate you,” or “that makes me feel so special,” or “I love having you in my class.”
Need Printable Valentine’s Preschool Centers?
Looking for something to help teach your preschoolers about kindness and friendship, as well as letters and numbers?! This Valentine’s Day Activity Pack includes six super fun activities and multiple variations of each! >>> Valentine’s Day Activity Pack <<<
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Product on saleValentine’s Small Pack – 6 ActivitiesOriginal price was: $5.00.$1.00Current price is: $1.00.
Hands-on Valentine’s Day Activities for Preschoolers
Preschoolers are active little humans, so they’re going to learn best through play and–you guessed it–activity! Try these hands-on Valentine’s activities for preschoolers. There are over 16 valentine activities in this post, so you can completely fill out your Valentine’s preschool lesson plans!
Literacy Activities for a Valentine’s Day Theme
Alphabet Puzzle Hearts – This learning activity includes arts and crafts! Cut out a large heart from a piece of construction paper. Once it’s cut out, cut the heart into four parts/puzzle pieces. Choose a letter to focus on that your preschooler doesn’t already know. Write the capital letter on one puzzle piece, the lowercase on another, and then invite your preschooler to draw something that begins with that letter on the third puzzle piece. Lastly, invite your preschooler to look through a magazine and see what they can cut out for that letter. Cut, glue, and piece together your heart letter puzzle.
Writing Valentine’s Cards – Whether handmade or from the store, encourage your preschooler to write their friends’ or family members’ names and draw a picture or “write” a sweet message of care. Take the time to create a personal “mailbox” for the sweet Valentines they receive from their friends and family, too!
Don’t Forget to Add Some Valentine’s Picture Books!
I’m always getting asked for book recommendations for Valentine’s Day, so here is a small Valentine’s book list to get your preschool classroom library off to a good start.
- The Night Before Valentine’s Day
- Wing, Natasha (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Colandro, Lucille (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 11/01/2012 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Inc. (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Berenstain, Stan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Dougherty, Brandi (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 11/28/2017 (Publication Date) – Cartwheel Books (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Dean, James (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Diesen, Deborah (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 11/12/2019 (Publication Date) – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (Publisher)
- Brady, Jessica (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 29 Pages – 01/27/2020 (Publication Date) – Independently published (Publisher)
- Bond, Felicia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 36 Pages – 12/12/2006 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Math and Science Activities for a Valentine’s Day Theme
Valentine’s Ten Frame Counting – This fun and low-prep activity is great for counting and fine motor practice. Just print and use holiday-themed counters (buttons, conversation heart candies, beads, etc). Help your preschooler count out loud and move one counter at a time to practice building one-to-one correspondence and cardinality.
Bead Pattern Bracelets – Using heart beads or red, white, and pink beads, invite your preschooler to “string” them onto pipe cleaners to make a pattern. Encourage your little one to use tongs/tweezers if you have them and make lots of patterned bracelets! Make a matching patterned necklace for even more practice.
Fizzy Hearts – Using any heart-shaped bowls, cups, or ice-cube trays, invite your preschooler to sprinkle in some baking soda along with a few drops of food coloring (use red, pink, or purple in each bowl/cup). Pipe or pour in some vinegar and watch the magic happen! Feel free to explore with other colors for color mixing fun.
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Product on saleValentine’s Small Pack – 6 ActivitiesOriginal price was: $5.00.$1.00Current price is: $1.00.
Make Valentine’s Day Extra Fun!
This is completely unnecessary, but it you want to make this Valentine’s day even more fun, use Valentine’s themed toys and cards! Here’s what I use in my own preschool.
- Rich Combination: the generous pack includes 214 acrylic gems in 5 styles (red, white, purple, rose…
- Reliable Material and Suitable Size: the heart acrylic gems are made of acrylic, measuring about…
- Improve Fine Motor Skills: activities involved in using the sorting set like picking up the gems…
- Package Includes: 120 pieces of heart acrylic gems(red, green, purple, yellow, pink and blue), with…
- Reliable Material and Proper Size: these heart acrylic gems are made of acrylic material; Average…
- Improves Fine Motor Skills: this sorting set can improve your little one’s sorting and counting…
- Special Value Package: You will receive 16 Valentine cards and 16 finger puppets. Vivid image,…
- High Quality: The mini finger puppets are made of high-quality soft and comfortable cotton fabric….
- Unique Design: Our plush finger puppets are exquisitely designed with double layers of fabric, and…
Playful Learning Activities for a Valentine’s Day Theme
Snuggle & Read Fort – Encourage your preschooler to set up an indoor snuggle and reading zone with pillows, blankets, stuffed animals…anything comfy and cozy. Host a picnic with their favorite foods, read stories, or snuggle up together to celebrate Valentine’s Day and spend time enjoying each other’s company.
Get all my tips for how to choose books for preschoolers here:
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Product on saleValentine’s Small Pack – 6 ActivitiesOriginal price was: $5.00.$1.00Current price is: $1.00.
Get Crafty – Using any Valentine’s materials you have on hand, set up a tray with art supplies (pom-poms, sequins, buttons, pipe cleaners, playdough, etc.) and invite your preschooler to create. Encourage process over product and allow for free design and creativity! You’ll love what your preschooler comes up with, and most importantly, so will they!
Valentine’s Dance – Play this YouTube playlist and have a Valentine’s dance party. Fast or slow, silly or serious, it’s time to dance with all your friends and family on this special day of love.
Social-Emotional Activities for a Valentine’s Day Theme
Valentine’s Feeling Tree – Cut out some small red hearts and draw faces that depict various emotions (sad, angry, scared, happy, silly, worried, etc.). Hole punch the hearts and string some yarn through the holes to make them into ornaments.
Head outside and gather some branches from a tree to use. Invite your preschooler to hang up the heart ornaments and share a time when they had that feeling. What made them feel that emotion? Did they like the way it felt?
Making Smart Choices – Go to YouTube and listen to the book The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll. After listening to the story, talk with your preschooler about what happened in the story at the beginning.
Why did the mice decide to work together in the end? Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday to talk about teamwork and compromise. The two mice–Clayton and Desmond–made a Valentine for their teacher that was absolutely grand that they were both very proud of. How could your preschooler work together with others just like the mice did?
Just Plain Fun Activities for a Valentine’s Day Theme
Valentine’s Suncatchers – This snazzy art activity is perfect for little hands. Cut out a heart outline (or two) and place them on the sticky side of contact paper. Invite your preschooler to add colored tissue paper squares to the inside. Once filled in, cover it with a large piece of contact paper and cut away the excess. Display in a window and watch the sunlight shine through!
Valentine’s Snack Activity – Head into the kitchen and grab some simple ingredients. Using a graham cracker, some red, white, or pink frosting, and some festive Valentine’s Day sprinkles, spread the frosting onto the cracker and decorate! Much easier than baking but with all the fun of decorating. Plus it’s great fine motor practice as your preschooler picks up the sprinkles and spreads the frosting.
Confetti Heart Art – Keep those little fingers busy with this fun heart activity. Using heart confetti or torn/cut up pieces of paper, glue onto a heart outline or encourage your preschooler to organize the confetti into the shape of a heart independently.
Get Online Activities for a Valentine’s Day Theme
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the book I Love You Too by Ziggy Marley. After reading this story, invite your preschooler to share how this book made them feel. Sharing our feelings with others is important and a great way to show you care. Encourage your preschooler to choose someone special and send/write a message that shows their love and deliver it in person (if possible).
5 Little Hearts Song – This sweet little song is an adorable tune for this love-filled holiday!
If You Love Me and You Know It Song – This clever re-make of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” is a great way to encourage sharing our feelings and love.
Get Your Free Valentine’s Day Lesson Plans Here
Think you’d like to add these Valentine’s Day activities to your preschool lesson plans? Just click the image below to receive my FREE preschool lesson plans for Valentine’s Day.
Try These Printable Valentine’s Centers
Looking for something to help teach your preschoolers about kindness and friendship, as well as letters and numbers?! This Valentine’s Day Activity Pack includes six super fun activities and multiple variations of each!
These Valentine’s day activities for preschoolers are designed to be used again and again, and your preschooler will want to do them again and again for sure!
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Product on saleValentine’s Small Pack – 6 ActivitiesOriginal price was: $5.00.$1.00Current price is: $1.00.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
