When it comes to the holidays, any holiday, I love to stock my centers with fun thematic activities! This year, I’m adding these FREE heart pattern blocks printables to our math center, making it a sweet addition to our other Valentine’s Day math activities!
When we celebrate Valentine’s Day in preschool, we celebrate for much more than a single day. That’s because we always do a friendship preschool theme in February, which I find so fitting for Valentine’s Day!
It’s pretty simple to take the traditional story of St. Valentine and use that as a jumping point to teach children about loving others for their friendship and kindness. (You can preview this short YouTube video and show it to your class. This is another, less cheesy, one.)
While hearts are a kitschy way to represent Valentine’s Day, they are fitting for what they represent. In preschool, that is the celebration of caring and kind friendships.
Valentine’s Heart Pattern Block Printable
Have you ever wondered why these little geometric shapes are called pattern blocks? Typically when they are used, children are simply matching up the colors and shapes to complete designs with a range of complexity. Where is the ABAB in that? Well, making matches is one of the beginning steps in learning how to make patterns.
As children work with pattern blocks, they learn to differentiate colors, shapes, and sizes as they are making those matches. All skills which are important in copying, extending, and building real patterns.
Materials
- laminator
- heavy card stock
- pattern blocks
- free printable at the end of this post
The Set-up
Just print the free math printable in color, then laminate! Place on a tray with a bowl of pattern blocks. (You can grab your copy of the printable at the end of this post).
Five Valentine’s Day Math Activities from One Printable
As always, I like to offer a few different ways to use my printables, as I understand that you may have some preschoolers who need some extra challenge or some accommodations. Who wants to buy extra stuff when you can make what you have multipurpose?
Here are five different ways children can use the pattern block printable:
- Use this printable the traditional way and building real patterns the pattern blocks to the appropriate shapes in the heart.
- For more of a challenge, invite preschoolers to see how they can make the shapes using different pattern blocks. For example, can three green triangles make a trapezoid? Or what shapes can be used to make the yellow hexagons?
- For more of a challenge, invite preschoolers to try to copy the pattern on a separate tray, using the printable as a guideline, not a template.
- For younger preschoolers, help them choose one color/shape to find and add to the printable. It is common for younger preschoolers to get overwhelmed by a giant bowl of various shapes, so choosing one color is easier. Then, when they are placing the color on the printable, you can help them name the actual shape.
- For really young preschoolers (2-3 years), just let them add the pattern blocks however they choose. Simply being allowed to “play” with the pattern blocks helps the child build spatial awareness and fine motor skills, and it builds their confidence and independence as they get to make their own choices. Sit down next to the children and talk about the shapes and colors they are choosing and model making matches.
Grab Your FREE Valentine’s Pattern Blocks Printable Here
This you want to add this to your math center or busy box for quiet time? You can grab your own copy by clicking the image below!
Want More Heart Activities?
Check out these other hear activities and then keep scrolling to get your FREE copy of my Valentine’s pattern block printable from this post!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Heart Letter Puzzles // Pocket of Preschool
Valentine Hearts Ten Frame Clip Cards // Mrs. Jones Creation Station
Heart Digraph Puzzles // The Kindergarten Connection
Printable Valentine’s Math Activities // Stay at Home Educator
Alphabet Hearts // Playdough to Plato
Valentine’s Day Emergent Reader // Sweet Sounds of Kindergarten
Heart Syllable Sort // Recipe for Teaching
Candy Hearts Count and Clip Cards // Modern Preschool
Heartbreakers Sensory Activity // Sugar Spice and Glitter
CVC Hearts // The Primary Post
Valentine’s Day Number Recognition Bingo Game // Schooling a Monkey
Valentine’s Day Activities (Heart Craft & Cutting Practice) // Fairy Poppins
Heart Counting Cards // Powerful Mothering
Sorting Hearts Fine Motor Tray // Teach Me Mommy
Candy Heart Estimation Station // The STEM Laboratory
Contraction Conversation Hearts // The Simplified Classroom
Chocolate Heart Play Dough Mats // Fantastic Fun and Learning
Jar of Hearts: Editable Sight Words to Read and Write // Liz’s Early Learning Spot
Hearts Make Ten Game // Sara J Creations
Heart Roll, Cover and Write Mats // Fun Learning for Kids
Heart Ice and Oil Density Experiment // Science Kiddo
Candy Heart Sentences // Pages of Grace
Heart Sight Word Match // The Letters of Literacy
Heart Name Crafts // Fun-A-Day
Want more Printable Valentine’s Activities?
Then you’ll love my Valentine’s printable pack! And while you’re here, take a look at St. Patrick’s Day, too!
Click on the images below for more details.
What are some of your favorite Valentine’s Day math activities for the kids?
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.
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