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Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids

February 14th is just around the corner, and that means it’s almost time for Valentine’s Day! While many people think of this holiday as a time to celebrate love and affection, it can also be a great opportunity to get in some super fun Valentines Day activities for kids. In fact, there are plenty of fun and easy Valentine’s Day workouts for kids that can help get them moving. Here are a few ideas to get you started. You can download FREE printables to help.

These are great activities to do with preschoolers and up. Toddlers may enjoy some of the activities but you will have to modify them.

What you’ll need for Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids

Materials for Some of the Valentine Activities are:

  • Large Paper Hearts – you can use the ones from Heart Hopscotch
  • Markers and pencils 
  • Red or pink ribbon or yarn
  • Red or pink balloons
  • Washable red or pink paint

10 Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids to Get Them Moving!

Valentine’s day brain breaks and workouts are excellent ways to add physical activity to this fun day. Kids will get their bodies moving so their brains are ready to learn! Valentine’s day crafts and eating candy hearts are fun but don’t forget to get those bodies moving too! This collection of valentine brain breaks will get you started right away.

Valentine Brain Break

Need something super EASY? Check out this Valentine’s Day Freeze Dance video. You can sign up below to get access to the video and the handout! Just hit play on the video and you are all set to go! Works for the entire classroom or just one student. Perfect to use during Valentine’s Day classroom parties!

Valentine’s Day Active Poem

Here is another super easy activity.  Just print or screen share this fun Valentine’s day action poem. 

I get a kick out of you. – Kick each foot 10 times.

Have a ball this Valentine’s Day. – Jump forward 10 times like a bouncing ball.

You’re a slam dunk. – Perform 10 pretend jump shots in place.

You’re an all star. – Do 10 star jumps (jumping jacks). 

You make my heart race. Run in place for 30 seconds.

Heart Hopscotch

Start moving your feet or fingers with this fun action game.  Get access to the FREE Heart Hopscotch PDF digital download to print and use right away here. You will want to keep the printed hearts for the rest of the activities too!

Challenge your students to complete the heart hopscotch pattern by hopping with their feet or using their fingers.

Love Bug Ladders 

Place the large paper hearts (each one about one foot apart) on the floor in a vertical row. Jump over the hearts moving in different directions. Jump forward, backward and side to side up and down your love ladder.

Make it a positive mindset game too! Ask the students to share something or someone that they love each time they jump up the ladder.

Heart Shaped Obstacle Course

Make a valentine-themed obstacle course using large paper valentine heart shapes as the obstacles. Place the paper hearts around the course or on a playground.  The kids have to move through the course and pick up all the hearts.

Add in fine motor skills and art activities to the obstacle course. Put paper, crayons, and envelopes at the start of the course. The child has to make quick valentine’s day cards, put it in an envelope, move through the obstacle course and deliver the heart cards to the other side of the room.

Valentines Ribbon Maze

Create a valentine ribbon maze out of string or yarn. Wrap it around chairs and desks.  Can the students move over and under the ribbons?

Valentine’s Day Balloon Relay

Use valentine-themed balloons and big cardboard tubes as the bat. Can you hit the balloon around several classroom chairs and back to the start?

If you do not have balloons, try using pieces of tissue paper wadded up to hit with your cardboard bat.

Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids – Handprint Race

This is a great fine motor and gross motor activity.  Perfect for little hands! Add it to your list of sensory activities.

Get some washable red paint. Put it on a paper plate.  Put a recycled large cardboard box and a box of baby wipes in the front of the classroom.  Divide the group into two teams. On GO, player one puts one hand in the red paint, runs down to the cardboard box, puts a handprint on the box, grabs a baby wipe to clean their hand, and runs back to start. The next player then goes.  The first team to get all their handprints on the box is the winner!

If you do not want your students to get too messy, change it up. You can have them run down to the cardboard box and trace their hand with a marker and run back to the starting line.  Pass the marker and the next child takes a turn.

Valentine’s Day Beanbag Toss

Place your numbers paper hearts in a row on the floor.  Stand behind a line.  Toss some beanbags on the hearts.  The first player to hit each target once is the winner!

If you don’t have bean bags, make a homemade cupid’s arrow out of a pool noodle.  Turn the game into Cupid’s Arrow Toss and throw it at the targets.

Valentine’s Day Ribbon Wands

Tie the red ribbon to the end of the pencil. Use your ribbon wands to draw heart shapes in the air.  Try air writing the words love, valentine, February, and more!

Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids – Scavenger Hunts

Hide paper heart around the room. How quickly can your students find them all? 

Go on a scavenger hunt throughout the school or your house to find the following 5 items:

  • red object
  • something fuzzy
  • pink object
  • purple object
  • something soft

Brain Breaks and the Benefits of Kids Exercising

Turning off screens and getting moving with brain breaks can be a benefit to valentine’s day exercise. Especially in the classroom, studies show that when teachers implement frequent movement breaks into their lessons, students learn better, pay attention longer and behave better when they return to their seats.

The benefits of valentine’s day exercise are endless! Kids can have fun exercising with valentine’s day themed objects, songs and activities that they love. Be creative and find ways to valentine’s day workout for kids today!

Need More Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids that Involve Fine Motor Skills?

Check out these FREE Valentine’s Day fine motor freebies.

How about visual motor skills? Try this free conversation heart activity.

These are fun – printable conversation heart-coloring pages.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a way to keep your kids active this Valentine’s day, take advantage of these creative classroom activities. We have so many more options that are sure to get the blood flowing and the minds thinking on February 14th! You can also use any one or all of these ideas at home with your children as well. Don’t forget about incorporating physical activity into their routine today; kids should be moving and learning not sitting around eating treats all day long!

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