Valentine’s Day Circle Time Activities for Preschoolers

Valentine’s Day activities and lessons help preschoolers understand more about love, kindness, and being a good friend. Use these activity ideas during circle time, at play centers, and in small groups – the students are certain to love them!

Valentine’s Day Circle Time Activities

Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love, friendship, and all the wonderful people and things in our lives. We can feel love for a variety of things – people, pets, a favorite toy, or even a place! But “love” is an abstract concept, so it can be difficult for young children to define it in terms that they understand. These activities help students lay a foundation for building on the idea of “love” for the rest of their lives!

This unit includes TEN DAYS of teaching ideas, including:

• Showing Love – How do we express this feeling?
• Sending Cards – the classic Valentine activity!
• Showing Gratitude – Who are we thankful for, and how do we let them know?
• Acts of Kindness – Ways to be kind and show love, even for strangers!
• Showing Appreciation – How do we show others that we care about them?
• Flowers – A traditional way of showing love and appreciation.
• Chocolate and Candy – including a chocolate playdough activity!

All of these topics have complete lessons prepared in this circle time unit for Valentine’s Day! On each day, show the real pictures and discuss the concept in each image. There are also polls, carpet games, songs, poems, and enrichment ideas too!

Remember, children learn best from doing and not just watching. Add props, puppets, and other real objects that the students can touch, see and hear to make the most of every circle time lesson.

CARPET GAME – Pretty Flowers

Carpet games are a fun way to learn at circle time! This flower-themed poem and game are perfect for Valentine’s Day. The students take turns guessing where the flowers are by choosing a vase by the number. Simple but sweet! Find this carpet game in the Valentine’s Day Circle Time unit.

Check out some more fun carpet games here!

CONCEPT OF WORD – I Love My _______

Concept of Word is an essential pre-reading ability. Children point to each word as they read and match their speech to print so that every word gets one touch. This skill is referred to as tracking. An easy way to support children who are practicing tracking is to put touch dots – or in this case, hearts – under each word. 

More information about developing Concept of Word is on the post here.

Valentine’s Day Movement Poems

It’s well-known that preschool students learn best when they are moving! These sweet “Roses are Red” poems encourage them to jump, spin and wiggle while practicing their rhyming skills! Find these and more in the Valentine’s Day circle time unit!

Valentine’s Day Centers

Valentine’s Day Bingo

Visual discrimination abilities get a workout while playing this fun Bingo game! Students search the page for the different people, places, and things they love and place a heart marker over the spaces. Literacy receives a little boost, too, as the words are below each item. This item is included in the Valentine’s Day Circle Time unit.

Sensory Table Ideas to Love

Sensory activities help build fine motor skills and develop self-regulation. They are also a lot of fun and easy to customize to fit any holiday or theme. Explore several variations as well as other center ideas in this post about Valentine’s Day Center Ideas!

Special Delivery Bulletin Board

This vertical interactive bulletin board gives children another opportunity to practice number identification, subitizing, counting, and sorting while also encouraging them to work together. See more pictures of interactive boards HERE and print the pieces for yourself HERE.  

Books They’ll Love!

Students will love these Valentine’s Day-themed books. Fill up the bookshelves with wonderful picture books to help celebrate the day.

Flower Shop Dramatic Play

Who doesn’t love fresh flowers? Transform the dramatic play area into a place where students can pick a bouquet for their Valentine with the help of this printable set!

Looking for more ideas to love?

How about some lovely counting mats?

Practice mailing Valentine with this sweet Post Office dramatic play center!