Celebrate Valentine's Day, Virtually
Can you all believe that we’re deep into the 2nd semester already? February is already here! It’s no secret that the winter months are tough to get through. There are very few breaks. It’s dark and cold outside. And if you’re teaching virtually this year, there’s even less to get excited about…because you can’t have an in-person Valentine’s Party with your class!
I’m here with the perfect solution for those of you who are limited in what they can do to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your students: host a virtual Valentine’s Day party! This is a great way to bring some fun and excitement into your classroom.
How to Throw a Virtual Valentine’s Party
First, let me start off by saying that a Virtual Valentine’s Day Party can be done whether you are teaching in person, or through a computer screen. The activities included in my resource can be used completely online, or projected for use in the classroom to keep students socially distanced!
Step One: Invite Students
Ok, so the kids are going to be there anyways, right? It’s a school day. But, I believe in setting the stage and building anticipation, and sending an invitation just like it’s any outside-of-school party is a great way to get your kids really excited! You can choose to take a virtual invitation and email it out, or post it to your Google Classroom. Or, you can go so far as to print and mail them a few days in advance! If you are teaching in person, you can slip the invitations into folders or backpacks before students go home.
On the invitation, you can indicate whether or not you want your students to wear fun sweaters, red and green, if you will allow things like Santa hats, etc. If you’re completely virtual, I think the more you can lean into the fun, the better!
Step Two: Decorate!
Using Dollar Spot or other inexpensive and easy decorations, get your room ready for the party! I think this is an important step, even if you’re totally virtual. It simply helps everyone feel in the spirt of things. Now, if you are teaching virtually, you have the benefit of only needing to decorate the wall behind you, because it’s all your students will see! If your students will be there on party day, I think some red butcher paper on desks, hearts hung on the wall, and some fun songs about love and friendship playing in the background could be a nice, easy touch!
If you are in person, my Valentine’s Bunting Writing is the perfect thing to do the day before the party to use as decor. Or use it as a morning work assignment, and then create a cute display right then with your students!
Step Three: Make Valentines
A great way to kick off a valentine’s party is to start by creating valentines! If you are in person, you may have students bringing in valentines for each other already. These special valentines could be made to take home to someone, or for a bus driver, staff member, or even a friend in another class who wouldn’t normally get a valentine from that student!
For a virtual party, students can watch the directions and make the valentines at home for loved ones!
Step Four: Party Games!
What is a party without games? Some digital games are the perfect thing to project on your screen (or SMART Board) and let students play! A really fun activity for Valentine’s Day is to create a compliment chain with your students. This makes everyone feel special, and is a great way to share some love!
Step Five: Wrap Things Up with Calming Activities
I prefer to wind down the party/day with some calming, more still activities like directed drawing or doing some valentine’s writing. These are great ways to keep students still and focused, while still engaged in a seasonal activity!
What if I don’t have time to make games and invitations myself?
You’re in luck! I have pre-made slides and digital games prepped and ready to go in my Digital Valentine’s Day Party Pack. There is enough content in this pack to create a really fun party for your students. And my hope is that purchasing a pack like this takes a lot of stress off of your plate!
