With Valentine’s Day coming up, S and I have been having fun with love inspired learning activities. S always enjoy hands on learning activities and if it’s themed and there is candy involved it’s even better. Here are some of our favorites:
Valentine’s Day Card Making
Handing out Valentine’s Day cards is a like a right of passage. S loves to make paper crafts, so we pulled out a bunch of papers and stickers and S got to work making cards for everyone she loves.
Valentines Glitter Slime
S loves to play with slime. So, we make pink glitter slime in honor of Valentine’s Day. We found pink glitter Elmer’s glue but if you have a hard time finding it you could use clear glue with food coloring and glitter. S’s Octonauts got in on the fun this time. Below is the recipe we used for our slime:
Glitter Slime
1 bottle of Elmer’s Glue 4oz
1 Tablespoon of water
1 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon Borax
Mix the 1 Tablespoon of water and glue together. Next, dissolve the Borax into 1 cup of warm water.
Mix the Borax mixture into the glue mixture. We used our hands (the mixture will be warm, so please test with your hands prior to letting your child mix) and you can almost immediately feel the slime form. Note: Do not leave the slime in the water too long or it will get tough.
*Please watch your child while playing with this recipe and use caution if your child puts items in their mouth as Borax cannot be ingested.
Candy Heart Patterns
Using the candy conversation hearts, I started a pattern and then had S finish it. Children being able to recognize and complete patterns is an important developmental skill. Usually once S practices a couple times she then quizzes me and that’s exactly what she did with the patterns!
Candy Heart Fizzing Science Experiment
In a heart shaped muffin pan, we placed different colored conversation hearts. We added them to see how different colors would be made (for example pink and yellow together). S added 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and then added 1 Tablespoon of vinegar on top. Always quite the reaction with the baking soda and vinegar combination.
Candy Heart Counting (1 + 1 = 2, etc)
To help practice math, there is nothing more fun than using candy! I had some simple math equations written down and we used the conversation hearts to come up with the answer.
Rice Bin Sensory Play with Pom Poms and Chocolate Scented Rice
S has lots of fun with sensory bins especially those with rice. I used the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Flavor Mix in Chocolate Marshmallow to color and scent the rice. The rice smelled just like chocolate – yummy!
Color and Scented Rice
1 pound of rice
1 Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Flavor Mix in Chocolate Marshmallow
1 Tablespoon of water
Combine in a gallon size ziplock bag. Then shake the bag until the color is evenly distributed. Pour the bag of rice out onto a cookie sheet to dry over night.
We added the scented and colored rice to a plastic bin. I gave her some items to play with: pom poms, my little ponies, a scoop, etc. She played and played and played – making up stories along the way.
Do you do themed learning activities with your children?
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These are some great ideas to work with kids. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Leigh!
I always enjoyed handing out Valentine cards when I was a child and then helping my kids with their cards. All of these activities look like so much fun and educational to boot. Love it.
Handing out V-day cards is so much fun! And making your mailbox to hold them in!
These are so creative and looks fun! I used to enjoy making cards for people and the fizzing experiment is cool and the first I have heard of color and scented rice!
Thank you Nadeen! The rice is so fun to play with especially when it smells like chocolate! 🙂
What a great idea! I especially love the sensory bin – I teach 2 year old preschool and will absolutely use that! Thanks for the ideas!
Thank you Amy! I hope your preschoolers have fun with the sensory bin idea!
Kids love activities like this!!
Thank you for stopping by Tiffany!
These all look like fun activities for the children. S sure looks like she had fun.
Thank you Shirley, she had a blast!
These are adorable! I am so pinning this!
Thank you Neely! The activities were lots of fun!
Wonderful ideas for Valentines Day. My grandkids will love this. Sharing
Thank you Tammy! I hope they have fun!
I’m a nanny to a two-year-old, and I’m always looking for new activities to try. Anything that involves learning colors, shapes and counting and/or works on fine motor skills are always great. Thanks for giving me some ideas! I’m glad you shared this with us at Hump Day Happenings.
Thank you Jenna! I hope you two have fun with some activities!
The Valentine slime is so pretty! Slime and pretty shouldn’t be in the same sentence, lol! But it really looks pretty slime!!
I think it’s beautiful too! 🙂
You always bring the coolest things to our party! Thank you. Pinned and tweeted. We feel honored that you take the time to stop by our party. I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. We love to party with you! Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls
Thank you so much Kimberly! I love your party!
These would be great ideas to use in a primary classroom as well. The scented rice looks wonderful. S is a great model – she looks like she is having so much fun. Great ideas!
Thank you so much Teresa! She had so much fun with the activities! Many times she asks me if I’ve taken her photo! 🙂
These are some great ideas! You are such a fun crafty mama. S looks like she had so much fun with that sensory bin. Thank you for sharing with us at Merry Monday! Have a great week!
Thank you so much Amanda! She really did have a blast!
always great when you can combine fun, crafting and learning at the same time 🙂 I love watching kids create something even if you are never 100% sure what it is lol. She is so adorable and we appreciate you sharing at Snickerdoodle Sunday!
Thank you!
Glitter slime looks so cool!!! Such a great idea! Thanks for linking up with the Creative Spark Link Party!
Thank you Candace!
What great kid activities, Thank you for linking up with Motivational Monday’s I hope you will join us again.
Thank you!