Mix and match these fun Valentine’s Day Activities for Upper Elementary into your lessons this February!
Valentine’s Day is often a welcome reprieve in the middle of February. It is not only perfectly situated between New Year’s and Spring Break, but it is also often near conference time (depending on when your school year ends).
Valentine’s Day in upper elementary has historically been all about the candy, cards, and the party, but Valentine’s Day activities can be so much more than a party.
We have spent a lot of time creating holiday resources that add to classroom lessons rather than distract from them, and we have some goodies for Valentine’s Day!
In this post, we are talking about 6 fun Valentine’s Day activities for upper elementary that have nothing to do with the party!
Fun Valentine’s Day Activities for Upper Elementary (Digital Resources)
Today, we are going to start by going over 4 digital resources you can use the week before Valentine’s Day to help celebrate the holiday while also practicing valuable skills and doing a little test prep!
Note: If you plan to use several of these resources, you may want to consider the Digital Valentine’s Day Bundle. The bundle will save you time and money as you prepare for a fantastic Valentine’s Day week!
#1 | Valentine’s Day Reading Skills Digital Jigsaw
Students will have a chance to practice their reading skills while also earning pieces to a Valentine’s Day puzzle in this digital, no-prep resource.
Each question includes a short passage along with a multiple-choice question related to the reading passage. These passages ask similar questions to many standardized tests and are a great addition to test prep season… while also celebrating Valentine’s Day, of course!
#2 | Valentine’s Day Digital Escape Tale
Escape Tales are adventure stories that put your students’ math skills to good use along the way! In this Valentine’s Day adventure, students will escape obstacles by solving complex patterns and number puzzles based on Valentine’s Day themes. Each correct answer will “unlock” the next part of the adventure.
Of the fun Valentine’s Day activities for upper elementary on this list, this is one of my favorites because it is an intriguing story, the puzzles and questions are fun to solve, and although students are working on skills, it doesn’t feel that way!
#3 | Build a Heart Monster: Valentine’s Day 2-Step Math Word Problems
I love a good Build-It activity, and this Build-a-Heart Monster is so darn cute that you’ll want your students to create their own little heart monster when they’re done!
This build-it activity focuses on 2-step math word problems, but there are so many ways to ‘build’ on our build-it games. Check out more ideas for using this Valentine’s Day Build-It activity in this post!
#4 | Valentine’s Day Digital Puzzles
I am a sucker for a good puzzle or riddle.
I just can’t help myself. I love being challenged!
Whether it is a time challenge, a race, or just setting the goal to complete or master a puzzle, the whole concept of doing a puzzle just draws me in.
In this Valentine’s Day Digital Puzzle activity, your students will get a good sense of what I love about puzzles. Each question poses a puzzle to the students that will force them to use their math skills to solve the problem.
I love using this as an individual or small group challenge, but the Valentine’s Day Digital Puzzles also work really well as bell-ringer work during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. Simply project one question each day for your students to solve and then spend some time discussing how they did it!
Fun Valentine’s Day Activities for Upper Elementary (Printable Resources)
The following fun Valentine’s Day activities for upper elementary do take a little prep to get ready for students to use, but I promise they are well worth the extra effort.
#5 | February Puzzle of the Day
We have Puzzle of the Day challenges for every month, and February is no different. With a combination of hearts, flowers, and Valentine’s Day magic, mixed with a few other silly characters and elements, these daily brainteaser challenges will get your students excited for Valentine’s Day while also giving their brains a little workout!
#6 | Valentine’s Day Lockbox Challenge
Can you help Freddy’s mom?
That is the question you’ll ask students as they work their way through this fun Valentine’s Day lockbox challenge.
Freddy’s mom, who is in charge of the class Valentine’s Day ice cream party, is stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire, and she may not make it to the school in time unless she can get into her locked glove box to retrieve her ‘Fix a Flat’ spray.
She needs the help of your students!
Your students will work through a series of 6 different challenges that will require them to use both logical reasoning and critical thinking skills.
Of the fun Valentine’s Day activities for upper elementary on this list, this lockbox challenge is the one that will get students up and moving. They will also be tasked with trying to beat the clock, so the energy will be flying high throughout the entire challenge.
Valentine’s Day can be both a fun holiday and an engaging way to practice educational concepts with these 6 fun Valentine’s Day activities for upper elementary.
Mix and match them as you wish, and play around with how you can pair them to have the greatest impact on your students!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
