Valentine's Ideas
Why use open-ended activities?
Offer young students Valentine's ideas that encourage exploration, problem solving and creativity. I love open-ended activities and use them whenever possible when teaching.
Open ended Valentine's ideas involve children at a wide range of developmental levels. I have more time to observe my students and note areas where individual or small group instruction will be beneficial.
The children are less frustrated working at their own level as they do not have to compare what they create to fifteen identical items, they are able to challenge themselves and practice implementing prior knowledge and skills.
Open ended valentine's ideas - Cards
Let students create their own cards.
Ask a parent helper to cut out quantities of small, medium and large hearts in pink, purple and red. Supply glue sticks, tape, bits of red ribbon, glittery scraps and Valentine's Day and other gummed shape stickers.
For best effects, limit the colors of felt markers the children use.
This avoids a lovely card being covered in black marker lines! Show butterfly heart cards, flower heart cards, dog and cat heart cards, like the samples shown. 
I keep samples on chart paper that also contains illustrated postings of Valentine words, to, from, Mummy, Daddy, and I love you. I reuse this every year and it is a great time-saver. 
Demonstrate making cards with cut out hearts and then let the children create freely. Let them know they can copy the samples or create any other card they like. If the kids prefer to glue their card to a folded paper background, like the cat card, they may, but it is not necessary.
I am always impressed by the creativity of a young children who take what you show them, then confidently create original items using similar techniques.
Valentine's Ideas - Math Bulletin Board
Once the glue dries, have the children bring one of their creations to the carpet. Have each child count the hearts they used to make their Valentine and then graph it using heart shaped Post It Notes™
This makes a cheerful bulletin board display.
More Math
Measurement - Another Valentine's idea is to cut out two valentines, one about 12 inches across, one about six inches across. Have children take turns lining up one inch blocks across the widest part of each heart counting as they do so. Vocabulary moment here - widest, narrowest. Record on each one how many blocks it took make the line of blocks across the heart.
Area - Turn the hearts over and have the children take turns sticking gummed circle stickers on to them until both surfaces are covered. Count as a group and record how many circles it took to cover each one.
Number & Operations - Cut out 3 or 4 different colored hearts. Give each child a heart and have them take turns placing them in the pocket chart. After about ten kids have a turn, count in a group, how many red hearts, how many blue hearts, how many pink hearts. Have the rest of the children place their hearts in the pocket chart and count again.
Use the same hearts and place 3 red hearts in one line of the pocket chart and 2 pinks in the line below. Say, "3 red hearts and 2 pink hearts equal how many all together?" Use different variations of addition and subtraction.
Valentine's Ideas - Story writing
Use stories, such as the Little Bear Books by Else Holmelund Minarik, to show that love is demonstrated by small acts of kindness.
Talk about how Little Bear showed kindness in the stories and how the children can show kindness to their friends and family.
Start with a story starter ... Love is ... Depending on the child's ability have them write a few letters and words and/or record their words for them.
