Lesson Plans: "V" is for Valentine's Day - Toddlers and Preschoolers

For these plans you may want to invite a friend or two over this week. You can even have your mother's group for one day and offer the children's activities and have each mom bring a snack. The adults will appreciate a little time to visit and to allow their kids to have some fun with their friends. For a classroom, you have a ready made "party" but be sure to ask parents for help and allow them to participate in the fun and games.

Circle/Quiet Time: This week is a good time to have stories and music during your circle time (see Music and Books). If teaching at home or school be sure to give lots of hugs and talk about people we love and friends. If you are using these plans at daycare or preschool ask parents to send in pictures of family members so that you can discuss love and family with the children. Teachers, take pictures of "friends" in the classroom and mount them on poster board for the children to look at during the week. Parents can bring out photo albums and talk with their children about friends and family near and far that we love and care about. Talk about who is your friend and how they are nice to you.

Science Activity: Snacks and science go together this week. Here are some easy science activities that encourage fine motor skills, science skills and give you something fun to eat at snack time. Have a party with friends or in the classroom with your results.

Pink lemonade: use a frozen mix - allow it to thaw, and then pour into a pitcher. Allow one of the children (or take turns with several of the children) to take a turn pouring water into the pitcher, being sure to count with the children and help them with stirring.

Red Jell-O: Follow package directions; the measuring and counting and then watching it thicken quickly are a great science experiment for children.

Valentine cookies: Pillsbury has pre-made sugar cookies that have a heart in the center of the cookie which is visible after slicing the cookie dough. Allow children to use plastic knives and try to follow the pre-measured marks to slice cookie dough and put it on the cookie sheet. Take time to talk about the circle of the dough, the heart shape inside it and count the cookies after they are all placed on the cookie sheet. After they bake and cool allow the children to decorate with white, pink or red icing and heart shaped candy hearts.

Gross Motor:

Place squares of construction paper on the floor. Each piece of construction paper has something on it like; give your sister a hug. For a classroom or party at the house, add items like give your friend a turn throwing. Give the children bean bags and assist them with taking turns tossing the bean bags onto the squares and then doing what they say. For younger children or to make it easier, use the Toss Across game, which O's as hugs and X's as kisses. You will have lots of fun and get and give lots of affection while improving their gross motor skills.

Fine Motor/Music: Since we have a Barney book on the list, how about the Barney song?

I love You

(Song to the tune of This Old Man)

I love you, (point to eyes, heart and then child)

You love me (point to child, then heart then yourself)

We're a happy family (big smile and emphasize it by drawing a larger smile in air with fingers)

With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you (hug and kiss your child or you can hug yourself and blow kisses)

Won't you say you love me too? (My children usually fall onto me then and give great big hugs)

For the "Friend's: version

Everything Preschool has approximately 30 valentines songs and finger plays available on its website. My favorites are: Ten Little Valentines (sung to Ten Little Indians); and Make a Heart: I put my hands together; this is how I start; I curve my fingers right around and I can make a Heart (acting out with hands). Each of these is not only great for your music segment but also for fine motor and counting skills.

Art:

Valentines Day Wreath: For smaller children go ahead and cut out different size hearts in red, pink and white; allow older children to cut their own from a pattern drawn on paper. Glue the different colored and sized hearts on a heart shaped foam piece (available at any craft store) and the older children can decorate it with more embellishments like confetti hearts or glitter. Younger children can decorate it with hearts, dove or lips kissing stickers (older children may like this version also).

Valentine's Day Cards from Recycled Materials -these cards can be made from many of the "left-overs" from the holidays including red and white tissue paper and greeting card envelopes.

Friendships Necklaces: Using a 36 inch piece of yarn that you fasten at the end with masking tape and then string cheerios, fruit loops, and different colored pasta together to give to a friend or family member. A variation on this activity is to purchase the sturdy string from a craft store as well as the foam shapes of hearts and diamonds with holes through the center then allow your child to "string" the different shapes and you can tie it on the end to form a friendship necklace.

Matching Hearts: Cut out different size and color heart shapes and allow your children to create their own matching heart collage. Glue the matches onto a poster board.

Tissue Paper Pink: Allow your child to tear up red and white tissue paper and glue it down on card stock or construction paper. When you put the glue with the red and white tissue paper it turns it into pink, creating a tissue paper collage. A variation, use red and white paint and allow your child to free paint mixing the two colors together to create pink. You can also use red and blue to show them how to make purple.

Extra: Declare this good deed week. Talk to your children (class) about how doing something kind can make someone else and yourself feel happy and proud. Encourage your children to do "good deeds" this week; like sharing toys, playing nicely, or doing something kind for someone else. Children can also be encouraged to help at home with cleaning up toys, dusting, putting their clothes away and any other good dead to family, friends or acquaintances.

Letter of the Week: V

Colors of the Week: Red, Pink and White

Books: This week you can bring red into your story time with My Fuzzy Valentine, featuring our favorite hairy red monster, Elmo; by Naomi Kleinberg and Louis Womble. Don't forget a child's other favorite red friend, Clifford the Big Red dog features in Clifford's Valentines Day, by Norman Bridwell. For your younger child, try "You're my Little Love Bug, a board book by Heidi Weimer. Other favorites for this week include Baby Love, by Sandra Magsamen; I Love You Sun/I Love You Moon (in English and Spanish) by Karen Pandell and Tomie dePaola or ABC I Love You, by P.K. Hallinan.

Video: Be My Valentine Charlie Brown (there is not a Charlie Brown DVD that I don't love!) or Barney, Be My Valentine.

Cost of plans: Elmo and Clifford books are $4.99 from Amazon.com, but as usual I owned one and the other came from the library. The Love Bug board book is $10.19, but it is a board book so it will last some time; Heart shaped foam piece $1.79; foam necklace pieces are about $4.99. Approximately $20.00 if you go all out and do everything as well as the snacks. Try to have parents or friends contribute and have a party at home.