This week we hosted a Preschool Learning Day to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Here is an overview of the fun activities we completed:
Valentine-Making
I got a bunch of supplies from Oriental Trading and let the kids make valentines for their friends, siblings, parents, and neighbors. It was so sweet to see their creativity expressed as they excitedly made cards for people they loved.
I wanted to drive home the idea that Valentine’s Day is about more than just making cards and getting candy. The focus of today was LOVE: God’s love for each of us and the love we can show to others.
We Love Because He First Loved Us
The kids traced the words of the verse (1 John 4:19) and then used a clothespin and pom pom to paint the heart.
God’s Love Craft
We continued our discussion with how high, wide, deep, and long God’s love is for each of us (based on Ephesians 3:18). The kids made this craft in the shape of cross to remind them that the greatest demonstration of love was Jesus dying on the cross!
Then we transitioned from talking about God’s love to His command for us to love others.
Love One Another
We read The Berenstain Bears: Love One Another and talked about practical ways we can show others that we love them.
There are several other great Berenstain Bears books you could also read:
Berenstain Bears: God Loves You
Berenstain Bears: Love Their Neighbors
Berenstain Bears: Love Bug
Good Samaritan Bible Story
Then we went to the Bible and looked at the story of the Good Samaritan. We watched this short video: The Good Samaritan (Saddleback Kids). It’s 3 minutes long and gives a Biblically-accurate, kid-appropriate adaptation of the story from Luke 10:25-37.
I’ve also written up a paraphrased version if you would like to print a booklet to read with your preschoolers:
Loving or Not Loving?
Then we did a fun activity called “Loving or Not Loving” where I read different scenarios and had the kids indicate (with their popsicle sticks) if the act was loving (showing the heart) or not loving (showing the heart with an X through it).
Valentine’s Day Roll and Cover
Lastly we played a fun game called Roll and Cover. The kids each got a game board and a die. They rolled the die, found the picture on their game board, and covered it with a sticker. We worked together to cover our entire game boards (but you could also make it a competition to see who can cover their game board first).
Valentine’s Day Treats
Here are some of the valentine treats we gave to our friends:
We’re Lucky Ducks to have you for friends: The rubber ducks were found from Oriental Trading.
Happy Valen-SLIME Day
My four-year-old was so excited to give out little tubs of slime to his friends at preschool. I found the Valentine’s Day slime here.
For his preschool teachers we game them this cute and simple card that said “I couldn’t CHEWS a better teacher” with a pack of gum.
If you’d like any of these gift tag labels, please reach out (through the Contact tab at the top of the page) and I’ll e-mail them to you.
And just for fun we ordered a heart-shaped pizza from Papa Johns for dinner – the perfect ending to a perfect day!
Simplify your lesson planning
Preschoolers are capable of understanding complex subjects like the immense love of God and the call we have to love others. Take advantage of the fun and festive Valentine’s Day to remind them of these important truths. These activities helped drive the lesson home in tangible ways and prompted excellent discussions. I have bundled all of these fun activities in one print-and-go download for you to use with your kids, your preschool students, or Sunday school class. You can purchase the file here.
