Valentines Day Party Ideas

I've done this one many times for valentine's day parties and the kids love. Relay / Dress up race. Get 2 small suitcases and pack each with funny dress up clothes that are the same in each: I use a funny red & white striped tall hat, several necklaces, Men's valentines boxers and Womens slippers with a valentines theme. I also have them carry a stuffed valentines heart. Divide the class in 2 teams and have them race to the end of the lane dress up in all the funny valentines clothes and race back to the next team mate. etc. Kids love it.

Have you played conversation heart bingo?
Here's a link just in case
http://crafts.kaboose.com/bingo-heart.html

You could do pin the word on the heart. lol
Make lollipop gardens: get the $1 tins from Target, and use conversation hearts, jelly beans or whatever for the "sand". Then, put heart lollipops (or round ones with cut out hearts glue-dotted to them) in the "sand" to look like a floral arrangement. tie a ribbon around it and let them all take one home to their mamas. lol
Sorry, I'm lammo today!

Cut out large hearts out of construction paper. Number them 1 to XXX (how many are in the class). Place them on the floor in a large circle. Turn on some music. When the music stops each child should stand on or near a heart. Have a bag with the same numbers 1 to XXX on pieces of paper. Draw a number from the bag. The child on the matching number wins a prize. Limit the prizes to small things...candy, stickers, pencils. Only allow each child to win two or three times so everyone gets something. This works good for all ages. We did this at Halloween in my son's 4th grade.

Try these websites for great ideas:

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/valentines-day/...

http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/valentines_games.htm

http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/specialfeature/va...

http://holidays.kaboose.com/val-party.html

We're going to a Valentine's party w/ our playgroup this weekend and the host has these games planned for our 4-6 yr olds: heart bingo, freeze dance, musical hearts (instead of chairs) and toss the heart which is like hot potato with a bean-filled heart.

GL!!

Not sure how old the group will be but my homeroom mom made tic tac toe boards out of pipe cleaners. The kids used two different heart shaped erasers as the pieces. They got to play tic tac toe with their neighbor.

I am not sure if your age group will be old enough for this, but one thing I have done is that all of the kids get a large heart made of red poster board, hung around their neck on their backs. Then, armed with a black marker (or at least a dark color) and they write something nice about each person on their hearts. After everyone is done, they all get to turn their hearts around and see what nice things have been written about them. It is kind of a sweet way for the kids to learn about kindness and how it feels to have nice things said about you. Have fun!! ~A.~

Variations on old favorites are always good. Valentine bingo, musical chairs, making a valentine with foam(cheap craft stuff at walmart) for mom and dad, or check out oriental trading company for other craft or goody bag ideas

We're having a Sock Hop - we ordered Poodle skirts from Oriental Trading @ $3 each and purchased black sunglasses for the boys and one mom is making white t-shirts for the boys that say class of 2021 (they are 4 / 5 in Pre-K) We'll turn the gym into a dance floor and let the kids dance and play and have a traditional v-day party afterwards. Michaels Craft store has buckets of art projects if you need any craft-type items to do w/ the kids. Good Luck!

I'm always a Room Parent too (girls are in middle school, which leaves my 3rd grade son), and always looking for new ideas. Here's one I'd like to share that the kids at school - no matter what grade! - LOVE (and we've used it at all parties, i.e., Halloween, Christmas, etc.): I call it "Jumping for Donuts". Buy a box or two of small powdered donuts, carefully tie a string thru the hole and secure, then take the other end and tie to either a wooden rod or a wire or string already tied across the room that the teacher uses for hanging artwork. Tie up 4 or 5 donuts at a time (it really helps to have a parent assist with the tying of strings/donuts), and make them JUST long enough for the children to reach. Then have them come over in small groups and with their hands held behind their backs (no hands!) they have to try and grab the donut (sometimes this means jumping) with only their mouth. The other tricky part is that while they are trying to jump and bite the donut, it's swinging back and forth, which only adds to the challenge - and the fun! KIDS LOVE THIS GAME!!! Other than some white powder around mouths, there is no clean up save for the crumbs on the floor. (Novato, CA)

I am not sure what age you are taking about but for my childs pre-k class we are having a Valentine Luncheon with the parents. The parents are bringing a lunch for themselves and their child and the kids are preparing a special dessert for the day, along with passing along Valentines. This is for a younger group so it is not overwhelmingly busy. For my 1st grader, we are decorating heart boxes that have a picture frame. We do stations with them and rotate through a craft station, game station and snack station.

In my 4 year old daughter's room we are doing a scavenger hunt. We are going to hide paper hearts and Hershey kisses all over the room. The kids will come in for snack and then make a bag to collect the loot. Then go on the hunt! If there is time left over we will make "conversation heart towers". Set a time and see who makes the biggest, the smallest, the greenist, the pinkest, etc..That way EVERYONE will get a prize.
In my six year old son's room they are making sundaes. And they usually play Bingo.

I made a bingo game by downloading love and valentine related pictures off the internet or my cardmaker program. Then laminated the bingo cards. I've used it every year for both my elementary kid's class parties.

Hi! creativekidsathome.com usually has some great ideas. When I'm stumped...I usually go there! Good luck, room mom!

You could play Pin the Heart on the Principal. If you can draw, make a likeness of the teacher, if not, you can use a big paper doll, or even just draw a large stick figure. Make some hearts that will go with the size of the Principal doll. You can even put the names of the kids on the heart so that way it is easy to tell the winner.

M. I know what your going thru... I am also room parent but as well as being the Parent-Rep for parties at my child's school and I have to come up with something for EVERY party...What we did last year and are doing again this year is that we went to Sam's and ordered cookies and frosted them with sprinkles and frosting, etc. The kids had a blast frosting there own cookies. And it takes one tub per class and a few sprinkles. But I suggerst going to Sam's for the cookies cause they will give you a btter price.Tell them it's for a school project and I think they even give a discount. Good luck with the party. D.

Play bingo with valentine M&Ms. you can get the bingo board on family fun website somebody else already posted the link.

Kids also LOVE icing cookies and adding sprinkles. You can ask grocery store bakery or just buy the prepackaged round sugar cookies. Super simple and cheap but the kids REALLY like it.

I used to subscribe to Family Fun magazine. It had lots of birthday and seasonal party ideas. Their website has loads of ideas. I simply searched Family Fun magazine.
Try the Dallas Public Library for back issues. Have fun.

I used to teach kindergarten and one year a roomparent let the kids make "love potions." A fancy name for ice cream sundaes!