Is Valentine’s Day just a Hallmark holiday? Regardless of my thoughts around this, I typically will follow suit with what our teacher and or school guides for each year when it comes to the question of whether or not valentines will be a part of February 14th for my kids at school.
GettyImages | SSJ414
My kids are in 5th and 7th grade so I have years of experience when it comes to Valentine’s Day for students. Daycare days, preschool days and now elementary and beyond.
Like many of you, we had the year where schools were remote so we brought the valentine party to our homes by decorating desks or having cute themed backgrounds for their zoom classes that day or week. I have also had teachers that nixed the idea of bringing in valentines and, instead, had the class write kindness cards during class. That was hands down my most-favorite since it took all work off of me. Other years, we’ve been instructed to not bring candy. I like those years too because in February my pantry still has Halloween and Christmas candy lingering around. Then there have been years where the teacher goes all out and puts a lot of work into a themed party and the kids are all encouraged to bring any kind of valentine they’d like.
If your student(s) will be participating in a valentine celebration this year, here are ten ideas to help! Some candy, some non- candy. All super easy.
Keep in mind, store-bought is perfectly fine and it is likely nobody will remember by the end of the week what anyone brought. Unless it brings you joy, don’t stress yourself out going overboard on February 14th. Keep it light, keep it fun!
Glad you’re in my school– Swedish fish are my favorite candy and this is perfect for every classmate!
Mini flashlights Maybe not your typical Valentine but we are tying a simple “to: from:” tag on each one and she thinks her classmates are going to love them. Pack of 24 and batteries included.
Fidgets I don’t know what the continued obsession is around fidgets but kids still love them. I got lucky around Christmas and found 3 packs of keychain fidgets for $1. Amazon typically has large packs at good prices or you could try the Dollar Store too. Of course, be mindful if you want to ensure each kid get the same item.
Croc Charms This year, my daughter is giving each of her class-mates a croc charm. You can find 30+ packs for around $6. Like the fidget idea, be careful if you want to ensure each kid gets the same because that will not happen with these variety packs.
Box of Crayons Our Dollar Store sells packs of 4 mini boxes for $1. Add a cute tag saying something like “Have a colorful Valentine’s Day” and you are all set!
Printable Riddles (sometimes free!) You can go to places like Etsy and purchase cute printables to download and print that same day. You can also Google Valentine Riddles and print out your own.
I need more s’more friends like you– this one caught my eye because it’s not the typical lollipop type of sugar and it is just so cute!
Hand print cut out and sanitizer (teacher gift idea!)
This one is so cute and so easy. Sanitizer for all the germs our teachers touch daily and lotion to help heal their hands from all the extra hand washing!
Sunglasses Dollar Store to the rescue here or try places like Target that likely sell packs of cheap sunglasses for a lot cost. I thought this was such a cute idea and you can handwrite or print out something like “you are so bright” to attach to them.
Photo Copy a Hand Made Card With large classroom sizes in many schools, it might be pure torture for a kid to hand make dozens and dozens of cards. Have your child make one and then make colored photo copies! Brilliant!
Bonus- Don’t be afraid of store bought Most of these have candy so they will not work to meet our school requirements. But if your school allows, check out the variety that a Dollar store, Target, or grocery store has to offer. I have been pleasantly surprised in years past when we went this route.
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