Teacher’s Brain

5 Engaging Activities To Celebrate Valentine’s Day In Your Elementary Classroom

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, now is a great time to sprinkle some love and joy in the classroom. 

Wondering what your little cupids can do to celebrate the holiday? Or maybe you’re looking for ways to make the day extra special for your kiddos? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! If you’re looking for Valentine’s Day activities for students or Valentine’s Day for the classroom, you’re in the right place. 

Valentine's Day activities

What do students do on Valentine’s Day?

There are lots of things you can do to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your little learners. You can spread the love with some cards, create some crafts made with love, share sweet treats with your students, celebrate Friendship, and even share some heartfelt stories. 

How do you make Valentine’s Day fun for kids? Here’s some ideas to get you started!

Themed Dress-Up Day

Add an extra layer of excitement by having a themed dress-up day. Encourage students to wear red, pink, and white, or even dress up as their favorite storybook characters.

Dance Party Extravaganza

Crank up the tunes and let the kiddos boogie down with a dance party. Create a playlist of fun, upbeat songs, and watch as the classroom transforms into a dance floor filled with laughter and joy.

Love Scavenger Hunt

Turn the classroom into a treasure trove of love with a scavenger hunt. Create clues that lead students to various hidden treasures, like small treats or festive decorations. It’s a playful way to keep them engaged and excited.

Heartfelt Games and Activities

Plan a variety of themed games and activities. From “Pin the Arrow on Cupid” to a heart-shaped bean bag toss, there are countless options to keep the kiddos entertained and smiling.

Classroom Decor Galore

Transform your classroom into a love-filled haven with simple decorations. Think heart garlands, cupid cutouts, and splashes of red and pink. A festive atmosphere can do wonders in making the day extra special.

So, there you have it, my fellow teachers! With a sprinkle of creativity and a dash of love, you can make Valentine’s Day a memorable celebration for your elementary students. Here’s to a day filled with joy, laughter, and heartwarming moments in your lovely classroom!

Valentine’s Day Activities and Crafts

Valentine's Day craft for kids

Are you looking for some Valentine’s Day-themed Math and Language Arts printables to help your students to be engaged while learning? I have you covered with these worksheets and engaging activities for K-2 students. Students can sort conversational hearts, graph them, write about friendship, write poems, solve heart themed math problems, make a heart bee, and so much more!

Valentine’s Day Escape Room

Valentine's Day escape room

Looking for an ENGAGING Valentine’s Day activity for your students to help them review sentence structure, counting, and problem-solving? Digital Escapes™ are a fun way to get students to learn without even realizing it. NO Printing and No Prep needed for this digital escape! Super EASY for in-person or Distance Learning.

Digital Valentine’s Day Cards

digital Valentine's Day activity

WOW! You don’t have to miss out on the fun tradition of exchanging Valentine’s Cards this year! These digital Google Slides make it easy for your students to personalize and move editable conversational hearts to give virtually or in person! There is even a name grid provided so students can keep track of who got one and how to spell classmate’s names!

Valentine’s Day Hat and Writing Craft

Looking for a print-and-go activity for your class? Use this Valentine’s Day Heart Hat to engage your students in the celebration of the holiday tradition of the holiday. Writing Prompts on primary and intermediate lined paper are included.

Valentine’s I Spy Activity 

valentine"s day activity for kids

Want to make sure your students are engaged with writing in February? Check out these hidden Valentine-themed word searches! Students use a magnifying glass to find hidden (small) words on the printable. Then they use the words in their writing. 

Looking for more Valentine’s fun? Check out my post here! 

4 Engaging Brain Break Activities Your Students Will Love

Wondering if you should be adding in more brain breaks to your days with your students?

Think of brain breaks as super important timeouts for our little ones in elementary school. They’re not just about taking a break – they’re like power-ups for our students! 

brain breaks for kids

These short breaks do more than give a breather from lessons; they actually help our kids think better, feel happier, and make the whole classroom experience way more awesome. 

In elementary, every day is a mix of excitement and learning, throwing in brain breaks is like adding a secret ingredient to help our little learners grow and have a blast.

What is a brain break? 

Brain Breaks are short activities that help energize your students. They last about 1 to 5 minutes. They require no or little prep and help send oxygen to the brain to help students retain information.

Looking for brain break activities? I have you covered! 

There are many things you can do like getting some physical activity, watching a short video on YouTube, taking a dance break, playing a game, or making a craft. One of my favorite brain break activities is coloring! 

If you are looking for some high-quality coloring sheets that will keep your students occupied, these are perfect for you. 

Dinosaur Coloring Pages

brain break coloring pages for kids

These dino coloring pages make great discussion starters and writing prompts!

Unicorn Coloring Pages

unicorn coloring pages for kids brain breaks

These unicorn coloring pages are the perfect magical break from learning. 

Winter Coloring Pages

winter coloring pages

These help keep students and you calm and make great wall decorations!

For even more brain break fun, you can check out this brain break activity resource! 

brain breaks for kids

This is my favorite collection of 48 different Brain Breaks. These task cards can be used as transitions, breaks during an activity, something to raise or lower the energy of the group, team-building activities, and so much more!

What’s included?

• 48 Printable Task Cards in Black and White (4 per page) PDF

• 48 Printable Task Cards in Color (4 per page) PDF

• 48 Printable 8×10 Cards in Color (1 per page) PDF

• 48 Goofle Slides in Color for Digital Displays or Sharing at a Distance

• 2 Editable Slides to Create Your Own Brain Breaks (Google link digital option provided in the PDF)

Place them on a ring, on popsicle sticks, or in a crayon box for easy storage!

Use the Google Slides in presentation mode to randomly pick a brain break.
Looking for more classroom management tips, check out my post here!

Fun Ways To Celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day

Johnny Appleseed Day is coming up on September 26th, and that means it’s the perfect time to teach your students about who he is and celebrate apples! 

This holiday is all about appreciating apples and the legacy of a remarkable individual who planted apple trees across the country. If you are looking for some Johnny Appleseed Day activities and resources to have an engaging lesson to celebrate Johnny Appleseed and his favorite fruit, you’re in the right place! 

Johnny appleseed

How do you celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day?

Learn about who he was

Start by learning about the life and adventures of Johnny Appleseed! You can read books, watch videos on YouTube, or have a special lesson in class about this important historical figure. Understanding his love for apples and his contributions to our country is a great way to begin your celebration!

Do some apple themed arts and crafts

Get creative with apple-themed arts and crafts activities. Try making apple prints, drawing Johnny Appleseed’s character, or creating colorful posters that showcase the importance of apple trees. These hands-on projects will help your students express their creativity while celebrating Johnny Appleseed.

Go Apple tasting at an Apple Orchard

If possible, take a field trip! Explore the world of apples by tasting different apple varieties and, if possible, visiting a local apple orchard. Create a mini apple tasting event where you and your classmates can sample various apples and discuss your favorites. If you go to an orchard, learn about the apple-growing process and pick some apples to take home.

Plant your own apple seeds

Consider planting your own apple seeds or small apple tree saplings. This hands-on activity can help you understand the process of growing apple trees and appreciate the work this historical figure did. Over time, you can watch your apple trees grow and even produce apples of your own!

Try out some apple themed snacks and treats

End your celebration with some delicious apple-themed snacks and treats. Make apple pie, apple crisp, or apple muffins in class or at home. You can also enjoy a healthy snack of sliced apples with caramel or peanut butter. Sharing these tasty treats with your classmates is a great way to wrap up your celebration.

Looking for some easy, print and go Johnny Appleseed resources that you can easily incorporate into your lessons? I have you covered! 

Johnny appleseed

Check out this Johnny Appleseed Activities Bundle! 

Johnny appleseed activities

This bundle has it all! Crafts, writing, a digital escape, reading, math, science, and art activities! 

Johnny appleseed activities

7 Products Bundled

Craft Hat & Journal

Apple Glasses

Apple Math

Digital Escape Room (Reading and Problem Solving)

Puppet & Pop Art

Apple Sauce & Apple Pie Recipe

Biography (Week-long unit)

Opinion Writing & More

Celebrating Johnny Appleseed is such a fun activity for the fall! I hope you and your students love these Johnny Appleseed activities and  ideas as much as I do! For more activities to do with your students this fall, check out my post here!

5 Reasons to Use Morning Work in Kindergarten

Picture this: It’s a bright, bustling morning in your kindergarten classroom. The tiny tots are shuffling in with sleepy eyes and contagious energy. As a teacher, you know that the first moments of the day set the tone for everything that follows.

morning work

That’s where the magic of kindergarten morning work comes into play. It’s like the secret ingredient in your morning routine that can transform chaos into calm, hesitation into confidence, and groggy minds into eager learners.

If you’re looking for morning work ideas for kindergarten or morning work worksheets, you’re in the right place! 

But first, let’s discuss the advantages of having morning work in your kindergarten classroom.

Smooth Morning Transitions

Morning work is like the secret sauce that makes our mornings smoother than a fresh jar of peanut butter. It gives our little ones a structured start to the day, helping them transition from home to the classroom routine with ease. Less chaos, more focus!

Independence Boost

You know that feeling when a kindergartener proudly completes a task on their own? It’s like a warm cup of coffee for our teacher hearts! Morning work encourages independence. They’re tackling challenges right away, building confidence as they go.

Skill Reinforcement

Think of morning work as a daily dose of learning vitamins. It reinforces the skills we’ve been teaching. Whether it’s reviewing letters, numbers, or shapes, these quick exercises keep their growing brains engaged and active.

Time Management Skills

In the real world, time management is a superpower, right? Well, morning work helps our little ones develop those skills early on. They learn to manage their time by completing tasks within a set period. It’s like a mini time-management boot camp!

Teacher Prep Time

Last but not least, morning work can be a lifesaver for us teachers. While the kiddos are busy, we can take a moment to assess their progress, prepare for the day, or have a quick chat with parents. It’s like a small gift of time in a busy morning schedule.

You may be wondering what to do for kindergarten morning work? 

This resource is all you need! 

morning work

This engaging morning work for kindergarten covers reading and math skills and is super easy to implement. These no prep packets are perfect. They will help keep your class calm while reviewing skills at their own pace for the entire school year. 

You’ll never find yourself scrambling for morning activities again!

This resource  covers:

❀ Handwriting Uppercase and Lowercase Letters

❀ Sight Word Practice 

❀ Beginning Letter Sounds

❀ Months of the Year

❀ Days of the Week

❀ Handwriting Sentences

❀ Word Families

❀ Silent /e/

❀ Digraphs

❀ Number Sense

❀ Ten Frames

❀ Counting

❀ Number Lines 

❀ Writing Numbers 

❀ Counting On

❀ Shapes

❀ More and Less Than

❀ 3D Shapes

❀ Graphs

❀ Place Value

morning work

What’s included? 

Pg 1-42 – Aug. and Sept. (Handwriting, Letters, Numbers, Colors, Sight Words, Counting)

Pg. 43-84 – Oct. and Nov. (Handwriting, Letters, Numbers, Ten Frame, Counting, What Comes Next)

Pg. 85-126 Dec. Jan. (Word Families, Vowels, Counting, Greater than, Less Than, Handwriting)

Pg. 127-168 – Feb. and March (capital letters, lowercase letters, word families, shapes, counting on, less than)

Pg. 169-210 April and May (digraphs, tens and ones, 3D shapes, graphs, and silent /e/)

Each page has an extended activity for students to do on the back of the page for early finishers. It is designed to model once to the whole group, and students should be working independently for each set (4 Weeks.) 

There are only mild changes in this packet each month to make it easy for students to follow the pattern each morning. I provide different fonts, so students get used to seeing letters that look different. 

morning work

The number and the number word is used so students get familiar with number word recognition. I tell students to look at their crayons to find the color word to help them figure out the color on their own to create independence. 

I print my pages out to create a journal to easily store papers, leaving the back blank for the extended activity. My students could move on to the next page if they finished. You can just give one individual sheet, if you like to ensure students don’t move on to the next page.

Check it out here! 

For more kindergarten morning work activities, check out my post here!