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valentine’s day class party: 10 easy activities for that extra 10 minutes

home / Activities / holidays / valentine’s day class party: 10 easy activities for that extra 10 minutes
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Here are 10 easy activities for that extra 10 minutes at the end of the Valentine’s Day class party. Keep these in your back pocket, and the party will be a breeze!

Who even KNEW how hard running class parties could be?

I wish that there was a guide somewhere–some easy-to-follow guide that gave you every kid-approved craft, game, activity, or snack that room parents and teachers needed to get through the chaos of class parties.

stained glass heart on window

If you want the whole Valentine Class party, you can definitely check out these posts: Valentine Class Party, Valentine Class Party, 2.0, Valentine’s Day Minute-to-Win-It Class Party, Valentine’s Day Class Party that Gets Kids Moving and Grooving.

But what do you do if you have 10 minutes of idle time at the end of the party? Then what?

What if you speed through the activities and games and then you’re stuck with 30 4th-graders just staring at you?

Honestly, if you rock it out with any of our Valentine’s Day Class party plans, you won’t end up with an extra 10 minutes. But if you do. . .

Here’s the skinny. . .

Valentine Class Party Activities–Quickie Ideas for That Extra 10 Minutes:

In no particular order, and for a general elementary school aged classroom. Definitely adjust as necessary depending on the needs of the student body.

1. What is it? 

Place an object inside a box or a bag and allow each student to place his or her hand in to feel the item but not actually see the item. Encourage students to use all senses to make a guess about what object is hidden in the box.

This is an activity best done with a smaller group, but it can be played with a larger group, too.  Have 2-4 parent volunteers walk around the class allowing students to feel objects.

Some items to consider:

  • a piece of fruitโ€”banana, apple, orange, lemon
  • a sock or glove
  • a utensilโ€”fork or spoon
  • craft itemsโ€”feather, pipe cleaner, craft stick, cotton ball, etc
  • writing utensilโ€”crayon, chalk, pencil, pen
  • a small toyโ€”slinky, jacks, dice, domino, wii remote

In order to make this run smoothly, have kids write down numbers 1-5 on their paper and number each bag or box 1-5. That way, as they feel or touch each item, they write down what they think on their paper.

2.  Memory Tray

Place 5-10 items on a tray in the front of the room. Make sure all students can see the items. Give them 30-60 seconds to study the items, and then cover the items with a sheet. Have the students write down all the items they remember. The goal is to remember all of the items!

3.  Telephone

Also known as โ€œWhisper Down the Alleyโ€ this game involves passing a message between an entire group of people.  The first person whispers a phrase to the person next to him or her, then that message is passed from person to person until the last one to hear the message shares it out loud. The goal is to have the message pass through the entire group without error, but very seldom does that happen!

Some messages to consider:

  • Today I ate spaghetti for dinner.
  • Her grandma does the fox trot.
  • Three strikes and youโ€™re out.
  • His seashells cracked in the storefront.
  • The delivery person just brought me six big boxes.

4.  Crossword or Word Search

You can’t go wrong with some Halloween crosswords or word searches, so I always love to have a few of these printed out and ready to go for class parties.

Need a few? Got ’em right here for you: Valentine Crossword Puzzle  | Valentine Word Search

Honestly, just google, and you’ll find dozens.

5. Hangman . . . or. . . HeartMan

Man, I wish this game went by another name, but really, most kids know it as ‘Hangman’.

For Valentine’s Day, play it as HeartMan and see what the kids think.

Put spaces for each letter of the ‘mystery’ word on the board and give each child a chance to guess the letters. If they choose a letter that’s actually in the word, place it on the line.

If they guess a letter that’s not in the word, then one by one, draw in a part of HeartMan’s body: pumpkin head, eyes, nose, mouth, stem, body, arms, hands, legs, and feet.

Here are some words to use for the Valentine game:

  • candy
  • sweetheart
  • lovebirds
  • heart
  • secret admirer
  • boyfriend/ girlfriend
  • chocolates

6.  2 Truths and a Lie

You can play this a number of ways, but a quick way is this: three children sit in front of the class. Before they sit down, a parent volunteer decides that two children will say something true about themselves and the third will say something false about himself or herself.

The class then must guess which children are telling the truth and which child is telling a fib.

7.  Hot Potato . . . or Hot Heart

All you need for this one is music and a small squishy heart. Or if you don’t have a squishy heart, a small stuffed animal with a big, pink bow will work!

Children sit in a circle on the floor. The music starts, and when it stops, the person holding the object is out! Because some children feel awful when called out like this, it can also be played with 2-3 objects being passed around while the music plays. This way, the game moves more quickly and 2-3 children are out at a time. No hard feelings!

8.  Guess the Word

It’s always fun when the teachers plays this game. Essentially, the teacher holds one card above his or her head, and on the card one word is written.

Children take turns giving the teacher a one-word clue to help him or her guess the word on the card.

This is a super game to play while students eat snacks because it gets their brains moving and keeps them engaged while they down some sweet treats!

You can download our Valentine Guess the Word Cards as part of the Valentine Class Party Plan!

9.  Guess Who?

Each child writes down five facts about himself or herself. While the kids are eating or finishing snacks, the parent volunteer reads the five facts to the class.

The students do their best to guess who is being described, and the person who guesses correctly wins!

10. Freeze Dance

Kids. Love. Freeze dance. They really, really do.

For the last 10 minutes of the party, let the kids burn that last bit of steam, costumes and all!

Turn on some silly love songs (believe me, all kids love these sappy, love songs!).

Or, if you don’t have time and need the tunes now, check out these YouTube videos:

Valentine fun songs (teachmama playlist!)

Need some more? Got a whole other party planned for you here:   

(No joke. . . you can thank me later! Just click the picture!)

Want a few more fun Valentine’s Day ideas? Check out: 

how to throw a rockstar valentine's day party teachmama.com 2   valentine's day class party ideas, 2.0 | teachmama.com minute to win it class party | teachmama.com valentines-day-class-party-ideas-teachmama.com_
  • How to throw a rockstar Valentineโ€™s Day class party
  • Valentineโ€™s Day Class party 2.0
  • Valentine’s Day Class Party ideas: Get Kids Moving and Grooving
  • Minute to Win It Class Party
  • Musical Hearts
  • Secret Message Valentines
  • Fun Dip Valentines
  • Melted Crayon Valentines
  • Bookmark Valentines
  • Scratch-Off Ticket Valentines
  • Valentine’s Day Lunchbox Notes
  • HEART Bingo
 

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are โ€œaffiliate links.โ€ This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionโ€™s 16 CFR, Part 255: โ€œGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.โ€  For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy. 

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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This yearโ€™s registration deadline is approaching, but you still have time! 

What better way to get students to engage in civics and contribute to their communities? 

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Have you heard of The National Civics Bee? #ad 

The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. 

Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

Iโ€™m thrilled to have partnered with @mom_select and @civicsbuzz for this exciting campaign! โ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™

#CivicsBuzz #middleschoolers #teachersofIG #communitypartners
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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

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How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
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Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
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Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia

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