To celebrate Valentine's Day we thought we would share some fun creative activities you can do with your young people, all while achieving some Arts Award criteria! Whether you are working with younger or older learners, our activities can be adapted for different group sizes and are achievable with free or low-cost materials.
Make a card for your valentine!
Sending a card to your valentine (or your mum, dad, or friend!) is a well-known Valentine’s Day tradition, and a great opportunity for some crafts! Your young people can make cards using whatever supplies you have to hand, such as card, scissors, crayons, pencils, stickers, ribbons, or paint. Older or more confident group members could experiment with paper-folding techniques to create 3D effects. If you need some inspiration for the look of your cards you could take a look at these Valentines cards for kids.
Write a poem
You could explore poetry for Valentine’s Day and encourage your young people to write a poem expressing their love. The subject of the poem doesn’t necessarily need to be a person, they could write a poem expressing their love for their pet, their favourite food or film, or even their football team. For more guidance on teaching poetry, including lesson plans on how to teach figurative language and using poetry to understanding similes check out these resources.
You could also take this opportunity to learn about a famous poet which could be used as evidence for your Arts Award, for example Explore Part B, or Bronze Part C.
If music is the food of love….
What better way to express love than with a song! You could learn a song with your group, this could be a traditional or pop song, and perform it in an assembly or sharing session. Groups with some existing vocal experience may be interested to explore choices that offer opportunities for part-singing (such as one of the many romantic duets!) or songs that include harmonies. For younger group members, don’t forget to suggest some actions to keep their musical performance swinging! For some song ideas you could look at five Valentine’s Day songs for the classroom.
Sew some heart shaped bunting
Fill your classroom with hearts by sewing some heart shaped bunting! You will need some fabric (this could be recycled from old clothes etc) some stuffing, some ribbon, a pair of fabric scissors, and a heart shaped template (you can create this yourself by drawing a heart on a piece of card and cutting it out). This activity can easily be adapted for groups with greater or lesser experience through your fabric and tool choices; fabric with an open weave and plastic needles are best for those new to sewing, whereas those with more experience may be ready to try a sewing machine (if this is available). You can find step-by-step instructions on how to assemble your bunting here.
Get creative (and messy!) with clay
Create a heart shaped keepsake by making an ornament using clay or salt dough. You will need a rolling pin and a heart shaped pastry cutter (or a card template). For a bit more challenge, try adding some relief work with left-over clay, or experiment with indent patterns by pushing small objects into the clay while still wet. Once your heart has dried you will be able to paint and decorate it. Or you might want to decorate it with red wool or string like in this example.
Craft a paper flower bouquet
Giving a bouquet of flowers is a great way to show your love, so why not make paper flower bouquets with your group? This is a great craft opportunity, and they will last a lot longer! You will need some different coloured card, scissors and some glue. You could follow this video tutorial for instructions on how to put your bouquet together. Younger learners could create a colourful floral bouquet effect using scrunched up tissue paper stuck onto stiff card – or craft a wreath using a paper plate as a base.
Devise a play around the story of St Valentine
Explore the story of St Valentine, a Roman priest, and find out why we celebrated Valentine’s Day in the first place! You could start by watching this video with your group, and then devise a play explaining where Valentine’s Day comes from. This could be a great opportunity for some cross-curricular work, incorporating History and PSHE.
The activities suggested here are best suited to Discover Part A and Explore Part A and C, please do make sure to refer to your adviser toolkit for evidence requirements for these parts.
Share the Valentine’s Day themed creative activities you’re planning in the comments!
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