Valentine's Day 2024 Teaching Resources

Get your classroom Valentine's Day 2024 ready with classroom decor, crafts, fun activities for kids, card templates and more ways to celebrate this heartfelt day with your students! The teachers of Teach Starter created this teaching resource collection — so you know every printable, every worksheet and every craft has been designed with teachers in mind!

Looking for Valentine's Day vocabulary words? How about Valentine's maths activities or templates to bring the February holiday into your reading rotations? Yup, we've got you covered! Best of all, many of the resources are curriculum-aligned so you don't have to skimp on the academics while you celebrate.

Read on for a primer from our teacher team with everything you need to know to mark this day in the classroom, including when Valentine's Day will fall on the calendar and a simple definition to share with your students.

What Is Valentine's Day? A Kid-Friendly Definition

You may know what Valentine's Day is, but do you need an easy way to explain it to your students? Here's a simple definition from our teacher team to help:

Valentine's Day is a day when we show our love and affection for other people. We use this day to be extra kind to one another. Sometimes we exchange special cards called valentines in order to show people how much we care.

Where Did Valentine's Day Come From?

If you're teaching older students, you may want to dig deeper into Valentine's Day with a look at where it came from.

The origins of Valentine's Day as a celebration of romantic love are not entirely clear, but it is widely believed to have originated in ancient Rome as a festival honouring the goddess Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses.

The holiday is named after Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century.

Valentines — the special cards the day is known for — were not sent until the 18th century, when people in England began to make these special love notes by hand, exchanging them with people they loved.

When Is Valentine's Day 2024?

You probably know by now that the event is celebrated on the 14th of February, but is Valentine's Day on a school day this year? The answer is a resounding yes — it's a Wednesday in 2024, and since it's not a public holiday, that means many schools will be open.

It also means you'd best be ready for chocolate, card exchanges and hugs from younger students this year.

How to Celebrate Valentine's Day at School

Not sure how to incorporate the Valentine celebration into your classroom this school year or if it's even appropriate? Our teacher team has put together a primer on making this lovely holiday a lesson you'll love!

While Valentine's Day is primarily associated with romantic love, you will likely want to focus on themes of kindness, friendship, and community rather than romantic relationships.

Ultimately, it depends on the school's culture, tradition, and your preference. You may opt instead to celebrate Library Lover's Day which falls at the same time!

Here are a few ideas for activities you could do with your students:

1. Create Valentine's Day cards — Have your students create homemade Valentine's Day cards for their classmates. They can decorate the cards with stickers, drawings, or cut-out hearts.
2. Make a class valentine — Have your students work together to create a large Valentine's Day card for the class. They can use construction paper, glitter, and other craft supplies to decorate it.
3. Have a Valentine's Day party — Plan a small party for your students, complete with Valentine's Day decorations, snacks, and games. You could play a game of 'Heart Hunt' where students search for hearts hidden around the classroom or have a dance party to Valentine's Day-themed music.
4. Use Valentine's Day writing prompts — Give your students writing prompts related to Valentine's Day, such as 'What I love about my best friend' or 'Why I love my family.' Encourage them to share their writing with the class.
5. Talk about emotions — Valentine's Day can be a great opportunity to teach children about emotions like love, kindness, and empathy. You could have a class discussion about what love means and how to show it, or read a book about friendship and discuss the themes.