Easy Valentines Party Ideas

This video explains how to create a simple decorated paper treat bag for a classroom Valentine’s Party that even talks about using symmetry.

Then, it explains an organized way to pass out the items without shedding tears or creating classroom chaos. Valentine’s Day has never been so simple!

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Transcript

“Hi, everyone! Charity Preston here from The Organized Classroom Blog.

For today’s tip, I’m going to kind of go through some things for my elementary teachers with Valentines parties.

Now I know it gets kind of crazy with Valentine’s parties and there are messes and smushed cupcakes on the floor, and kids are going crazy and trying to deliver Valentines to everyone.

So I have a pretty simple way of managing a Valentines party that’s not as much work for you. It’s even less work if you have a parent that helps you with these steps or comes up with the game as well to do some time fillers.

The first thing we’re going to do is create Valentines bags.

Grab a basic paper bag. You can use white craft bags or you can use different colored ones. These are really cheap.

You want to make sure the student’s name is on it. For that they can use crayons, colored, pencils, markers, or a regular pencil, but it’s not going to show up as well on the bag as well.

They will set it right on top of their desk when their name is completed.

Then you’re going to make sure that they have glue. I prefer glue sticks (over white glue) and scissors for each student at their desk.

Then after that, you’re going to hand them two pieces of construction or colored copy paper.

Take whatever colors that you have leftover from whatever craft that you did. I would suggest not brown or black because it is Valentines day after all, but the boys are probably not going to like the purples and pinks as much either.

Make them as colorful as you want. Mix them up. I don’t think I’d give the students a choice because that’s just going to take more time.

Make sure to explain that once those pieces are gone, that’s it. So hopefully they are more careful about their decoration option.

First, I model how to do some math crafting.

I fold the paper in half and have a good discussion about symmetry.

Teach them to cut out their ice cream cones out of their paper, and then they will have a heart. Then you can also, after you do that, show them again. Now you have two hearts!

Have them do the same.

Then they can layer them, change the colors, do whatever they want and all they’re making our hearts for their bags.

Finally, glue them on the bags and let them dry overnight.

This is definitely a project that you have to plan at least one day in advance.

For the day of the party: Students come in and go through the day like normal. At the very end of the day, last half an hour of the day for example, you’re going to pass out the bags.

Have students open them up on top of their desk and give them each one piece of tape.

They’re going to tape their bag right on the edge of their desks, so that they’re hanging down off the desk.

Then after that, the students are going to get whatever treats that they brought in.

I like to tell my parents, that any party treats sent in should be individually wrapped.

And any Valentines that the students choose to bring in do not have personalized names on them. They just need to sign them with their own name and I send home the number of students we have in our classroom.

Once the bags are set and students have their valentines cards and treats in their hand, I have the students line up with me in a straight line.

I’m the leader of the line. And then we follow the leader.

I snake through all the desks as organized as I can from one side of the room to the other. They follow behind me dropping one treat and/or Valentine card in every single bag until we all get to the other side of the room.

Once we are finished, their bags hanging off their desk are completely full.

It’s not mad chaos with everyone, delivering, forgetting who they go gave one to who they did not give one to.

At that point, I have them go sit in their seats. They can go through the treat bag and pick one item out to enjoy and hang out.

You might even want to play some Valentines music.

This is the part where if you have a parent volunteer, they can pick the game and play a game with the students.

After that point, they can take their bag off their desk and take them right out the door with them as they pack up their belongings for dismissal.

So now you’re left with nothing on the floor. No crumbs. It hasn’t been chaos. Children aren’t crying because so-and-so got this, so-and-so got this, so-and-so didn’t get this one. They won’t know because they don’t know until they get at home, who has what and who it’s from.

It’s a nice little treat for them once they get home as well to go through their bag and see what they received.

I hope that’s helpful to you for Valentines day this year, and hopefully this saves some of the normal chaos in the classroom.

I hope you have a great rest of the week. Thanks, bye!”

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