Is it Valentine's Day already??
To be honest, Valentine's Day is not my favorite holiday (by far), but it is one that I truly enjoy celebrating with my students in the classroom.
But what if you are not prepared for tomorrow? Not to worry! Here are 5 low and no-prep ideas that your students will love!
1. Decorate the Classroom (or door, or bulletin board)
Cut out paper hearts large enough for students to write a word or or short phrase. Have students write on the hearts and decorate them.
Students can write words:
- that describe a good friend
- that describe kindness
- of inspiration
Students can write short phrases
- why they love their Spanish class
- why they love school
- a happy thought
2. Kindness Letters
This can be as simple as pulling out some paper and beginning to write, or as involved as making a card out of construction paper, decorating it, and writing inside.
Students can write about
- why someone is special or important to them
- a thank you for a kind act that someone did for them
- a note to another Spanish student in a lower level class with advice and helpful tips
- a note to someone special just to make them smile!
Students can free-write in Spanish, or perhaps write an acrostic poem using vocabulary they know. You can also print out the simple cards on cardstock from this packet for students to fill out and color for their friends, family, and/or classmates.
3. Love Songs (or Anti-Love Songs?)
What Spanish student does not enjoy learning through songs? My middle and high schoolers love practicing the imperative tense with a song called "Dejame" by Los Secretos. I have created activities including a lyric fill-in and different activities to learn vocabulary and reinforce the imperative tense. It's a hit every year!
You can find a fun list of songs
4. Classroom Kindness Word Swap!
In this activity, all students take out a sheet of paper and write their name in the center.
As a class, we brainstorm descriptive words that can describe people and write them on the board.
Next, the students move around the room, writing kind words and short phrases that describe their classmates. I like to play cheesy Spanish love songs in the background, but you can also play more upbeat music to get the mood going!
After 10-15 minutes (or however long it takes for students to write on all of their classmates' papers), students can return to their seats and see what their classmates wrote about them.
5. Read or Listen to a Story
I just love the story of "El Amor y la Locura" by Mario Benedetti for more advanced and bilingual students. There are several YouTube videos, but this one is nice and slow with a clear accent.
The story is about the beginning of time, when all of the different feelings are personified and play Hide and Seek. It's entertaining and has great vocabulary.
I brainstorm a list of feelings with students and hand out the story as a text so they can refer to it as they watch the video. Most times, after discussing the story, the students want to listen to it a second time.
6. Valentine's Day Themed Activities
I would be remiss to not mention the opportunity to review material with a Valentine's Day theme. In my TpT store, I have several themed activities for Elementary students.
- Spanish Valentine's Day Writing, Cards, and Vocabulary
- Spanish Valentine's Day Main Idea Task Cards
- Valentine's Day Bilingual Word Book
- Spanish Valentine's Day Mixed Up Sentences
7. Valentine's Day Mini-book Freebie!!!
Click on the photo above for your own Spanish English bilingual Valentine's Day minibook. Students will love making these little books their own! Assembly directions are included.
