We love Valentines Day Crafts for Kids!! Over the years, we have shared an extensive range of Valentines Activities for kids of all ages. I thought it would help to narrow some of these activities down for you to use as classroom Valentines Activities for Upper Elementary Students.
They make a fantastic addition to our collection. The majority of the crafts here today are perfect Valentine’s Day Activities for Elementary Students – particularly upper elmentary, where kids really start to work independently!
So if you are looking at which grade these activities and crafts are for, I would say between 3rd grade to about 6th grade. So kids around 8yrs to 11yrs old. I find this a fantastic group students to work, as they become more able to follow instructions independantly, have some fabulous creative ideas of their own BUT also still enjoy creative activities before they hit those high school years of too cool for school! They are a great set of activities to fill some free time at the end of lesson plans.
Where you are crafting at home or in the classroom, we have a great set of crafts for you to try today.
Let’s get started and get ourselves classroom ready for February 14th (though some of these activities can be made throughout the school year too.. e.g. around Mother’s Day or a classmate’s Birthdays).
Valentines Day Activities for Upper Elementary School
As with all our crafts here on Red Ted Art, we are sharing ideas for you and your students. None of these activities are designed to be followed in EXACTLY the way we have shared them – but they are designed to inspire the kids to get creative. E.g. I share a super fun little P (including printable worksheets), but you don’t have to make a pop up bear.. you can make any other pop up animal that you wish.. be inspired to get creative and get the kids to think outside the box! Perfect for upper Elementary students keen to make things “their own way”!
Paper Hearts for Elementary School Kids
You will find some paper hearts in our card making section below. But we also have some fabulous paper hearts that would make great classroom decor for a Valentine’s Day Party:
More Paper Hearts Fun… with these paper heart snowfalkes. They double up as classroom decor OR as a cute alternative Valentines Day Card to give to classmates.
Make some large paper hearts to decorate the classroom with. So how about some Rainbow Paper Fun? With this great Rainbow Paper Heart Weaving activity?
3 Paper Hearts – we love these paper hearts, so vibrant and they come with free heart printables too!
Gorgeous 3d Paper Heart mobile! a lovely way to decorate for Valentines.
into fabulous BFF gifts
Similarly, Conversation Hearts are always a popular theme for Upper Elementary school kids! If you are looking to go more arty, we have an amazing Giant Conversation Heart DIY Art Project– these would be great for decorating large space or for keeping all year round.
And why not take this simple Heart Box Printable and turn THAT into Conversation Hearts Too? Simply print on pastel coloured paper and add your Conversation Heart message before assembly!
Valentines Rock Painting for Elementary School
Rock painting is always popular with kids of all ages. And we have some gorgeous Valentines Rocks to paint! These can be given to classmates as small gifts or the students can be encouraged to hide them in the community!
We will never tire of these fingerprint friendship rocks, as they are so darn cute and so so easy to make! They would even be a fabulous little keepsake craft to send the kids home to Mom with!
How gorgeous are these Pour Painted Rocks? Pour Painting is a super fun technique that kids will love and Twitchetts shows us how! Make these in small to fit in pockets or “big” as Heart Rock Paper Weights!
Similarly, these Heart Rocks using Paint Pens are simply divine! And would make a lovely gift to give to friends. Rock Painting 101 gives all the top tips! The older kids will definitely love giving these a go!
Printable Valentines Elementary School Ideas
Who doesn’t love a printable Valentines…. some ideas to help you along the way in the classroom!
Learn how to make a LEGO Valentines Mailbox AND take advantage of these free LEGO Printable Gift Boxes. So cute! A great contribution by Make It Your Own! I love that you can give small gifts (e.g. some LEGO or a homemade scrunchie) or some candy, small treats and chocolates in these fun little LEGO boxes.
A game, colouring page AND Valentine’s Card to give, with this fun Stained Glass Valentine’s Activity from Kids Love Board Games. A simple game to see who can colour their hearts first!
Stretching your students skills.. here is a stunning Paper Tealight Lantern for older kids to give a go – with a free printable (to hand cut or use a cutting machine!). The talented Adventures in a Box created this for us!
Elementary School Valentines Cards & Art
Needless to say, any Valentines Activities “round up” for elementary school students, will need to include a set of Handmade Valentines Cards! We have an extensive list of Valentines Day cards for kids that you do simply need to check out. But we also picked out some especially for this age range and the classrom for some additional hidden learning opportunities or because we have some printable worksheets to go with this activity!
Easy Pop Up Bear and Pop Up Cat Card – you are Purrrrfect! As mentioned previously, this is a great example of a craft, where we share basic instructions of hwo to make, but encourage the children to come up with their own designs and colour schemes. Worksheets available!
We love puns and we love Origami. So these “I am Batty About You” – Valentine’s Origami Bat a great as Bookmark Gifts or as greeting cards! Worksheets available!
Similarly! Turn your favourite Whale Origami into a “I Whaley Whaley Like You” card – easy Valentine’s Origami Whale! Worksheets also available!
Fancy a pop up heart card? Well.. we have a choice of not one, not two but THREE types of different pop up heart cards.
The first is our “paper chain pop up heart” card – probably the easiest mechanism of the three designs. And with worksheets available.
Then we have this explosion card pop up (kids will be seriously impressed with themselves), which looks complicated, but I promise, is surprisingly easy. It only takes a little more time to make (more parts to cut and assemble)
And finally, the classic heart pop up!
Exploring different art mediums in your card making
Want to add a little art exploration into your lesson plans? Then try some of these slightly more arty Valentines Greeting cards to make:
Learn how to draw Winter Birch Trees – two verions here and here.
Revisiting and “older” contribution, we have these simple Water Colour Heart Winter Trees by the Educators Spin on It!
Fabulous Chalk Pastel Hearts Art project – a step by step guide to using chalk pastels by Projects with kids.
Have a go at Oil Pastels.. with these super sweet Oil Pastel Heart Bouquet cards by 3 Dinosaurs.
Moasic Heart Pins to make for friends. These polymer clay brooches make a lovely accesory to wear or pin to your backpack. You can also make them as fridget magnets. A great idea from Art Camp.
A little Valentines Science for Elementary School
We have a post dedicated to Science Ideas for Valentine’s Day. But here is a small sample!
More fun with circuits with these “Light Up my Life” Bookmark Corners! Aren’t they clever? Complete with free printable!
Balancing Hearts Science Activity (includes free printable) – these would be a fun activity in a classrom Valentine’s Day Party!
Keeping it simple… Adorable Pipecleaner Beaded Hearts – a super sweet activity, that is great for fine motor skills and is a wonderful Heart Craft for little ones! Thank you Inner Child Fun! This is particularly fun, if you incorporate some “bead coding” in your heart making too!
A fun STEAM Project and Heart Decoration in one: Salt Hearts! From Go Science Kids.
A fun addition to any math lesson are these Heart Maths Puzzles – aren’t they cool? Created by Cinta & Co.
Elementary School Valentines Bookmarks
What teacher doesn’t love to encourage their students to read?! Making bookmarks is a simple must for any lesson plan fillers. Bookmarks are easy to make, look great and of course encourage reading. Plus they make great small gifts to give to classmates or family! Here are some of our favourites:
Bookmarks
Love bug Bookmarks– we do love a “love bug” craft.. and these love bug bookmarks are no exception. Love how cute they are and how you can decorate them in whatever patterns and colours you wish
What a Hoot – Valentine’s Owl Corner Bookmarks
arks.. aren’t they fun?
Colour your own Printable Heart Bookmark – aren’t these stunning?!
Yarn Wrapped Heart Bookmarks – darling!
Valentines Day Gifts to Make & Give to classmates or family
Adorable Felt Hearts to Sew and give. A great hand stitching or Sewing Machine projects for kids learning to sew by Swoodson Says!
Super cute Heart Fidget Toys (with printable). The kids will love these! By the lovely Mosswood Connections!
Rather adorable Perler Bead Picture Frame! These make super duper cute gifts for a friend or a family member. My kids will be all over these! From the awesome Creating Creatives.
Cutest of cute Pom Pom Love Birds by Swami Mommi! Aren’t they adorable?
Friendship Valentine’s Keychain Gift Idea! With printable hearts by La Maison de Lou Lou.
Adorable and easy Valentine’s Heart Hair Accessories byCreative World of Varya
Get the kids sewing with this adorable and easy Heart Softie Pattern by Sew a Softie!
Secret Message Heart Printables – such a cute way to give a gift – make sure to add your secret message!!! Print and colour your locked hearts. Another lovely craft by Box of Ideas!
Fun with Recycled Valentines Activities
One of my favourite “cardboard” projects for Upper Elementary School kids is this slightly more involved – but yes you guessed it, EASY Heart Bulletin Board DIY. The kids will LOVE to take this home and decorate their bedrooms or have a large bulletin board display in the classroom!
Newspaper Love Bug Fridge Magnets! We love Love Bug crafts.. as your imagination is the limit and there is no right or wrong. Make these love bugs as per Oh Creative Day’s instructions.
Recycled Cactus Cards – I am Stuck on You! How fun are these oh so easy to make Cactii by Start Creative Studio?
Or do neeed a super cute Heart Decoration? Keep your December decor and turn the left over tinsel into this Recycled Tinsel Heart Decoration by Best Toys for Toddlers.
I hope you like this collection of Valentine Elementary School ideas and that your students have a blast having a go at these!
New this year, is also our Kids Valentine’s Printables resource page:
Paper Plate Crafts for Preschoolers:
A collection of PAPER Heart Crafts:
As well as some Heart Crafts for Toddlers:
And we have some Love Bug Crafts – because Love Bugs are simply irristible!
You may also like these STEAM Ideas from Science Sparks.
