Valentine’s Day will be very different in 2021! For years teachers have prepared fun party activities, served cookies and cupcakes, and had students use glue, scissors, and construction paper to create their own Valentine mailboxes. Students bought or made their own Valentines to pass out to classmates.
Digital Cards
So what do we do now, during a pandemic? Once again, teachers are getting creative! Many teachers have created digital resources using Google docs, Sheets, and Slides. Students are able to create their own Valentines to share with classmates. They can choose their own colors and fonts, and move images around their screen in order to decorate their cards. Google Slides has many choices students can use. They can then send their Valentines virtually to friends and teachers.
Online Games
There are all kinds of fun games that can be played online. Quizizz is a game where students can compete online, answering questions on all sorts of topics. The teacher can choose the topic and students join the game by entering a code. These quizzes are often themed for the holidays and have music for the students to enjoy. At the end of the game, the top three finishers are featured for the class to see and names of students who scored well, dance across the screen.
“Would you Rather” is a favorite game that is easy to play online. Students are given a choice of two activities or items, and asked to choose which they would rather have or do. It’s a great way for students to share with others a little about themselves and get to know their classmates.
An old favorite my children always loved to play is “Mad Libs”. Students are asked to come up with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. Then those words are inserted into a silly story. Students love to hear the words they choose make the story often hilariously funny. “Mad Libs” is now available online.
A new version of “I Spy” can be used with students on a Zoom type classroom meeting. Students have their cameras on and the teacher will give clues to something he/she sees in the room. This can be a student’s room at home, or the teacher’s room. “I spy something round…” The teacher gives out clues until someone guesses the object he/she is describing.
Online scavenger hunts, and escape rooms are currently popular with students. Pixel Art is a fun way of practicing skills on any topic. Students answer questions on Google Sheets or an Excel type grid. With each correct answer, part of an image will appear, pixel by pixel. Students love these and often ask for more. Many teachers are searching online for more of these Pixel Art lessons, or are learning to make them themselves.
Kelly’s Math Slides and More…
My two online stores, on Amped Up Learning, and Teachers Pay Teachers, have a variety of fun digital activities for Valentine’s Day, as well as other school holidays. All products in my store are 20% off February 9th and 10th: See my Featured Lessons or find these in my store: https://ampeduplearning.com/teacher-contributor-stores/math-contributors/kellys-math-slides-and-more/holiday-lessons/
