Simple Ways to Use Heart Animals AND Teach on Valentine's Day!

Each Valentine’s Day, I LOVE using HEART animals!  First, introduce your heart animal friends to your class or child. Exaggerate the first sound of the animal to help them distinguish the first sound they hear.

Meet Fffflamingo...

Welcome Mr. Wwwwale...

Here is Ddddog...

Buenos Dias to Mrs. Bbbbird...

There are SO many things you can do with Heart Animals  Today I'll show you three.

Activity 1: At rug time the children can take turns being a mail carrier and “deliver” HEART animal mail. The flamingo starts with the letter F. Her Valentine’s letter is addressed like:

 To: Alphabet Letter Ff.

  

What great practice of delivering Valentines cards while reinforcing the beginning letter sound!  Try using the Letter Cards found in the back of the Amazing Action Alphabet Activity Book and place the correct Letter Card by the heart animal with the same beginning sound.

Activity 2:  After you've introduced the heart animals you child may catch a vision of something similar they could do on their own.  Grab some paper and heart templates.  You will be surprised of what they can create with just paper scissors and glue! (pipe cleaners go a long way too!) 

The children can trace and cut their own hearts to and make a Valentine for a family member.  For example, after they create a DOG Valentine the inside of the card could say, doggone cute” or “I doggone love you!” If the child created a bird, the inside of the card could say, “I’m your love bird” or “I fancy you!” A whale is a simple Valentine to create, only half a heart. The inside would say something like, “Whale you be my Valentine?”

Activity 3: For Valentine’s Day the children love cutting out their own hearts and decorate their Valentine’s sack. 

These sacks can be used later as mailbags for your child's valentines. Here are some my kids made...a mouse, a bird and a cat.

What are some ways you've used heart animals?  How do you celebrate Valentines in the classroom?