Teaching Ideas & Classroom Activities

Valentine’s Day with upper elementary and middle school students is a very specific classroom experience. There is candy, energy, side-eye, social drama, and at least one student who thinks everything is cringe. The little-kid crafts do not always work anymore, but skipping the day completely can feel boring too. I like finding Valentine’s Day activities for upper elementary that still feel festive without pretending students are younger than they are. Here are four ideas that usually land well with bigger kids. 1. Write a love letter or breakup letter to a character This is a fun way to sneak in character analysis. Have students write a love letter, thank-you letter,…