As a teacher, you know parties can be a lot of work. Valentine’s Day parties in particular can be stressful with the amount of candy being exchanged while you’re trying to keep students on task. Since kids are a-little-more-than-excited on Valentine’s Day, why not embrace the fun day with a classroom transformation your students are guaranteed to love? Room transformations are 100% editable, meaning whichever transformation you choose to try out, you can change the skills to the ones you are currently teaching in February. These Valentine’s Day classroom transformation ideas are perfect for any elementary classroom.
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Option #1: Donut Shop Day
One of the best Valentine’s Day classroom transformation alternatives is the Donut Shop Classroom Transformation. This transformation comes with pink and purple posters, which enhances the Valentine’s Day feel. If you have a colorful tablecloth, lay it out to make the day as special as possible.
The Donut Shop Classroom Transformation comes with a series of admission tickets, which sound like what they are. Hand out these tickets the day before your room transformation to invite your students to Donut Day. This gets them super excited for your Valentine’s Day alternative, motivating them to participate in the transformation the next day.
Obviously, kids are looking forward to getting sweets on Valentine’s Day. With the Donut Shop transformation, you can hand out real donuts at the end! Since it’s Valentine’s Day, many places sell heart-shaped donuts, which you can use in the transformation.
How to Implement
Classroom transformations are a great way to get kids moving. If they are buzzing with hyper energy about Valentine’s Day, getting to move around the classroom puts that energy into their classwork all the while allowing them a fun time. Instead of solely focusing on Valentine’s Day, kids get to collaborate with each other and chat about their math and reading skills. They’ll be so excited about the change of classroom scenery, they won’t realize they’re actually practicing academic concepts.
Valentine’s Day can feel long between all the classroom candy and chaos. A room transformation helps the day go by quickly. Your students are engaged the entire time and not disrupting each other, making for a smooth day. To make things easier for you, it can be a good idea to invite a parent volunteer. They can help keep students on task as well as check their work.
Extra Ideas
Since it’s Donut Shop Day, let your kids make donut shop hats to match the theme! Kids love getting to dress up and do something fun on a holiday. There are multiple versions of donut shop hats included in the transformation, which your students can color and wear on Valentine’s Day. Or, pro tip, Krispy Kreme gives out pre-made hats for free. Just ask!
Do you have students who finish activities early? No problem, just whip out the fast-finisher activity! There are QR code posters to hang around your classroom which can be scanned by devices. These lead to fun facts about donuts. Or you can hang up the -pre-written fun facts around your room for students to copy down on a recording sheet. The final option for this activity is the Google Slides version. Students go to an interactive scavenger hunt where they click on different donuts and learn fun facts. This extra activity is great for keeping everyone engaged and motivating students to finish early.
Final Idea! When students first come into your classroom on Valentine’s Day, they’re going to be excited about the day ahead. Let them do the Donut Day coloring page when they first come into the room, which allows them to get out some of that Valentine’s Day excitement–or they can do it in place of a reward at the end.
Read more about this room transformation in detail here.
Purchase the Donut Shop Day Room Transformation here.
Option #2: Candy Shop Day
Another substitute Valentine’s Day classroom transformation is Candy Shop Day. Since kids are already exchanging candy, this transformation is perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Just like the Donut Shop Classroom Transformation, there are colorful and festive posters included in the Candy Shop Transformation to make it feel like Valentine’s Day. These posters are all candy-themed and can be hung on your door, your walls, or your whiteboard.
The day before this transformation, hand out admission tickets for Candy Day. These fun extras excite your students for the day ahead. They are also a great talking point with parents when students get home. Usually, students have always experienced a Valentine’s Day party, which makes a room transformation even more special for them.
Additional Ideas
Your kids are going to bring in candy for each other, so include it in the Candy Shop Classroom Transformation! Maybe after a student completes a challenge paper, they get to eat one piece of candy. Not only does this save you money buying candy, but it also offers an extra incentive for your kids to finish their work. It also prevents your kids from eating all their candy at once and getting a sugar high.
As students come in the room in the morning, give them the Candy Day coloring page to complete in place of morning work. This fun activity gets them excited about the day ahead, all the while keeping them engaged in their work. If you have another activity in mind for morning work, the coloring pages can also be done at the end of the transformation as a reward for completion.
In addition, let your kids make the Candy Shop Day hats to wear throughout the day. These hats can be colored in however your students like. Maybe because it’s Valentine’s Day, they’ll decorate them with hearts. The hats are included for you to print out. In addition, there are name tags, folder inserts, and more!
Incorporates Movement
Kids are going to be hyper on Valentine’s Day, whether it be from all the candy they eat or just the excitement of a holiday. Room transformations are great for getting that energy out. Instead of being confined to their seats, kids move around the room throughout the transformation and are able to socialize with other students. The transformation also allows students to talk about content-based skills instead of random Valentine’s Day chatter.
For your early finishers, try out the Candy Shop Day fast-finisher activity. Kids can use their devices to scan the QR codes on posters and learn fun facts about candy. Or if it’s easier for you to just print out the facts, the written version is also included! If you want to have your students practice their reading and writing skills as well, instruct your fast-finishers to write down the facts they learn on a piece of paper. This activity is super fun on Valentine’s Day and keeps all your students engaged.
Classroom transformations always make the day go by faster. They make the day incredibly fun! And on Valentine’s Day, this can especially be appreciated as a teacher! Feel free to contact parent volunteers and see if they want to help out during the transformation. Whether they’re just monitoring the room or checking students’ work, volunteers can make the transformation go smoother and keep students on task throughout Valentine’s Day.
Read more about this room transformation in detail here.
Purchase the Candy Shop Room Transformation here.
Which Valentine’s Day Classroom Transformation will you try?
Donut Shop Day or Candy Shop Day? Whichever you choose, your students are bound to have a blast while also strengthening their math and reading skills. I hope you learned more about room transformations through this post and that your newly transformed Valentine’s Day party is a hit!
Are you new to this idea and ready to try a classroom transformation? I’m here to help! Be sure to check out my additional posts with classroom transformation tips and follow me on Instagram where I share even more resources and tips for teachers.
Want to add some fun decorations to your next room transformation? I’ve got you covered right here with my Classroom Transformation Decoration Lists!
Looking to try out a room transformation but not sure where to start? Come join us in the Classroom Transformations with the Lifetime Learner Facebook Group to grab a free video game-themed room transformation for K-5!
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