Valentine's Day Party Activities

Kids absolutely love games and crafts that relate to love, hearts, and candy! Here are a few ideas that could be done either in a classroom setting or at home with your own kids! Remember, half of the fun is the time spent together during this celebration of love!

St. Valentine Says
This game is just like "Simon says", only use "St. Valentine" instead. In case your memory isn't up to speed, here is how you play: An adult will call out commands like, "St. Valentine says, 'Lift your left leg!'" and everyone lifts their left leg. The only commands that the kids do not follow are those that St. Valentine did not say! You are out when you don't follow St. Valentine, or if you do something that he did not command. The last person still in the game wins!

Musical Hearts
Tape large red Die Cut Hearts to the floor, one for each child. Every child begins by standing on a heart. Start the music and have the children walk around the room. When the music stops they need to stand on a heart or they are out. Remove one heart after each musical segment.

Mirror Candy Relay
Divide the group into teams. The first child on each team holds a cup on their head. The child looks into the mirror that is held by another team member (or it can be mounted on the wall) and tries to fill their cup with Valentine candy. When the cup is filled, they dump the candy back in the bowl and pass the cup to the next person. The first team that finishes filling their cups wins!

Sweet Fortune
Kids and grownups alike are crazy for sweets. This activity is a fun version of fortune-telling that involves a big bowl of Valentine candy! Have your guests grab a small handful of candy from the bowl and interpret their fortune according to the list below. The more of each color, the greater the influence will be in your life. The great part of this game is if you don't like your fortune, eat it up and try your luck again!

Red: Love
Pink: Friendship
White: Popularity and Power
Purple: Loneliness
Green: Wishes - For each green one, you can make a wish that will come true!
Blue: Wealth

Valentine Scramble
See how many words the guests can make out of the words "Valentine's Day" in five minutes.

Matchmaker Memory Game
Sit in a circle and have each player take five conversation hearts. One person starts a story with a few lines using all of the words on their hearts. The next person in the circle continues the story using their words. Each player must use all the heart words in their lines. Once you have gone around the whole circle, you can eat your words at the end!

Make Valentine's Day Pins
What You Need:
Plaster of Paris
Water
Measuring cup with a pour spout
Mixing spoon
Plastic heart shaped candy mold
Pin backs
Paint
Paintbrushes
Clear spray paint

How To Make It:
Follow the instructions on the back of the plaster of Paris carton and prepare a small portion at a time.

1. Pour the mixture into the heart-shaped candy mold but do not over fill.

2. As soon as you fill one heart, place a pin back into the plaster of Paris. Hold until it stands freely.

3. Let dry overnight. Pop out the pins when dry and let your children paint them. When the paint is dry, an adult can spray a glossy clear paint on the pin to finish.

Personalized Candy Bar Wrappers, Banners, Party Favors

Heart Scramble

Several days before the party, cut five hearts for each guest from red construction paper. Number each set. After the guests have arrived, you can start them on a heart hunt. Give each guest a number. The object of the game is for each to get a complete set of hearts with the number given him on each of them. A player might of course find all five of his, but this will seldom happen. After several hearts have been found the players begin to trade. Suppose you have found one of your hearts and your number is 3. You know that another player has a No. 3 heart, but unless you have one of his set, you cannot trade. So the two of you will have to trade with others. The first player to complete a set is given a small heart shaped box of candy.

Valentine Paper Goods

Heart Toss

While each guest still has her set of numbered hearts, have a heart toss game. Let each player, in turn, try to toss his five hearts into a wide necked jar placed some distance away. In case of a tie, those still in the race may toss again to decide the winner.

Valentine Candy Bar Wrappers

Who Has a Heart?

Your guests may now form a circle to play. Play like Button Button only use a small paper heart instead of a button.

Love is Blind

Set up a black board or pin a large sheet of paper to a wall.  Each gues in turn is blindfolded and give a piece of read chalk or red crayon. The she is turned around one or twice and asked to draw on the board or paper the outline of a heart and write her initials in it. The prize goes to the one drawing the best heart.

Valentine's Banners

Valentine Invitations You Make

A dainty invitation for valentine party can be made by pasting a small doily, about 4 inches wide to a a 4 1/2 in. square of red drawing or construction paper. On another square of the same size write your invitation. Fasten the two square together at the top with a piece of red or white ribbon. If you prefer lighter colors you can use pink or peach colored construction paper. Color the raise party of the doily lighter with green, blue or yellow crayons.

Valentine Decorations

Have a table set up for the kids to make their own valentines. Include lots of pink and red paper, doilies, markers, glitter, small heart shaped candies, stickers, and lace.