Cardboard valentines make great teaching tools. I recently picked up a bunch at a dollar store to make a few learning games for JDaniel. The box I selected was filled with cards that were rectangular without fancy cutouts. They looked like they would be the easiest to work with. I also avoided cards that were scratch and sniff and had areas to punch out. Those type of cards might distract my son from the task we were being asked to do.
Sight Word Game
On the back of a group of cards I placed a white business card sized sticker. The Valentine’s Day cards are not really wide, but the sticker fits onto them with hanging over. Onto each sticker, I wrote one of my son’s sight words of the month at school. Really any sight words you might want your child to work on would be alright.
I spread the cards word side down on the table and asked my son to select one card at a time. If he could read the card, he got to place in a pile in front of him. If he missed it, he had to turn it back over and try it again later.
The goal the first time we did this activity was just to read the word. As he got more familiar with the words I asked him to read me the word and use it in a sentence. This allowed him to demonstrate that he understood the meaning of the word.
Puzzle Piece Match
Several of the remaining cards in the box were cut in half with jagged, curved, or funny shaped divisions. Several cards with the same picture on the front were used in the activity. I wanted my son to really have to look at the cards carefully to decide which halves fit together.
He was able to put the cards together rather quickly. I think younger children would have found it to be more of a challenge.
When all the cards were put together, I asked him to describe the line I had used to divide each card. We talked about how words like smooth, jagged, wavy, curved and zig-zagged might be used to describe some of the lines.
Cards of Kindness
We still had some card left. I asked JDaniel to write notes on them to neighbors or teachers that he thought could use a message of kindness. I think he liked this activity best of all.
Deirdre Smith writes/owns JDaniel4’s Mom. After twenty years as an elementary school and technology resource teacher in Northern Virginia, she became a stay at home mom in upstate South Carolina. Her blog features ways she and her 5-year-old are exploring learning, crafting, creating healthy meals and living life to its fullest. Deirdre can also be found on twitter as @jdaniel4smom and on her blog’s FB page. You can also check her out on Google+.
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About Deirdre
Welcome! My name is Deirdre and I am JDaniel4's Mom. After teaching in Virginia for twenty years, I was a stay at home mom learning and growing beside my son JDaniel the 4th for five years. I recently went back to teaching at a local school here in South Carolina.
LOVE this! Who knew there were so many uses for Valentine’s Day cards!
maryanne @ mama smilessays
I love the ways you are using your Valentine’s Day cards! I’ve only ever used them as Valentines, but maybe that will change this year after seeing your post 🙂
I love these ideas! Gage is too young to write messages of kindness but he’s learning sight words and can write his name on the cards to send 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration.
totschooltotallyawesomesays
That’s a lovely set of activities! And I like the last activity as well 🙂
I love how you turned basic Valentine’s Day cards into learning opportunities!
I think I like the messages of kindness for others best of all too!
LOVE this! Who knew there were so many uses for Valentine’s Day cards!
I love the ways you are using your Valentine’s Day cards! I’ve only ever used them as Valentines, but maybe that will change this year after seeing your post 🙂
I think my preschoolers will love the matching activity! I have plenty of old Valentines to use. Thank you for the idea!
I love these ideas! Gage is too young to write messages of kindness but he’s learning sight words and can write his name on the cards to send 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration.
That’s a lovely set of activities! And I like the last activity as well 🙂