Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th of each year. This free unit study is a great way to teach your children more about Valentine’s Day. The unit is mostly designed for elementary-aged children, but your entire family will enjoy going through this study together. The unit includes information about the history of Valentine’s Day, as well as lessons and activities covering Valentine-themed science, math, literature, writing, crafts, and more. You may choose to do all of the lessons and activities in a single day, taking the day off from your regular studies, or spread the unit study out over several days leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day History

Watch one of these videos to learn about Saint Valentine and the history of Valentine’s Day.

• The History of St. Valentine’s Day – This is a very short animated overview of the history behind the holiday.
• Story of Saint Valentine – A 22-minute long animated program about St. Valentine and the history of Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day Writing

Have your children complete one of these copywork or poetry writing assignments.

• Valentine’s Day Copywork – Over 50 pages of manuscript and cursive copywork to choose from. The copywork includes scripture and famous quotes about love.
• Valentine’s Day Acrostic Poem Activity – Acrostic poem writing worksheet using the word “heart.” This printable is good for lower elementary.
• Valentine’s Day Poetry – Students read a Valentine’s Day poem and then write their own poem with the same rhyme scheme. This printable is good for upper elementary and middle school.

Valentine’s Day Literature

Watch and listen to a read-aloud of one (or more) of the following storybooks.

• Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine  by Herman Parish
• Happy Valentine’s Day, Curious George by N. Di Angelo

Valentine’s Day Science

Complete a science experiment or STEM project using candy hearts.

• Candy Heart Experiments – Instructions for two science experiments using candy hearts and worksheets for recording the results.
• STEM Activities with Candy Hearts – Several fun building projects that use candy hearts.

Valentine’s Day Math

Do a math activity using candy hearts.

• Candy Heart Math Printables (Pre-K to 1st) – These printables use candy hearts in counting, sorting, graphing, and pattern activities.
• Candy Heart Math Graphing (2nd & 3rd) – These math worksheets use candy hearts to practice estimation, counting, sorting, tallies, pie graph, bar graph, and analyzing data.
• Valentine Candy Heart Math Freebie (4th & 5th) – This printable provides practice with fractions, decimals, percents, mean, median, and mode using candy hearts.

Valentine’s Day Crafts

Make one of these Valentine’s Day crafts with your children.

• Heart Suncatcher Craft – This simple craft uses contact paper and colored tissue paper to make a suncatcher. It’s perfect for younger kids.
• Heart String Art – For this craft, you’ll need string or twine, a small piece of wood, hammer, nails, and the free template provided. This craft is better for older children. Younger children could do it too if you hammer the nails for them.

If crafting isn’t your thing, print out some cute coloring sheets instead at Shutterfly or Doodle Art Alley.

Valentine’s Day Treats

Choose one of these 30 Yummy and Easy Valentine’s Day Treats to make together.

Community Service

Visit a nursing home or shut-ins and deliver Valentine’s Day cards or treats. Check ahead of time to find out if the people you will be visiting have any special dietary restrictions. Or you could deliver cards or treats to a fire station or police station to show your appreciation. Keep in mind that stations in many areas only accept prepackaged foods for safety reasons. Inquire ahead of time about any restrictions.