Valentine’s Day can be such a fun way to remind our family,
friends, spouses and fellow students that we care. It’s nice to receive a
colorful card, or a handmade gift that conveys someone’s warm thoughts.
However, being the parent who must coordinate 20-30 colorful messages per
child, per classroom, can feel a bit overwhelming. Then top it with worries
about food allergies and skin sensitivities to cosmetic products, or homemade
dough or slime and it can feel like you just can’t make everyone happy.
Because my kids are still too young to celebrate romance, we
put our focus on friendship. A good friend doesn’t need to give gifts, but it’s
nice to tell our friends what they mean to us. Consumable items like candy, baked goods, or
lip balm are easy to buy, but we want to give something to each child they will
be able to enjoy no matter what restrictions they have.
Here are 14 non-consumable ideas for classroom Valentine’s
gifts:
1. Zoo animal figure and attach a note that says, “Will Zoo Be
My Friend?”
2. Small dinosaurs with a note, “Thank You for Being my
Friendasaurus!”
3. Small box of crayons with a note that says, “Color Your Heart Out!”
4. A glow stick with a note that says, “You Make the World
Glow!”
5. A small match box car with a note that says, “I Like How You
Roll!”
6. Superhero mask with a note that says, “Have a Super
Valentine’s Day!”
7. Mini rubber duck with a note, “I’m a lucky duck to have a
friend like you!”
READ MORE: Crafty fun with these Valentine's Day ideas
8. A fun mini click-pen with a note, “You Are the Write Kind of
Friend!”
9. A crazy straw with a note, “Sip! Sip! Hooray it’s
Valentine’s Day!”
10. A water color paint set with a note, “You Make Me Happy When
Skies Are Gray.”
11. Mini bottles of bubbles with a note, “You make the day POP!”
12. A mini slinky with a note, “Our Friendship Springs to Mind.
Happy Valentine’s Day!”
13. DIY paper bookmarks are fun, functional and colorful!
14. Print out some funny jokes for friends to share and slip
inside a homemade card.
All these ideas are great for preschool through elementary
aged classrooms. They are all easy to make, require little time and make you
look crafty. Of course, the absolute easiest route is to pay for 20
prefab cards in a box that includes tiny stickers and help your child sign
their name twenty times. But how easy that really is depends on how willing
your child is to sit still long enough to write their name…. twenty times.
Happy Valentine's Day dear readers! I appreciate you!
Roxanne is a full time blogger at The Whatever Mom where she shares life as a hectic laundress, coffee queen and crazed mother of twins. Follow along with her on Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
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