With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, these fun Valentine’s-inspired preschool games can help bring the spirit of the day into the home or classroom. Keeping your preschooler entertained with these fun games also keeps them active and learning, with a few Valentine’s Day sweets as a treat.
Roll And Color
For this mathematical preschool game, all you need is a sheet of paper, some coloring pencils, and a set of dice. Use a black permanent marker to draw the outlines of hearts in a large grid shape — the more, the better! Let your child roll the die, and ask them to color in that number of hearts. If they roll a four, they count out four hearts on the sheet and fill them in with crayon.
This is an excellent exercise for improving fine motor skills and early math. Whether they’re rolling the die or coloring in, these movements go a long way in getting them used to holding and transferring between objects. For an added layer of difficulty, add a second die and ask your child to add the totals together before coloring!
Valentine’s Simon Says
If you’re looking to keep active, this is the perfect Valentine’s Day-themed preschool game. First, teach the group two movements: if you call “hugs,” they must put their arms above their heads to make a circle. If you call “kisses,” they jump into an “X” shape, like a star jump. The leader of the group can then call “hugs” or “kisses,” and any child that does the wrong movement is out. Once everyone is comfortable with the movements and the names, the group leader can add in a “Cupid Says,” just like Simon Says, to add more fun to the game.
Heart Toss
This game works on ball skills and hand-eye coordination, all while keeping children on their toes. Every child sits in a circle, and a red beanbag or ball acts as a “heart.” The child who starts with the heart calls the name of another child, and then tosses the heart to them. As the children get used to the game, you can add an extra heart to make things more difficult.
Hershey’s Kiss Memory Match
Memory games are wonderful for working your child’s mind while they’re having fun, especially when the reward for a good memory is a Hershey’s Kiss! For this activity, you’ll need a pack of Hershey’s Kisses and a pack of round stickers. There’s a little bit of setup that goes into this one, but your child can join in with you to make it more fun.
Attach stickers to the bottom of each Hershey’s Kiss, making sure that each sticker has a partner. For example, you’ll want to have two Kisses that have the same blue sticker on the bottom. These form matching pairs that your child can discover! If you’re running out of colors, you can draw on small patterns like stars or other shapes to help you make enough matching pairs.
Next up, arrange all the Kisses in rows on a table. Let your child pick up the first Kiss, look at the pattern, and then try and find the matching Kiss on the table. If they’ve found a matching pair, they get to keep the Hershey’s Kisses as a treat! If you’re playing this game with only your child or a very small group, you can reduce the number of Kisses you set out on the table.
Learning Through Play At Providence Children’s Academy
In preschool, an early learning program is essential in fostering physical and mental development, and creating a place where children can build on these foundational skills. Much of what children learn about the world around them comes from games and observation, with preschool games bringing fun into the average preschooler’s day. Contact us at Providence Children’s Academy to see how we’re passionate about early learning.