With plenty of excitement over exchanging Valentine cards and eating lots of sweets, Valentine?s Day is stimulating enough for kids without having to learn to play complicated new games.
Just a few simple easy-to-learn and easy-to-play games provide enough entertainment to make a heart-themed holiday party loads of fun.
Considerations
It?s important to keep in mind that even at a young age, many boys aren?t particularly excited about the hearts-and-flowers theme prevalent in the celebration of Valentine?s Day. To make sure that both boys and girls enjoy the party games, the emphasis should be on challenges, skills and contests. Also, games should vary, so that kids have a chance to play both quiet and lively ones.
Valentine Challenges
Contests that involve some challenge make for appealing Valentine?s Day party games. In “Tower of Hearts,” kids compete to build the tallest tower from candy conversation hearts. If a kid’s tower falls over, he can start again, but the tallest tower after a 30-second time limit is the winner.
In ?Broken Heart,? kids put together puzzles made from a large red paper heart that has been cut into pieces. Another challenge that takes a little preparation is called “Tangled Love.” An adult reshapes wire hangers into heart shapes and then, for each team, tangle a half dozen of these together. Teams then compete to untangle the wires and return each hanger to a heart shape.
Valentine Relays
Several relays designed for Valentine?s Day give kids a chance to do a little running around. For “Heart Beat,” kids line up in teams and run to the opposite end of the room where they select a paper heart from a basket; the child must follow the instructions on the heart before running back to his or her team. Instruction examples include, ?Run like a bunny, and sing the ABCs.”
Another fun idea: the “Heart Hop” relay asks kids to run (or hop) a relay course with a heart-shape pillow held between their legs.
Pen and Pencil Games
For a quiet break in livelier games, kids can use paper and pencil to play a variety of word games. Competing to see who can make the most three- or four-letter words from ?Valentine?s Day? is an easy game, as is thinking of first names that start with each letter in the name of the holiday (?V? for Vicky, ?A? for Andrew, for example).
For Heart Creatures, kids draw imaginary creatures completely made up of different sized hearts. Kids can also work in teams to complete crossword puzzles or word searches on a Valentine?s Day theme like the ones found on the Kaboose website.
Valentine Treat Games
Some Valentine?s Day treats can be used as part of the entertainment. At the beginning of the party, a large jar filled with chocolate candies is displayed where everyone can see it. Kids guess how many candies they think are in the jar; the winner is in charge of distributing them.
For the Red Hot Challenge, kids are given a large sugar cookie, some icing and a plastic knife. After frosting their cookies, kids try to see who can squeeze the most red-hot candies on top of their cookies.
What are some fun holiday games that are played at your house?
