Read on to Discover How I Changed Valentines Day in my Upper Elementary classroom from Crazy to Complimentary.
Valentine’s Day can be crazy in the upper elementary classroom! Between the candy, the parties, and the angst of who to give valentines to, my fifth graders were all over the place during this week!
I finally had to make a decision, Valentine’s Day in my upper elementary classroom will now focus on kindness, rather than “stuff”. I wanted to give my students something positive, something they would remember.
For years, I had written “thought out” compliments to my students. Compliments focused on their character traits such as hard work and focus. I would start over Winter Break and give them to my students on Valentine’s Day. My students seem to appreciate them and many said they kept them.
Then it clicked! If I had each of my students write four or five compliments to each other, my students would each receive a pile of compliments and it would give my students the opportunity to really think about another person! BOOM!
After a few years of trial and error, I finally came up with Valentine’s Day Compliments! In this activity, students learn how to write a thoughtful and meaningful compliment that is based on another person’s character or talent, NOT looks! My students loved them and so did I! Enough, in fact, that I no longer have students bring in store bought Valentines or candy!
If you want to move your class away from the chaos and give them an enduring gift, consider giving Valentine’s Day Compliments!
Your class might also enjoy these Valentine’s Day Math for Fifth Grade as well!
Happy Valenine’s Day
~tina
