February is a fun month to celebrate love! Valentine’s Day provides a perfect theme for this month’s activities. Use whatever you have available at home – pencils, markers, paper, scissors, glue – and invite your child to make their own valentines for loved ones and friends. Help your child make a list of people to whom they’d like to send a valentine. Have them practice writing names on paper, a white board or a chalkboard before they write them on the valentines. Alternatively, you can write the names for them in pencil and then have your child trace over the letters with a crayon or marker.
Have your child look through catalogues and use scissors to cut out pictures that they like. Next, have them make a collage by gluing the pictures on a sheet of construction paper. You can also make a “book” by folding a few sheets of paper in half and stapling along the fold.
The small hard candy hearts available in stores this time of year are great for a science experiment! Fill a few glasses with different liquids such as water, soda, juice and vinegar. Predict with your child what you think might happen if you place a candy in the glass with water. Guess what will happen immediately, then after a minute, then after 5, etc. Do the same with the other liquids. Will the reaction of the candy to the liquid be different? If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can make a chart to record the results of your experiments!
Make pink play dough for this month! Our favorite play dough recipes are available on the website! Have your child help with measuring ingredients and stirring after they cool a bit.
Looking for a special Valentine’s Day snack your child can make at home? Place a heart-shaped cookie cutter on a plate and then fill the cookie cutter with strawberry yogurt and fresh or frozen fruit. Place it in the freezer for two hours to make a yummy and healthy frozen yogurt treat.
Enjoy your last official month of winter!
Kindergarten Prep at Home 