Valentine's Day | Preschool Theme

Videos	Finger Plays: • 10 Little Valentines • Smile, Run, Laugh, Hug! • These Little Piggies • I Love You • If You Want To Be My Valentine • My Heart Balloon • Valentine For Mommy • The More We Get Together Fun Songs To Sing: • All Together Now Preschool Learning Videos: • Find The Heart • The Story Of Cupid • Where Is Cupid? • Which One Is Red? • Looking For The "E" • Valentine's Counting With Cupid • The Story Of Valentine's Day For Kids • Count The Points • Beginning Letter Sounds • Syllables, Chunks, & Valentine's
Activities	• Valentine's Day PreWriting • Valentine's Cutting Practice • Valentine's Sorting • Letter "V" And Stickers • Is It A Letter Or A Number? • Love Letter Balloons • Making Hearts Out Of Candy • Sorting Cupid For Valentine's Day! • Coloring Valentine's Day By Number! • Smooshy Valentine's Painting
Super Helpful Videos for Daily Use	Clean Up Time: • Clean It Up Crew! (complete with a 2 minute pre-cleanup warning!) Story Time: • Come And Read A Book Transition Songs: • Come Here If You're Happy • Can You? (The Animal Song) • Just Playing Around • Where Is Your Nose?

Syllables, Chunks, & Valentine's (fun and learning for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSjcaTyEp8Iendofvid[starttext]

Help Mr. Mike figure out how many syllables each of these Valentine's Day words has! This video is the third in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/14/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Thanks for watching!

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The More We Get Together (sign language finger play song for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJKUfrJKtFMendofvid[starttext]

A traditional song made even more special when sign language is included in it's presentation! It's fun, it's easy, and it's waiting just for you! This video is the second in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/14/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.

The more we get together,
Together, together
The more we get together,
The happier we'll be

'Cause your friends are my friends,
And my friends are your friends

The more we get together, the happier we'll be

Thanks for watching!

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Smooshy Valentine's Painting (with modifications)

This one's got the activity and modification all right here: Here's an easy activity for you to do with your kiddo if you have some paint and paper lying around. Go ahead and cut out the paper in the shape of a heart. You can also just draw the heart and have your kiddo cut it out. Remember, you can always fold the paper in half and draw only half of a heart. Then, when that half gets cut out you can unfold it and, Voila!, you'll have your heart. What you'll have your little one do, at this point, is put some paint on the inside of that heart - not too much, but not too little. It could be just one color, or several colors. Then, fold that heart in half and smoosh the paint all around by rubbing your hands over the heart, pressing it down. When you unfold the heart, you'll have a masterpiece. This might be something that your child will want to try several times, experimenting with the amount of paint that she uses or the colors. There is so much to learn in such a simple activity. Some kiddos may be nervous about getting paint on their hands. When children are feeling like this, it often doesn't matter how much you try to explain to them that they won't get their hands messy in this activity; They worry anyway. Some gloves might work for them, to help them feel that they are protected, even for something that probably won't happen anyway. Also, it might be a good idea for you to explain to (or show) you kiddo what you are going to be doing in this activity, before asking them to do it. I have definitely known children who haven't wanted to smoosh their paper together because they love the painting that they have done on the heart. Who can blame them? I wouldn't want my hard work to be smooshed. If you can help them to understand what steps must be taken to get to that final creation, that could help avoid this. If it doesn't, that's fine, too. Art is art and happy is happy, I say! Have fun!

Coloring Valentine's Day By Number!

Who doesn't love a good Color-By-Number page? And, when it's Valentine themed, all the better. The School Family website has a really cute picture of a woman with a Valentine's Day card in her hand and the only thing that your little one has to do is to color it in, according to the numbers and colors in the key and on the page. Grab the worksheet and then check out my thoughts:

Valentine's Day Color By Number Worksheet

MODIFICATIONS: One of the first things that I would do for a kiddo who might need it is to separate the colors that will be included in this activity from the rest of the crayons that you have available. No need for your child to be sorting through colors that are not at all relevant to this task or to be trying to compare two different shades of blue. The other thing that I would probably do (since the children that I work with typically do not know how to read) is color the key ahead of time, making sure to use the matching brand and shades of colors that I will make available to my child. So, you'll be coloring the word, "brown," brown, "green," green and so on. Give this a shot and see how the activity goes!

Valentine For Mommy (fingerplay for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-PnuSHpb6cendofvid[starttext]

This is a really cute fingerplay story about what happened when a boy, named Paul, went to the store to buy a Valentine. This video is the second in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/13/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.

Paul went to the store to buy a Valentine,
He left at 5, but didn't get back until 9.
And when his Mommy asked him,
"What took such a long time?"
He gave her a present with a bow and said,
"I'm so glad you're mine!"

Thanks for watching!

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Beginning Letter Sounds On Valentine's Day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEsgPA7s8vcendofvid[starttext]

Join Mr. Mike and Betty as they talk about the sounds that letters make in words like, Valentine, Love, Heart, and Friend! This video is the third in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/13/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Let's say, "Hello!"
Let's say, "Hello!"
I am here and you are here
And so...
Let's say, "Hello!"
Let's say, "Hello!"
I'm so glad to see you
Say, "Hello!"

Thanks for watching!

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Counting Points On Shapes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiVsT-BTkZEendofvid[starttext]

There are so many shapes out there! Help Mr. Mike and Betty figure out how many points there are on each of them! This video is the third in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/12/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Thanks for watching!

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My Heart Balloon (Sign Language Fingerplay)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_S2d6t26qAendofvid[starttext]

I like red, it's the color of love
And of my heart balloon above
It makes me smile, and I find I can't stop
Until my heart balloon goes pop!

This video is the second in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/12/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.

Thanks for watching!

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Sorting Cupid for Valentine's Day!

Homeschool Creations has some super fun and super cute Valentine's Day activities for preschoolers. One that I tend to enjoy is a simple size-sorting worksheet. It's on pages 14 and 15 of the Preschool Pack available here:

Valentine's Day Printable Pack

MODIFICATIONS: This takes just a little bit of preparation beforehand. First, you need to cut out the pictures of Cupid on page 15 and put them off to the side. Your little one will be sorting those later. You'll also need to cut out the, "Small," "Medium," and "Large," labels from page 14. Go ahead and glue each of those to the top of a sheet of blank paper. This way, your kiddo has very clear and distinct areas where he will be placing each group of Cupids and they won't chance getting mixed up or confused. Something else that might be beneficial would be to print out an extra picture of each size Cupid and add it to the size labels, giving your child a good visual to compare his Cupid's, too, since he probably can't read the labels at this point. Glue is something else to consider for this activity, as well. On the one hand, you can't keep doing the activity over and over if you glue the pieces. On the other hand, kids love glue and it is fantastic fine motor practice and small muscle strengthening and all of that good stuff. It would also help the keep the pieces sorted and not getting accidentally knocked off the papers as you kiddo works and he can keep it to look at it at a later time. All just thoughts to consider when you're thinking about what is going to work best for your specific child. Have fun!

The Story Of Valentine's Day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4G_te44Yykendofvid[starttext]

Join Mr. Mike and Betty as they tell the story of how Valentine's Day began! This video is the third in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/11/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Thanks for watching!

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All Together Now (sing-along song for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=069YGJoPfLYendofvid[starttext]

Join Mr. Mike as he sings this Beatles classic (with slightly altered lyrics for little ones) just in time for Valentine's Day! This video is the second in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/11/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.

1-2-3-4
Can I have a little more?
5-6-7-8-9-10
I love you!

A-B-C-D
Can my friend come play with me?
E-F-H-I-J-K
I love you!

Bum, bum, bum
Sail the ship
Bum, bum, bum
Climb the tree
Bum, bum, bum
Skip the rope
Bum, bum, bum
Look at me!

All together now!
All together now!
All together now!
All together now!

Black, white, green, red
Can I have ice cream instead?
Pink, brown, yellow, orange and blue
I love you!

Bum, bum, bum
Sail the ship
Bum, bum, bum
Climb the tree
Bum, bum, bum
Skip the rope
Bum, bum, bum
Play with me!

All together now!
All together now!
All together now!
All together now!

Thanks for watching!

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Making Hearts Out Of Candy (with modifications)

There's a really cute, fun, and educational craft for Valentine's Day (or any day) on the Mommy Savers website. Aside from learning a little bit about shapes and letters, what your little one will wind up with when this craft is all said and done is a piece of construction paper with a heart draw on it, with the outline of that heart covered in Conversation Hearts candies. Let me link you to the details and then I'll go ahead and give you some thoughts on modifications:

V Is For Valentine Activity And Craft

MODIFICATION: This may seem like and obvious one to you but it is definitely something to consider before starting a task that uses food - will your little one use that food for the craft or will he try to eat it? You can go a couple of ways to avoid having too much trouble when it comes to using delicious food. One is to let your child know that, first you will be using the glue and then, when the picture is all done, you will be eating the candy. What I would do, however, is have two different bowls of candy set up. One bowl will have the candy for the craft while the other will have candy to eat. You can even draw a couple of pictures, one with a picture of a heart (to represent the heart craft) and one with the picture of a person eating or a mouth, etc. In my experience, this kind of thing has helped a ton and has helped me to avoid having a child with a gluey candy in  her mouth!

Valentine's Counting With Cupid (fun and learning for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TBw8woimCoendofvid[starttext]

Cupid needs our help! Help him match up the numbers on his cards to his packs of arrows! This video is the third in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/8/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Thanks for watching!

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If You Want To Be My Valentine (fingerplay song for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEX7pNPC9b4endofvid[starttext]

Come and learn the super secret way to say, "I Love You," in sign language! This video is the second in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/8/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4. 

If you want to be my Valentine, blow a kiss
If you want to be my Valentine, blow a kiss
If you want to be my Valentine, and you're feeling just fine
If you want to be my Valentine, blow a kiss

If you want to be my Valentine, give a hug
If you want to be my Valentine, give a hug
If you want to be my Valentine, and you're feeling just fine
If you want to be my Valentine, give a hug

If you want to be my Valentine, say, "I Love You!"
If you want to be my Valentine, say, "I Love You!"
If you want to be my Valentine, and you're feeling just fine
If you want to be my Valentine, say, "I Love You!"

If you want to be my Valentine, do all three
If you want to be my Valentine, do all three
If you want to be my Valentine, and you're feeling just fine
If you want to be my Valentine, do all three

Thanks for watching!

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Love Letter Balloons (with modifications)

Check out this cute Valentine's activity. I found it on the Gift Of Curiosity website. The idea is to color the letter balloons. Each letter gets a different color. I had a couple of thoughts to help out kiddos who may have a little trouble keeping their letters and colors straight. The activity is on Page 38 of the Preschool Pack that you can download here:

Valentine's Printable Pack

MODIFICATIONS: Being told to color the L balloons red, the O balloons pink, the V balloons brown, and the E balloons orange is a lot for a little one to keep in her head. If you find that it is making the activity trickier than it needs to be for your kiddo, try making a little, "key," for your little one. Go ahead and draw little hearts on the side of the page, with the appropriate letters and the appropriate colors, according to the instructions. This should give your child something to reference as she works on completing the activity and should help her get the job done!

I Love You (American Sign Language/ASL Poem)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbViIf3I4C8endofvid[starttext]

Come and learn the super secret way to say, "I Love You," in sign language! This video is the second in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/7/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.

Hold your 5 fingers up in the air.
Now wiggle your thumb, we'll start from there.
Wiggle your pointer, just for fun.
Now, put down your middle finger, and the ring one.
Keep up your pinky for all to see.
This means, "I Love You," and I hope you love me.

Thanks for watching!

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Is It A Letter Or A Number? (with modification)

I have to admit that I absolutely love Preschool Packs. These are collections of activities that, typically, revolve around a specific theme. So, when I am trying to come up with something to do with kiddos about, say, Valentine's Day, I can find myself a Valentine's Preschool Pack and I'll be set for quite some time. I recently found the activities available on the Gift Of Curiosity website. There's a wealth of great stuff for little ones, there. And, for Valentine's Day, there is a Preschool Pack. Page 29 of this pack has a fantastic Number/Letter activity that will go a long way toward understanding difference between written numerals and written letters, visual discrimination practice, fine motor work, and then some. I had a quick tip that parents and teachers could add on to this activity that might help kiddos who aren't necessarily picking up on the concepts on their own. You can get the pack to follow along, here:

Valentine's Printable Pack

MODIFICATIONS: In this activity, the child is asked to follow a trail of numbers only to help the stamp get to the envelope. But, what to do when a child is truly having a great deal of difficulty distinguishing between letter and numbers. My first thought was to take another sheet of paper, draw a line across the middle, and write the numbers from 1-20 in the top section and the alphabet in the bottom section. This, however, was not the best plan for a bunch of reasons. Then, I started to think to myself, what is the difference between letters and numbers? Well, letters make sounds and are used to form words. Number are used to count. Why not put small dots (corresponding to the written number in the circle) in the circles with the numbers. Then, go ahead and write a word in each of the circles with a letter that begins with the letter that is in the circle in the first place. That should go a long way toward helping a child distinguish between the letters and the numbers and truly teach them the purpose of both!

Looking For the E (fun and learning for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyuT25PkQacendofvid[starttext]

Come along and help Mr. Mike as he searches for the Letter E, hidden inside Valentine's Day words! This video is the third in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/6/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Thanks for watching!
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These Little Piggies (fingerplay song for children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYEfRSLdBGkendofvid[starttext]

Come find out what the Little Piggies like to do for Valentine's Day! This video is the second in the Free Online Preschool series for 2/6/13. Check the others out here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.

These little piggies ate cupcakes,
And these little piggies gave hugs.
These little piggies colored a picture,
And these little piggies showed love.
And these little piggies said, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Thanks for watching!

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