Valentine’s Day Songs and Activities

I’m sharing eight Valentine’s Day songs and activities in this post for preschool through 5th grade. I’ll share the songs, and then I’m going to give you a couple of different activity ideas. Fun games, movement, activity, hand actions, or a musical element that you can use in your classroom.

VALENTINE’S DAY SONGS AND ACTIVITIES

You’ll want to get the FREE Valentine’s Day songs teaching presentation. It includes all the song lyrics as well as the game directions!

FINGERPLAY “WHERE’S MY VALENTINE?”

Here’s a really easy finger play. You can use it to the same tune of where is Thumbkin.
The words are

Where’s my Valentine? And then they’re going to echo that.

Where is my Valentine? Where is my Valentine?

Here I am, here I am,

Give me treats and candy.

Give me treats and candy.

On Valentine’s Day, on Valentine’s Day.

Follow along with the video to get the hand actions!

DYNAMICS GAME SONG “OH WHERE, OH WHERE IS MY VALENTINE?”

Let’s play a Dynamics music game with the song “Oh Where, Oh Where is My Valentine?”

There’s a couple of ways you can play the game. You could have someone hiding in the room. And the kids are looking for them. Or you could have something that’s hidden in the room. Someone is looking for it.

So what you can do is take something like a little Valentine or just a simple little heart card.
And you’re going to have one student leave the room.

Now, this is a game that comes from who has lost my lady’s key. And I wrote another version of it for Easter Egg Song. But lots of people have changed this game and use the concept of it. And they just use different songs.

So we’re going to have one person leave the classroom, and then the rest of the class is going to know where the thing is hidden.
The person’s going to come back into the classroom, and they’re going to be looking for this thing. Everyone’s going to be singing the song.

When the person gets closer to the hidden object, they’re going to increase their volume, and when they get further away from it, they’re going to decrease their volume.

So this is a great activity to work on Forte and piano or loud and soft.
When they find the missing object, everybody can cheer and sing hooray, hooray! Valentine’s day.

And then I have them choose the next person that’s going to go out.

And then I just choose someone to hide the object.

And I found this game to be successful with fourth and fifth grades too. They really like it. They like singing the song loud and soft, and they like seeing how long it takes someone to find the object they’ve hidden.

I think that you can use this game with the loud and soft or the forte piano in any classroom.

BODY PERCUSSION ACTIVITY “VALENTINE’S DAY” SONG

This next activity is a song that I wrote called Valentine’s Day, and you can find it on your favorite music channels. I have a product and the TPT store that you can buy with this song in it, but it’s so easy to learn and it is a great hand clapping activity.

Valentine’s Day Song

Valentine’s Day Rhythm Sticks

The song goes like this.

Valentine’s day, Valentine’s day.

Everybody’s waiting for Valentine’s Day.

Cards and treats.

Chocolate sweets make me feel special.

Make me feel neat.

Valentine. Valentine. Will you be my valentine?

Will you be my valentine on Valentine’s Day?

Valentine. Valentine. Will you be my valentine?

Will you be my Valentine on Valentine’s Day?

Adjust the clapping actions so that the children can keep up.

Begin with everyone patting knees on the beat.

Next have them pat and clap or clap and pat.

Or we could do a four beat pattern. Pair everybody with a buddy.

We’re going to pat across. Or you can have them do their own four beat pattern.

So I like to do four beats on their own before I put them with the buddy
and see if they can do it.

But either way, this really works well for second, third, fourth grades to do a more complicated, body percussion pattern.

Watch the video for some specific patterns.

If you like that song and you like scarf activities, I have a video of using that song as a scarf activity. If you like that song and you want to do rhythm sticks, we’ve got the video here, and I will put the links to those videos in the description.

“Valentine’s Day” Rhythm Stick Activity

“Valentine’s Day” Scarf Movement Activity

SKIDAMARINK-A-DINK ACTION SONG

Skidamarink a drink. A favorite nursery rhyme. Folk song that many of you already know.

Here’s a couple different ways you can use this song.

First, I’m going to teach you the words. I show you the hand actions.

So we’re going to start off with skidamarink a dink.

Right here. It’s going to be every time we say skidamarink a dink a dink.

And then we switch sides. Skidamarink doo.

So if you’re doing this with really young children, you want to take that slowly. Because then switching

their hands like this can be a little bit challenging.

Skidamarink dink dink skidamarink doo. They’re going to take both thumbs. I and then make a heart. Love. And then point out you.

Then we repeat that. Skidamarink dink a dink skidamarink doo. I love you.

to the middle part of this song. I love you in the morning. So put our hands up. Like the sun is coming up.

And then in the middle. And in the afternoon.

And then late. The sun is going down. I love you in the evening.

And then we’re going to take our fingers and make a circle. Then underneath the moon.

Then back to Skidamarink. The Dinka dink skidamarink a doo. I love you.

This song can be a great friendship building song because you can encourage everyone to point to someone different every time they say the word you. You, you you.

Have everyone stand in a circle. Sing the song with the hand actions. And then on the word you point to someone different in the circle.

SKIDAMARINK-A-DINK HAND CLAPPING ACTIVITY

Another way to use the song is with a hand clapping pattern.

If you have very young children singing in it, then you want to keep it simple. And we’re just going to clap and pat. Skidamarink. Dink dink. Skidamarink. Do I love. And you could have them go. You on the you and then pick the pattern back up skidamarink dink and continue on.

Clap and pat.

If you’re using the song with, let’s say first grade and up may even need to be second grade and up.

Have them pair up into buddies. Are partners

Have them pair up and face each other, and then begin with the simplest form, which would be cat and clap. Skidamarink dink dink skidamarink doo. I love and then you can do something fun on the word you. You.

The next level is going to have the children do four actions.
Clap pat knees. Clap pat across.

Stir them a drink drink drink Skidamarink can do I love you 234.
I would have them do the whole pattern through the whole song. Then, like I said on the word I love you. You can have them do something fun just on those four beats.

Another fun for beat pattern is clap and then hands cross over.
Skidamarink I think dink skidamarink doo. I love you.

When you get to the B section of the song, you can have them keep doing that pattern, or you can have them do the actions. And just facing each other. I love you in the morning. In the afternoon. Love you in the evening. And underneath the moon. One to read you go Skidamarink dink, dink skidamarink doo. I love you.

I like to encourage the kids to create their own patterns. Once you’ve done a couple of those patterns with them and they have experienced them, break them into their partners or small groups

and then have them create their own hand actions.

I’ve seen some real fun ones, like clap and then toe clap, then toe clap on my head.

Clap on my shoulders. Be creative. Encourage them to be creative too. And then everybody can share their hand action patterns to this fun traditional song.

If you like skidamarink a dink, you can watch the Rhythm Stick video.

And then we have this song with the hand actions on the kids music channel two.

And you can find the music on any of your favorite music channels.

LOVE SOMEBODY SONG AND GAME

Love Somebody is another favorite folk song nursery rhyme that is super easy to learn and you can use in preschool all the way up to third grade.

I’m going to give you some adaptations where you can differentiate the activities so that they’re age-appropriate, and everyone has a good time singing the song.

It’s so easy to learn. The first three lines are the same.

I’m singing it in the key of C, but you can sing it in any key that’s comfortable for you. This is easy to play. I’m just using C and G7, and there is a tutorial on how to play it like this. In the description, you can get that link.

Love Somebody is pretty easy to learn. The first three lines are the same words: “Love somebody, yes, I do.”

And the last line is: “Love somebody, but I won’t tell who.”

Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, but I won’t tell you.

The hand actions are pretty easy, so we’re going to just do this with our hands.

Love somebody?

Yes, I do.
Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, but I won’t tell who.

Now, this might be hard for our littlest learners to make this heart. So instead, use the sign “love.”

Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, yes, I do.
Love somebody, but I won’t tell who.

The traditional way to play this game is to choose one child to be “it.”

That child is going to think of a name of someone in the class. Now, what I recommend instead of having them think of one, because that might take a long time if you’re doing this in the younger grades, is to give them the opportunity to just choose a name.

So you might have them on sticks. You might have them on a board.

You might have them somewhere you’ve created to use the names in the classroom for other games.

So have them choose a name, and then they just hold on to that.

Everyone sings the song “Love Somebody” while the child holds their name in secret.

Then they get three guesses as to what name that child has chosen.

If they guess the name, everybody gets a round of applause, and the child chooses another person to be the chooser.

If nobody guesses, you can decide. You can have that child do it again.

Or what I like to do is just say, “Thank you! Can you choose someone else to take a turn?” And then I just have them share what the name was.

So if the class doesn’t guess what the name is (which could be most likely), you could have everyone just do a simple chant:

“One, two, three, tell the secret name to me.”

And then the child would say the name, and everybody can cheer.

Then you can go on and have another child take a turn.

It’s a quick and easy game that you can use—sing the song in circle time or during music class. Have them draw the name, and then everybody can do some cheering, build some friendship, and make some connections.

Over Valentine’s Day, you know, that whole week of activities.

I have this other video that I’ve made with ten different activities you can use for the song “Love Somebody.”

They include a beanbag game, a scarf activity, movement, hand actions, a ukulele, and rhythm sticks.

So go check that video out to get a whole bunch of other ideas for the song “Love Somebody.”

JUMPING GAME “VALENTINE, VALENTINE”

Another fun Valentine’s Day song that I changed the words to is “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear” to turn this into a movement break. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s going to get everybody up, moving, and then sitting down.

So I took the word “teddy bear” and changed it to “Valentine.”

Here’s how it goes:

Valentine, Valentine, turn around.
Valentine, Valentine, touch the ground.
Valentine, Valentine, where’s my treat?
Valentine, Valentine, aren’t I sweet?

One thing you can do when you’re taking a nursery rhyme that has other words is to do what I just did and clap the sound.

So you have everybody echo you. I would do:

Valentine, Valentine, turn around.

And then have everybody echo that back to me.

Once we go through each line, then I’m going to have everybody do it together with me.

Then we’re going to do the actions.

One, two, ready, go!
Valentine, Valentine, turn around.
Valentine, Valentine, touch the ground.
Valentine, Valentine, where’s my treat?
Valentine, Valentine, aren’t I sweet?

If you want to add a musical element to it, you could have everyone play the steady beat instead of jumping.

Valentine, Valentine, turn around.

After everyone has a chance to play the beat together, then you can divide the class in half and have half of them do the actions and the other half do the beat.

Next, we can add a rhythmic element.

We have the steady beat being played on the drum.

Have everybody practice the rhythmic part. They’re going to play the rhythm of the words with their egg shaker.

Valentine, Valentine, turn around.
Valentine, Valentine, touch the ground.
Valentine, Valentine, where’s my treat?
Valentine, Valentine, aren’t I sweet?

Next, we would put those two elements together. So we’re going to have one group play the steady beat, another group play the rhythm, and a third group do the actions.

When you get to this level and you have the three groups, then you can have them rotate through each group so everybody gets a turn to move, play the drum, and play an egg shaker.

CIRCLE GAME “WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?”

The next activity is going to be a song sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb. So you can sing the song and just have it be a fun Valentine’s Day song. And I also have a couple of game ideas you can use it for.

Will you be my Valentine? Valentine. Valentine. Will you be my valentine on Valentine’s Day?

After everybody knows the song, it is time to play a game. You’ll need something like a bean bag or something soft. It can be a stuffed animal, a little ball, something that’s easy for the child to carry. And we’re going to use it in the game.

And the game is just like duck, duck, goose.

you want to have everybody sit in a circle and choose one child to hold the beanbag. And they’re going to walk around the outside of the circle.

Now I like to have everybody else pat their knees as they sing the song Will You Be My Valentine? So they’re going to be busy doing that while the child with the beanbag is going to be looking for a Valentine and walking around the circle.

When they get to the word Valentine’s Day, that’s when the child can do a couple different ways. But I can just drop the beanbag in front of so I have to reach over. Just depends on a chair over and drop it. Or the kids could put their hands behind their back, then they can’t pet their knees. So I just have them try and drop it over the top of them so it’ll land on the floor in front of them in the circle.

then the child sees it and both children are going to run around the circle. I’ll ask them to skip

so that we’re not running. We tend to trip and have other issues when we run, so we’re going to skip around the circle. And the child that dropped it. Who’s looking for the Valentine? They’re going to try and get around the circle first and sit in the other child’s seat.

the child who’s the Valentine got chosen. If they tag that person first, I still play the game the same. So I would have the one that just had a turn. Go sit down, and then the other one would get to be the chooser. I don’t really make a big deal of whether they’re tagged or not, because I want the game to keep going, and I want a lot of people to have turns.

If you want to have the child who does get tagged, do something different. You could have them sit in the middle of the circle.

That way, all the kids who do get tagged sit in the middle instead of going back to their seats. That also takes them out of game play, which is a good thing because they’ve already had a turn.

One is for everybody to always take the spot in a circle. The other way is if they get tagged, they go sit in the middle of the circle and then the child would tag them. Will now become the chooser or looking for a valentine,

NO CHASING GAME

Another way to play the game is to not have a chasing activity. Instead, you have everybody standing in the circle

and one child will be in the middle.

Everyone sings the song Will you be my Valentine? nd the person in the middle is going to cover their eyes. On the word “Valentine’s Day,” they’re going to spin, and where they land, that’s going to be the next person that gets to come in the middle and choose a Valentine. This is a simpler way to play and might work better for preschool, kindergarten, or first graders.

Now, a third way to play is the exact same way—one child starts in the middle, they spin on “Valentine’s Day,” and whoever they land on comes in. But this time, both players stay in the circle. Everyone starts singing again:

Will you be my Valentine, Valentine?
Will you be my Valentine on Valentine’s Day?

The two people in the middle both spin and each chooses another person. Now there are four people in the middle.

Eventually, there will be more people in the middle than in the outer circle. The kids love this game! Once everyone is in the middle, you can say, “Let’s do a Valentine’s dance!” Play some fun music or just let them dance freely for a minute.

So there are three different ways to play this simple game, and you can adjust it to fit the grade level or age group you’re working with.

MORE VALENTINE’S DAY SONGS AND ACTIVITIES

EVERYONE CAN BE A FRIEND

VALENTINE DANCE

VALENTINE’S DAY FREEZE DANCE

VALENTINE’S DAY SCARF MOVEMENT

I’m hoping these fun Valentine’s Day songs and activities give you some ideas for using songs, movement, music and games in your classroom!

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