Fun February Activities and Lessons for Kindergarten

February means all things love, pink, and glitter! For me, it means Spring is getting closer, and the icy cold blue of January is behind us!  We celebrate February LOVE with this Random Acts of Kindness activity from Target.  Each day leading up to Valentine's Day, we pull a heart out of the bag to find out what our kindness goal is for the day.  Random acts of kindness truly fill up our buckets!

Hibernation and Groundhog Day Activities 

To introduce the concept of the Groundhog Day, we begin by learning about animals in Winter.  I hook the kids with Jan Brett's The Mitten, The Hat, and my newest favorite, The Snowy Nap!  I LOVE that the story ties in so many Winter activities.  This is so relevant to young learners!  The kids fall in love with Hedgie, so this little writing prompt and craft are so engaging as we practice recalling events from the stories. (Story sheets for all three stories are available.  Click on the photo to access the download.)

We also tie the concept of hibernation to an animal that's a little more familiar, bears. We read Karma Wilson's series with our friend, Bear. After reading Bear Snores On, we count popcorn with Bear! (​Click on the photo to access the download.)

Of course, no theme is complete without a snack!  I love that the kids get to practice fine motor skills with an engaging, edible activity, bear snacks!  

We can't have a bear theme without using our bear counter manipulatives, of course!  Since patterning is our math skill of the week, I love that the kids differentiated their activities all on their own!

As we learn about bears, we also touch on other animals who hibernate. ‘Hibernation Station” is the perfect book to introduce a variety of hibernating animals. We love the “Bear Snores On” craft to show other animals who hibernate like our friend, Bear. (​Click on the photo to access the download.). Additional favorite bear titles are below.

more on hibernation and groundhogs

Once we have the groundwork for hibernation established, I introduce groundhogs.  I love that the book Substitute Groundhog ties animal facts in with the story.  On Groundhog Day, we make our own little groundhog pets!  I just crumple a piece of scrap paper inside of a brown paper bag and staple it shut.  The kids cut and glue pieces on it.  Once they're dry, we take them outside for the big moment.  We try to see if they make shadows or not.  The kids have a ball with this!  They take them all over the playground, checking out places where they can make shadows.  Once we're back inside, they complete the fill-in activity to tell whether or not their groundhog pets saw their shadows.  (​Click on the photo to access the download.) 

100th Day Activities for Kindergarten

For our school district, the month of February also means the 100th day of school celebration!  Our activities include the following:
-The kids bring 100 things in a bottle.  They share their collections with the class, and then they line up the objects to compare lengths of 100 items.  
-We make a 100th day snack mix collection by counting by tens with Cheez-Its, Fruit Loops, M&M's, pretzels, marshmallows, chocolate chips, Teddy Grahams, popcorn, Goldfish crackers, and Chex Mix.
-The kids go on a hunt for 100 labeled Hershey Kisses to add to a giant 100 chart.
-They build the numeral 100 with unifix cubes.
-Students work together to put 10 beads on 10 pipe cleaners.
-They dot 100 gum balls with our gumball machine craft.  ​(​Click on the photo to access the download.)

 Valentine's Day activities

We learn about Valentine’s Day as we discuss symbols of the holiday. We think back to symbols of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas first. Then we make connections to things that make us think about the holiday of love.

We prepare for our Valentine's Day celebration by painting heart crafts during center time. They make a colorful addition to our classroom! ​ ​(​Click on the photo to access the download.)

If you’re looking for more ways to add cheer to your classroom, check out Valentine’s Day box kits, found at Walmart and Target! This little unicorn was a Target find who will be sticking around our classroom all year!

This teacher goes a liiiiiiittle crazy hunting for all the pretty classroom things this time of year! I just love it all so much! That Snickers brownie just hopped right in my cart! It’s also a Valentine’s Day week necessity, in case you were wondering.

The kids really enjoy this name craft, where they write the letters of their names on envelopes to add to the mailbox craft. Students complete this name activity during literacy centers. ​ ​(​Click on the photo to access the download.)

Here’s another craft activity we complete for a simple writing activity for students to give to someone they love. ​(​Click on the photo to access the download.)

Of course, no celebration is complete without Valentine's Day hats!  Students create these Valentine's Day crowns during morning work!  If You'll Be My Valentine is the sweetest little book to read to prepare the students for the holiday!  ​ ​(​Click on the photo to access the download.)

After reading Love Monster, students add monsters of their own to Valentine's Day bags!  ​ ​(​Click on the photo to access the download.)

Another option is to give the kids choices for their bag designs. They really love to make their own choices! ​ ​(​These pages are included among two bundles. Click on the photos to access the downloads.)

Presidents' Day Activities for Kindergarten

In February, we also celebrate President's Day! There are plenty of ways to make these lessons exciting, so check out a few below! As you learn about presidents, use the crafts below to add some fun!   ​ ​(​Click on the photo to access the download.)

We love to include more of an open-ended art activity for each theme, too, and these little George Washington paper plate crafts are just perfect for Presidents' Day!

World Kindness Day

Kindness can go a long way, so I like to teach my students how important it is! I remind my students how kindness can bring a smile to someone's face. We work on our kindness skills all year long with Project Kind. It's a great way to motivate students to be friends to everyone and to choose kindness. 

Dental Health Activities for Kindergarten

We also celebrate Dental Health month with some fun stories and anchor charts about our teeth. We brainstorm ways to keep our teeth healthy. This is the dental health anchor chart we use throughout our study of keeping our teeth healthy.

As we learn about keeping teeth clean and healthy, we create germ bug crafts and add marshmallows for the teeth.  ​ ​This is my favorite interactive craft of the year!! (​Click on the photo to access the download.)

The kids are fascinated with the Tooth Fairy, of course, so crafting a tooth fairy is a must during center time!  (Click the photo below to access the download.)