Heart-Healthy Learning Games

We've been indoors a LOT this winter.  And that means we have needed a few {little projects} to channel some energy!
So today I'm sharing some Valentine's games have helped us hone some learning skills as well as give us some healthy exercise for our hearts--perfect for a month focused on the heart!

I try to get more than one use out of each game because it's more fun, and so it can be used with more than one age.  Some are variations on the same game too. Hopefully you can find one that's a good fit for you below :)
{this little project} was easy to make because all the pieces on the floor are just white paper plates with red paper hearts glued to them (elmer's).  Then just write the letters on them with a black marker.These are the letters you need to play:V A L E N T I N E, and then H R O.  With those letters you can spell: love, heart, valentine.
Letter Walk: This game is fun to do with music playing.  Music always is good for inspiring movement!  Each person stands on a letter and then moves to from one letter to another letter (walking, skipping, dancing, jumping) until the music stops.  Then each person tells: the letter they are on, and/or what sound it makes, and/or names something that starts with that letter.  This is a great game for preschoolers.  There aren't winners or losers-everyone likes getting a new letter to think about and getting there quick when the music stops.

This Spell-a-Heart game takes the last game to the next level.  This time you tell the group what word you are going to spell.  When the music stops you say the word and ask what letter the word starts with, or give the sound the next letter in the word makes.  Ask the kids who is on that letter.  

The lucky child gets to bring the letter up to help make the word.  Continue until the word is spelled.
The next game is a Spelling Obstacle Course.  Give them the plates (2 teams if there are many kids) and see if they can help you make an obstacle course with a word.  For instance, for the word "love" you would space the letters out on the floor, and when you get to the L you do 4 push-ups to "lower" yourself to the ground, then go to the O and "open" and close your hands doing jumping jacks 7 times, V could be balance on one foot while holding a "vollyball", etc... A timer checks to see how fast they can do it.
When you are done, give each team all the letters and see how many words they can form out of the plates so their hearts can take a rest :)

Have fun keeping those minds and bodies active!

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