My 5 Favorite ELA Activities on Valentine’s Day

I am low-key obsessed with Valentine’s Day. First of all, the decorations are adorable, and I love a punny Valentine’s Day card. It’s also a pretty low-stakes holiday, which is a nice change of pace from the busy holiday season in the fall. As an ELA teacher, there are also tons of literary themes and activities on Valentine’s Day that you can use to review content (Romeo and Juliet, anyone?). I’ve written before about ELA Valentine’s Day activities, but I have a few more ideas I wanted to share in this blog as well.

5 ELA Activities to do on Valentine’s Day

#1 Valentine’s Day Short Stories

An easy way to bring Valentine’s day into the classroom is by picking a love-themed short story. You can review skills like theme, conflict, and plot, but with a Valentine’s Day twist. By using a short story, you’re able to just spend one day on it. Or if you have the time, you can expand your discussions and activities for the entire week.

There are lots of stories out there that would be perfect to incorporate into activities on Valentine’s Day, but one of my personal favorites is Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan. It is a great example of young “love” that may not be what it seems, and an even better opportunity to discuss the themes of self-love and self-acceptance.

Another great Valentine’s Day story is Langston Hughes’ Thank You, Ma’am. After a boy tries to steal an older woman’s purse, she shows him kindness and care despite his actions. This short story is super popular for a reason, and I loved asking my students if they’d show the boy the same kindness – you’ll get a great discussion out of this. This short story lends itself to the discussion of whether or not this type of kindness is love, and how we can show love to people we don’t even know. 

#2 Novel Tasting

Another easy activity on Valentine’s Day is a book tasting. A book tasting is a classroom event where you allow students to try out or “taste” a selection of books. They can take notes on the books they enjoy and create a list of books they’d like to read.

Book tastings are perfect for Valentine’s Day because it’s like speed-dating…but with books! (So basically, speed dating but better.) Book tastings can happen within your classroom, or you can host it in the library. 

If you’re not sure where to start with finding books, you can check out my Would You Rather Read activity. I give the synopsis of two love-themed YA books, and students have to pick which one they’d rather read and state why. You can also just use the book ideas to set up your book tasting.

A book tasting is a great opportunity for a mini-transformation as well, if you’re feeling creative. I have a resource that will allow you to turn your classroom into a coffee shop-like atmosphere called Starbooks. It’s a fun way to mix it up and add some extra excitement to the holiday.

#3 Poetry

Well, this one should be easy to put together! Poets love to talk about love. In the past, I brought together various poems on love and had students compare the different tones and moods the authors use when approaching the topic. 

A few poems I like for this activity on Valentine’s Day are “How do I love thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth, and lots of Rupi Kaur (although be sure to preview her poems first, as she has some that aren’t appropriate for students). Kaur also has several breakup poems, and well, middle school students love a bit of cynicism!

You can even have students craft their own love poems, if you’re feeling brave! Just make sure you set some clear expectations. You can also keep it more light-hearted by having them write an over-the-top ode to something they love, like their Xbox or phone.

#4 Love Songs

I add this to my list of activities on Valentine’s Day every year because it’s one of my favorites. Review ELA skills with students by having them listen to love songs and then determine the theme. 

Let’s be honest – students love music. (How many headphone checks do you have to do in a day?) While these love songs may not be their favorite genre, students enjoy being able to critique and engage in music. 

Some fun songs to use for this activity are “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen, and “The Best” by Tina Turner. I have this love song activity ready-to-go in my Valentine’s Day ELA Activities bundle. I include thirteen different songs, so you’ll get in plenty of practice.

#5 Figurative Language

Figurative language is a tough skill to master, so you should take as many opportunities to practice with students as you can! Figurative language is often found in cards, poetry, and songs, which makes it a perfect activity on Valentine’s Day to help students connect the skill to real life.

Have students look at various Valentine’s Day cards, lyrics to love songs, poems, and more to find examples of figurative language. You can also have them create their own Valentine’s Day card for a friend using an example of figurative language.

If you’re looking for a done-for-you activity to practice figurative language this holiday, check out my Valentine’s Day Figurative Language Freebie! Students will read examples of Valentine’s Day themed figurative language and determine the type of figurative language, plus what it actually means. 
Valentine’s Day is the absolute perfect time to review previously taught skills or spice up a typically dull or repetitive topic. Incorporating fun activities on Valentine’s Day will keep your students interested and engaged, which isn’t always easy this time of year! Get creative, have fun with it, and lean into the giggles that are bound to fill your classroom when you get to talking about looooooove. Every middle schoolers favorite topic. (Did you catch that joke?)