Free Valentine's Day Printables
Create Classroom Magic with Stencils, Patterns,Templates, and Chalk
Jan 15, 2009
Having a well-decorated classroom makes a drab winter day seem brighter and warmer. Creating a Valentine's Day environment is a great way to build community in the classroom.
Resources for Valentine's Day Stencils, Patterns, and Templates
Printable Clipart
Many teachers do not realize that Microsoft Word's clipart gallery holds a vast collection of images, and they can be resized and used as small patterns or large coloring sheets. Almost every teacher's computer has Word or Works, and most open-source software packages also include images. Clipart is an excellent, easy resource for teachers, and learning to insert clipart takes very little time.
Online Printable Templates
FamilyFun is one of the best online resources for cute printable templates. Their Valentine's Day section has a great selection of different printables, including:
- heart patterns
- star patterns
- Valentine's day printable cards and backgrounds (which all have usable art)
- Valentine's Day themed borders
- candy and heart coloring sheets
Finding Stencils Online
Locating stencils to use on the walls should be easy with a yahoo or google search, and a nice collection of Valentine's day themed stencils can be found by looking at painting sites. About: Painting has free, printable stencils, including:
- lips
- hearts
- roses
- words
They are all sized well and ready to print.
Using Colored Chalk and Stencils to Decorate Classroom Walls
Teachers should exercise caution before painting classroom walls; the paint that meets fire codes is expensive and not likely to be sold in craft sizes. Instead of using paints, teachers and students can decorate the walls by running colored chalk over stencils. The process is much less messy, and after the holidays, the chalk washes off the walls with water and paper towels from the bathroom.
Stenciling requires some preparation, and this can all be done in one class period.
- The wall has to be clean and dry. Running a damp paper towel (without soap) and letting the wall air-dry while students cut out stencils should do the trick.
- Masking tape should be cut into two inch pieces so that the stencils can be easily attached to the wall.
- Colored chalk should be sorted into colors so that there is not an overdose of color in one area. Also chalk runs out quickly; students need to have enough chalk to fill in stencils.
- Teachers need to be mindful that there may be students who have allergic reactions to the dyes in colored chalk. Colored chalk is a fairly common irritant, and teachers should be prepared to have gloves, water, and lotion for crafty students with sensitive skin.
Teachers should also have fun coloring sheets and worksheets available. Familyfun has some which teachers can find on the Valentine's Day page along with the other printables. Not every student has a flair for decorating, even with easy templates, and those students might like to do not-to-be-graded "fun sheets" while other students create a colorful world for everyone to enjoy.
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