Today I’m sharing some fun, hands-on valentine math centers as well as the printable pages I use with them. They can be easily added to your math rotations, small groups, morning work, extra practice bins, or used during your Valentine’s Day celebration.
Many of the math centers use Valentine Candy Conversation Hearts in my examples, but you can substitute any type of valentine manipulative that you have on hand.
“Sum” Candy Hearts
Materials Needed:
Candy hearts
Baggies (I used the smaller snack size)
Sorting mat page
“Sum” Candy Hearts page
To prepare this center, I separated a bag of candy hearts according to color. Then placed up to ten hearts of two colors in each baggie to represent addition problems (we were practicing addition to 10). For example, 5 yellow and 5 orange in a baggie, 4 purple and 3 green in another baggie, etc. If you are practicing addition to 20 you can place up to 20 hearts in each baggie.
I placed the baggies, sorting mats , and “Sum” Candy Hearts sheets at a center.
Students empty the hearts from a baggie, separate them according to color on the sorting mat, and write the addition equation on their sheet. Then they place the hearts back in the baggie, pick another baggie and repeat the process.
Candy Hearts Bump
Materials Needed:
11 candy hearts for each player (valentine erasers, or other valentine markers that can be stacked can also be used)
Dice
Candy Hearts Bump page
How to play:
This game is played in pairs.
Players take turns rolling 2 dice, adding the numbers, and placing their marker on the correct heart.
If an opponent’s marker is already on the heart, the player can “bump” them off and put their marker on it. If their own marker is already on the bone, they can lock that number by stacking another one of their markers on the first one (players can stack as many of their own markers on a number as needed, for example if they get a 4 and already have 2 markers on it they can add a third or fourth or fifth, etc.). When a heart is locked it can not be bumped off; therefore, if your opponent already has your answer blocked with 2 or more markers you lose your turn.
The game is over when one player has played all of their markers and wins the game.
Candy Hearts Cover Up
Materials Needed:
Candy hearts or other markers
Dice
Candy Hearts Cover UP sheet
How to play:
This game can be played in pairs or small groups.
Players take turns rolling a die, counting the dots, and placing the correct number of candy hearts on their page. If you would like to practice addition, use 2 dice and have students add the numbers together and cover the total.
To win, a player has to fill their ten frames BUT they have to have the exact amount at the end to win the game (great practice with more or less!).
Candy Heart Patterns
Materials Needed:
Candy hearts or paper heart cut-outs
Pattern strips
Students practice patterns by using the candy hearts (or you can also make paper heart cut-outs) to extend the pattern on the strip.
We used them to practice AB, ABB, and AAB patterns.
Making 10 with Candy Hearts
Materials Needed:
Candy hearts
Dice
Making Ten with Candy Hearts page
I usually do this math activity in small groups but it can also be set up as a center. Give each student a pile of candy hearts, a die, and recording sheet.
Students roll the die and place that many hearts on the ten frame. They must figure out how many more are needed to make 10 and write the addition equation on their page.
When finished, they clear the ten frame and begin again. They repeat the process until their page is filled (I had students that really enjoyed this activity so they continued onto the back of the page as well).
Digital Versions: Valentine Making 10 & Valentine Addition to 10
We also use a digital version to practice making 10 and to practice addition to 10. Sometimes they’re used for whole group instruction on the whiteboard, in math groups on iPads, or as centers on the laptops.
I like the fact that they are self-checking and collect the data for me so I can see which students may be struggling and which have mastered the standard.
Students like that they are interactive.
Click here if you would like to play a sample to see the valentine making 10 center in action.
Click here if you would like to play a sample to see the valentine addition to 10 center in action.
If you would like the free printable pages for the valentine math centers featured above CLICK HERE.
You may also like:
Valentine Making 10 Digital Task Cards
Valentine Addition to 10, Sorting Digital Task Cards
Valentine’s Day Student Gift Ideas & Gift Tags
