Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day in the self-contained classroom!

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE holidays in my classroom.  They are the perfect time to build lasting memories with my students and no holiday is complete without a class party!  Although they are fun and exciting, parties can be difficult for my students. There’s a change in schedule/routine, unpredictable activities, and sometimes too much downtime.  To better support my students, I use the Valentine’s Day Class Party Set Up Kit from The Autism Helper.  This kit is essential in making sure our class party is meaningful and successful.

What’s Included:

The Valentine’s Day Class Party Set Up Kit includes SO MANY amazing resources that I could not (and would not) go without during a class party:

• directions including shopping and material list
• overall list of centers
• schedule and group list to organize rotations
• visual student mini schedules
• visual directions for each station
• materials for each activity 
• 4 station and 5 station option

All of this and there’s no laminating required!  Let’s take a look at each component and see how I use it in my classroom:

Directions Including Shopping and Material List:

Just like all of The Autism Helper’s content, the Valentine’s Day class party set up directions and shopping/materials list are short and easy to read and understand.  I love that the shopping list is small and VERY cost-effective.  Another bonus, the materials needed are typically already in my classroom!

Overall List of Centers:

This is a list with a photo describing each station, the instructions for the station, and the materials needed.  It is an excellent visual aid I use when preparing my students and getting them excited for our class party as well as a checklist for my staff and me when preparing materials.  

• Hot Tip:  I show this to my paraprofessionals ahead of time.  They get to choose which station they would like to prep for and implement during the party.

Schedule and Group List:

My students are not the only ones who thrive on visuals and schedules – adults need them too!  I love posting or projecting the schedule and group list during our Valentine’s Day class party to help keep myself and my paraprofessionals organized and on schedule.  It is also a great way to remember which student should be where during the party should anyone end up at the wrong station – it happens!

Visual Student Mini Schedules:

Not going to lie, these are an asset to everyday life in our classroom, therefore a MUST for any classroom party we have.  The student mini schedules help make for such a successful class party!  I print as many as I need for my stations, pass them out to my students, and students keep track of their centers by crossing off the station they just finished.

Visual Directions for Each Station:

I love promoting independence in my self-contained classroom.  One way to continue that expectation during our Valentine’s Day class party is through using visual directions for the station activities.  Having visuals for each station greatly decreases the amount of adult prompting needed, frustration, and anxiety.  Visuals also increase student success and independence!  Visuals are a MUST HAVE.

Materials for Activities:

Some of the Valentine’s Day class party station activities come with activity sheets.  The Valentine’s Day Class Party Set Up Kit comes with one differentiated activity and an additional craft.  The differentiated activity is a following directions game option or a following directions coloring page option.  Both games have materials included in the kit.   I am able to use both games in my classroom (depending on each group) and am so grateful for the included materials!  An additional activity for the Valentine’s Day class party is a Valentine’s Day card – which is adored by all of the parents/caregivers when the students take them home.

4 Station and 5 Station Option:

The Valentine’s Day Class Party Set Up Kit also comes with an option to run the party with either 4 stations or 5 stations.  The only difference between the two is that the 5 station option has the Valentine’s Day card craft – otherwise, both options are exactly the same!

• Hot Tip:  I don’t always have enough staff to run 5 rotations during our class parties so I like to invite parents/caregivers and service providers to join and help.  They are happy and honored that we invited them!

Thank you for reading about my Valentine’s Day class party!  I hope I inspired you to have your very own Valentine’s Day party with your students – you won’t regret it.  If you still need convincing, read Tips for Throwing a Behavior-Free Class Party from Sasha.  You can get the Class Party Set Up Kit on TpT or directly on The Autism Helper Store!

Let me know in the comments what you are most looking forward to during your Valentine’s Day class party!