Materials
red construction paper
pencil
heart template or valentine candy box to trace
scissors
assorted stickers
Instructions
* Valentine's Day is February 14th.
1. Prepare by tracing and cutting out paper hearts (one for each child). Cut
each heart in half horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, with different
patterns to create two-piece puzzles. Make each puzzle different.
2. Put matching stickers on both pieces of each puzzle, using a different
sticker pair for each puzzle. Laminate for durability.
3. Play a variety of games with the heart puzzles:
* Divide the children in half. Give one group the left halves of the
puzzles and the other group the right halves. Encourage them to find
their match. You can use this to create partners for other activities.
* Hide one half of each heart in the room and give each child one of
the other halves. Encourage them to hunt for the piece with the
matching sticker.
* During group or circle time, place one half of each heart on the floor
and give each child one of the other halves. Let them find the match
and assemble the hearts. To simplify the task, place the hearts with the
stickers showing; to make it more challenging, place the hearts with
the stickers not showing.
* Sort the halves into two valentine candy boxes and leave on the table
for individual matching play.
