Creative Ways to Celebrate Love and Kindness at Your School!
Valentine’s Day isn’t just about candy and cards—it’s a chance to emphasize kindness, gratitude, and togetherness. Schools can use this holiday to teach important values while hosting fun activities that encourage participation from students, teachers, and families.
If your PTO is organizing a fundraiser, Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to tie your efforts into the theme of love and kindness. For example, the Valentine Hills PTO’s annual “CARES-athon” combines acts of kindness with a two-week fundraiser. In 2024 they raises over $54,000—far surpassing their $45,000 goal. Their celebration culminated in a fun, active outdoor event for the students. Events like these not only raise funds but also create lasting memories for the entire school!
Whether you’re planning classroom activities, a schoolwide event, or tying Valentine’s Day into a larger fundraising goal, the possibilities are endless. With some thoughtful planning and a touch of creativity, your school can turn Valentine’s Day into a celebration that leaves a lasting impact on students, families, and the entire community. Let’s explore some fun, meaningful, and fundraising-friendly ideas to make this Valentine’s Day unforgettable!
7 Valentine’s Day Event Ideas for Parent Groups
1. Kindness Carnival
Valentine’s Day Kindness Carnival
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to focus on kindness. A “Kindness Carnival” is a fun way to teach students about empathy while helping others. Host it in your school gym, cafeteria, or multipurpose room. It works well as a morning or afternoon event and lasts about two hours. If you want it schoolwide, plan for two to three weeks to get everything ready.
Here are a few simple and meaningful stations to include:
- Valentine Cards: Provide paper, markers, and stickers for students to make cards for nursing home residents or hospital patients.
- Kindness Jars: Give students small jars and paper slips to write compliments or positive notes for their classmates.
- Cookie Decorating: Set out plain cookies, frosting, and sprinkles for kids to decorate. They can keep their cookies or donate them to local shelters or first responders.
- Kindness Tree: Make a large tree outline on poster board. Have students write acts of kindness on paper hearts and add them to the tree.
Ask parent volunteers to help with the stations and donate supplies like cookies and craft materials. Local businesses might also be willing to sponsor or donate items. To keep everything running smoothly, let groups of students rotate through the stations in short time slots. This ensures every student has time to participate without overcrowding the space. A Kindness Carnival is not only fun but also reinforces important values that tie perfectly into the Valentine’s Day theme.
2. Love-Athon: Fun with a Purpose
If your PTO is running a fundraiser, a Love-Athon is a fantastic way to bring energy and excitement to your campaign. To incorporate acts of kindness into your Love-Athon, consider these charitable activities for students:
- Assembling Care Packages: Set up a station where students can fill bags with essentials like toiletries, socks, snacks, and uplifting notes for a local homeless shelter.
- Creating Greeting Cards: Provide craft supplies for students to design Valentine’s Day cards or cheerful notes for residents at nursing homes, children in hospitals, or military service members.
- Food Drive Challenge: Include a station where students sort and organize canned goods and non-perishable items donated by families. These can be delivered to a local food pantry after the event.
- Planting Positivity: Have students decorate small pots and plant flowers or herbs that can be donated to a senior center or community garden.
- Toy or Book Collection: Ask students to bring gently used toys or books to donate to a local children’s charity or foster care.
- Neighborhood Cleanup: Depending on your school’s location, students can spend part of the day cleaning up the schoolyard or nearby park, collecting litter and leaving the area better than they found it.
Valentine Hills PTO set a great example with their “CARES-athon.” Families were encouraged to “show they care” by making donations and participating in acts of kindness, raising over $54,000 and making a tangible impact on their community.
To organize your Love-Athon, schedule activities that students can rotate through in small groups, ensuring every child has time to participate in both the active and charitable components. With thoughtful planning, this event not only raises funds but also reinforces the importance of helping others!
3. Thoughtful Gram Fundraiser: A Better Alternative to Candy Grams
Who doesn’t love receiving a little surprise on Valentine’s Day? While candy grams are a classic tradition, why not try a more unique and inclusive twist that spreads kindness without all the sugar? A “Thoughtful Gram” fundraiser allows students to send personalized messages, small tokens, or experiences to their friends, teachers, and family members in a creative way.
Here are some fresh ideas to replace or complement the traditional candy gram:
- Kindness Grams: Offer beautifully designed cards where students can write uplifting messages. Pair the cards with small, non-candy items like a friendship bracelet, mini eraser, or sticker. These simple tokens are meaningful and perfect for students who may not want candy.
- Plantable Seed Grams: Send a message of growth and love with plantable seed paper hearts. These eco-friendly grams let recipients plant their message and grow flowers or herbs.
- DIY Bookmark Grams: Provide customizable bookmarks that students can decorate and personalize with messages. These are practical, long-lasting, and tie perfectly into reading-related events like an “I Love to Read-Athon.”
- Charity Grams: For every gram purchased, donate a portion of the proceeds to a local charity. You can include a note letting the recipient know a donation was made in their honor. This turns the act of sending a gram into a way to give back.
- Glow Stick Grams: “You make my day brighter!” is the perfect message for a fun, candy-free gram that includes a single glow stick or glow bracelet. These are inexpensive, exciting for kids, and easy to assemble.
- Puzzle Piece Grams: Hand out mini puzzles where each piece has a kindness message. Recipients can assemble them to reveal the full note.
To make your Thoughtful Gram fundraiser seamless, set up a pre-order system where students can choose their gram type and write personalized messages. Offer a pickup or delivery option on Valentine’s Day, with students receiving their grams in class or at a designated location. Not only is this fundraiser a fun and engaging activity, but it also encourages creativity, connection, and kindness—making it a win-win for your school!
5. Valentine’s Day Craft Stations
Get creative with Valentine’s Day craft stations that allow students to make cards, friendship bracelets, or even kindness jars filled with positive affirmations. These activities can be done in classrooms or as part of a larger event.
Using pre-made Valentine craft kits can save time and ensure everyone has the materials they need. Whether the crafts are kept as keepsakes or shared as gifts, this is a fun and engaging way to celebrate the holiday.
6. Family Valentine Movie Night
A family movie night is a fantastic way to bring the whole school community together. Transform your gym or cafeteria into a cozy movie theater with comfortable seating, popcorn, and themed decorations. Choose a family-friendly movie with a Valentine’s or kindness theme, like Paddington 2 or The Peanuts Movie.
7. Heart-to-Heart Dance-Athon: A Valentine’s Day Fundraiser
Turn up the music and the fun with a Valentine’s-themed Dance-Athon fundraiser! This high-energy event combines the excitement of a dance party with the power of fundraising, making it perfect for elementary and middle school students. A Dance-Athon is not only engaging but also a fantastic way to get students moving, involved, and excited to support your school’s PTO.
Host the Dance-Athon in your school gym or cafeteria, transforming it into a Valentine’s dance floor with festive decorations like heart-shaped balloons, string lights, and themed backdrops. Encourage students to dress in festive Valentine’s colors like red, pink, or white to add to the atmosphere.
Include a photo booth with Valentine-themed props for keepsakes and memories. You can find affordable photo booth supplies here. For extra fun, organize dance games like freeze dance, dance battles, or a conga line challenge.
Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to celebrate love, kindness, and community while supporting your school. Whether you’re hosting a fundraiser, organizing a craft party, or planning a schoolwide event, these ideas are sure to make your celebration a success