Mail for Valentine's Day

I picked up those cute little mailboxes from the Target Dollar Spot last year and knew my kiddos would love this activity again this year!  I have 2 different types of mailboxes that I picked up in 2 different years.  I was so sad to see that my Target isn't carrying any mailboxes in the Dollar Spot this year.

We still do "play-based" centers in my class for about 40 minutes a day.  This first activity is at my Language Arts center.  Each mailbox flag has a vowel sound on it (short vowels).  In the bag are old Valentines.  I circled a character on each Valentine.  Students need to listen for the initial sound on each Valentine and sort them into the appropriate mailbox.  They love seeing their favorite characters at this center!  This is a great way to use your old Valentines that students have given you. I also asked parents if they wanted to donate an extra Valentine or 2 last year.

This was very easy prep: label the mailbox flags, circle the characters with a Sharpie and laminate them.

The second activity is at the math center.  You can actually download these cards for free from my TpT store!

In this center, there are 6 mailboxes, one for each number 0-5.  On each card, which is shaped like an envelope, there is either an addition or a subtraction problem.  Students must solve the problems and "mail" them in the correct mailbox.  My kiddos decided that they are going to have 1 or 2 people do the mailing and the others will check them.  There are a couple other number activities at the math center currently, but this is definitely their favorite!

Next week, we will be doing my candy heart math activity.  It is also a freebie in my TpT store.  It uses SweetTart candy hearts because I've found that most of my kiddos like eating that kind.

If you download either of these freebies, I'd appreciate your feedback.  Thanks!

How do you incorporate holiday fun into your day?