Valentines Day Art Lesson Plan Valentines Day Art Project Vday Art Activity

This Valentine’s Day Value Heart Art Project is a complete, print-and-teach art lesson for grades 3 to 6. Students draw five overlapping hearts, shade them with oil pastel highlights and shadows, then paint over white pastel swirls to reveal a bold watercolor resist background.

It gives older students a Valentine project that teaches real skills: value, tints and shades, highlights, shadows, overlap and depth. It comes with assessment and reflection tools that suit upper elementary, so students can talk about their art using real art vocabulary.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “This turned out SO cute with my 5th graders! Even the boys' art turned out great...Lol!” Cynthia W.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE, 34 PAGES)

• About the Resource Page with prep steps, teaching tips and how to present the visuals
• Critical Thinking Questions on artistic thinking, risk-taking, art-making decisions, identity and viewing art
• Lesson Plan: Value, Valentine’s Heart (3 pages) with overview, materials list, Whiteboard Splash participation prompt, poem hook suggestion and standards/curricular connections
• Valentine’s Day Poem to read aloud as a hook
• About Valentine’s Day student-friendly nonfiction reading
• Warm-Up Art Challenge
• Title/Cover Page: Hearts, Valentine’s Day
• KWL Chart
• Rubric: Valentine’s Day, Value Hearts
• How-to Create: Valentine’s Hearts overview and Example Image
• Step One to Step Seven full-page visual and text instructions
• Reflection Pages: Analyze Elements and Principles, Message/Meaning, Questions and Wonders, Goal Setting partner reflection, Materials and Techniques, and Artwork Reflection (2 pages)
• Peer Feedback, 3 Stars and a Wish and Artist Statement pages (2 pages)

HOW IT WORKS

Students draw 5 overlapping hearts for depth, add white highlights and light black shadows, then color the hearts with choice colors, blending to make tints and shades. Next they add background dots and white pastel swirls, and in Step Six paint the whole background red with watercolor so the swirls show through.

Materials: oil pastels, thick white paper or cardstock, and watercolor paint, brushes and water. Tempera can also work.

FAQ

Who is this for?

Classroom teachers, art teachers, homeschool educators and substitute teachers working with grades 3 to 6.

How is it different from a Valentine craft?

It is a skill-based lesson focused on value, depth through overlap, tints and shades, and watercolor resist, so students learn real techniques.

How long does it take?

Typically 2 to 3 class periods, depending on student age, class behavior, your teaching style and how long you allow for shading, painting and reflections.

Can I use it for homeschool?

Yes. The step-by-step pages make it easy to teach at home, and the reflections can double as writing practice and art critique.

Is it editable?

No. It is non-editable.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★ “My students really enjoyed this project! Easy to follow- and fun!” Meghan D.

★★★★ “This was an easy and fun art project for my students to follow along with.” Brittney D.

★★★★ “Easy to follow instructions for a nice Valentine's gift to send home to family.” Heather W.

★★★★ “It is a great resource to use to teach 2-5 art class” Keila S.

★★★★ “This was another good art resource using watercolors and oil pastels.” Amber B.

★★★★ “Love all of your art projects. Easy to follow and turned out cute.” Kristen T.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. For clip art, you may use the images as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic