Suitability
This ‘Love Bug’ activity is designed for pupils aged 7-11 (KS2), but can easily be adapted to other ages. We have written it to mark Valentine’s Day, but it can be used on any day when you want pupils to think about (and hopefully spread) a little love!
Overview
The activity asks pupils to consider what love means, the different ways love can be shown and what love feels like for them. They create a group poster and an individual ‘love bug’.
Introduction
- Introduce the word love to pupils.
- Ask them to think/pair/share what love means to them and to others.
- Discuss as a class, challenging pupils to think beyond the romantic ‘love’ of Valentine’s Day.
Love posters
- Give small groups of pupils large sheets of paper and coloured pens and ask them to create a love poster that answers these questions:
- What does love look like?
- In what ways can people show love?
- How does it feel to give and receive love?
- Invite each group to share with the class and discuss similarities and differences.
Love bugs
- Give each pupil a love bug and ask them to decorate it however they would like to show what love means to them. They could for example draw someone they love in each of the spots or write different words they associate with love on the bug.
Plenary:
- If appropriate for your class, invite pupils to share their love bugs with the class and encourage them to take their love bugs home and use them to discuss what loves mean to them with the people that care for them.
- Summarise the words that pupils associate with love and what they have learnt about love from this lesson.
Ideas for extension:
- You could create a giant ‘love bug’ display of pupils’ work and other words and quotes about love.
- Pupils could use their work in this lesson as a starting point for a poem, story or song about love.
