All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used.
Ah, Valentine’s Day! Flowers, candy, and spaghetti dinner mean that love is in the air… well, at least for Lady and the Tramp with that Italian meal! I’ve been brainstorming a lot of classroom valentine ideas lately, and after I came up with my favorite Disney-Inspired Valentine printable and my “punny” Peeps tags, I wanted something a little stranger. Different. An unusual Valentine. I scoured Minted.com for some small cards that I could attach to funny items or silly things to make our Valentines laugh!
1. Bananas
That’s right. Bananas. Banana for scale. I like you a bunch! I’m peeling over with banana jokes! A little fruit is good for you, so gently tie a yellow fella to this cute little valentine and you have an unusual valentine fit for a snack!
2. Glow Stars or Crayons
I can say that I’ve never gotten crayons as a Valentine gift, but it’s something I would have used a lot! If you have a class that’s too big to spring for big boxes, you can buy a large bag of Glow in the Dark Stars (bag of 150 for under $10!) and bag them in small groups. It’s a totally out-of-this-world Valentine!
3. Hot Chocolate Packet
Hot Chocolate in the winter? Yes, please. Double stick tape or staple this adorable marshmallow valentine to a packet of hot chocolate (please don’t forget the kind with the mini marshmallows like Swiss Miss!) and I’ll be first in line to receive my warm cup of love!
4. Nail Polish or Nail Stickers
I was inspired to choose this Valentine since my daughter is obsessed with nail polish. Nail stickers would be an inexpensive addition to this card. I thought it would be a fun gift for girls under 6 that are independent.
5. Paper Airplanes
The cheapest option of the unusual valentine gifts is a paper airplane! Print off easy directions right on a sheet of paper and clip them to these lightweight Valentines from Minted.com. Your kid’s classmates will have at least 30 minutes of entertainment folding, flying and laughing. Their parents will thank you for the respite.
6. Pet Rocks
It might not be the 70’s anymore, but supervise your creative bud with a few paint sharpies and a few $1 store rocks and you have pet rocks for the whole class. Which are a pretty darn cute candy-free Valentine, if you ask me? And certainly not something the other kids will be handing out! Retro rocks! (Literally!)
7. Sunglasses
A cool idea for an unusual Valentine! These super cheap wayfarer style sunglasses means your entire class gets shades AND a funky Valentine for an even cooler price.
8. Popcorn
By and large, my favorite and our family pick. Red is a popcorn NUT, so choosing a candy-free Valentine didn’t mean we had to go food-free. A little organic microwave popcorn packet tied to these little popcorn inspired Valentines is just the ticket for us! I can’t wait to share how they turn out, so watch my social media channels for a peek!
Those are all super cute. I wanted to do something special for my son’s class because I volunteer in there a few times a week 🙂
I love the sunglasses one!
These are wonderful, creative ways to celebrate Valentines. I especially like the crayons.
These are all super cute and original! I really like the sunglasses one and the nail sticker one! They are perfect for kids.
This is one of the best parts about working in a school! I get to see all the creative things kids (or their parents) come up with 🙂
I LOVE those ideas. Great tip.
The popcorn one is my favorite. I imagine I would “accidentally” buy way too much popcorn and wouldn’t want to extra to go to waste…:)
OMG. How cute are these valentine gifts! I really like the sunglasses one and the rock one too.
I love fun and unusual ideas for Valentines, and gifts and cards in general. I love your ideas! One of my favorites to make was a label around a packet of microwave popcorn that said, popping by to wish you a great valentines day
These are so darling – I totally love homemade valentines and will be sad when my littles get to big for these.
I miss Valentine’s day since I retired from school! I loved getting valentines from all the kids! These are all super cute and any student would be happy to get one!
Oh gosh, these are adorable! I love the idea of including a packet of hot cocoa or popcorn, too. Super fun and creative.
Awe those are unique and adorable! I used to love getting and giving Valentine’s when I was in school.
I love these!!! They are all so much fun, much cuter than the ones you normally get in a box at the store as well!
These are such cute ideas! i love things that are different and not just the same old thing everyone else is doing!
This is so cute and I am one hundred percent on board with giving kids toys instead of candy!!! That’s awesome idea for nail stickers and sunglasses (:
These are such cute and inexpensive ideas for valentine’s day gifts! I love it! I think my favorite is the hot cocoa packets but the banana idea is funny and adorable!
I totally love that Nail Polish idea! First – how cute is that “nailing it” card…and how fun would it be to get a mini polish from a friend?
My favorite is the hot chocolate one. I am going to ask my daughter if we can do that one this year.
I love all of these especially the popcorn one. So fun! Thanks for sharing.
These are all great ideas, beats the traditional valentines card that you buy in the store! very creative!
These are all so much fun! I love how out of the ordinary they are. I am sure my kids would really love to give something like this.
These are all so much fun! I love how out of the ordinary they are. I am sure my kids would really love to give something like this.
My daughters are always looking for unique and fun Valentine’s to hand out to their classmates – I will have to show this to them
I absolutely love these! The popcorn and hot chocolates valentines are my favorite.
These are so fun! I love fun and unusual things like this!!! I want to do the popcorn one!!
Wow, there are so many adorable valentine card options. I like that you have so many non-food options since I think lots of schools are worried about food allergies.
What a cute Valentines day gift ideas this is so cute and I really love the design. Glad you share this with us
These are all so cute! I love the one with the paper airplane! “You’re so fly!” Love it!
I would have loved to get any one of these valentines during school!
Omg so many cute ideas!!! I’m loving the pet rock!!!’ I would of loved that as a child
These are really cool Ideas for Valentines I love being creative and would love to try and make some cute things!
Those are so adorable. I really like the rock one & the nail polish but I think they are all awesome
These are adorable. i can’t wait until my son is in school and we can do class activities like making valentines for his friends or bringing cupcakes for his birthday.
these are super cute. we haven’t gotten our vday stuff yet for the classrooms. i’ll show these to my daughter
I love all of these cute ideas but the hot chocolate packet is genius. I’m definitely going to use that.
Omg so many cute ideas!!! Thank you
yup