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How Valentine's Sweethearts Are Made | How Stuff Is Made | Refinery29

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MR. GOAT’S VALENTINE – A Valentine's Kids Book Read Aloud | Children’s Storytime Picture Book | LOVE

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Create the most memorable Valentine's Day classroom party with paper hearts, handwritten cards, and wholesome stories! This lovely holiday is a great way to teach your students about kindness, compassion, and thoughtfulness. Use these books to explain the joys of a community that is full of love and create activities that help students understand the importance of giving support to their peers.

Your class will enjoy The Littlest Valentine, an adorable story about Emma, the youngest member of the Valentine family, helping the family business to make sure this Valentine's Day is a successful one. Although Emma has the best intentions in mind, everything she seems to do goes wrong. Finally, Emma figures out how to help her family. This book is a great resource to discuss acts of service as a way to show love: Encourage your students to write down a list of kind things they do for their loved ones.

There is also The Biggest Valentine Ever, in which Clayton and Desmond decide to team up together to make a surprise Valentine card for their teacher, Mrs. Mousely. However, things do not go as planned because of the card's excess glitter and hearts. Soon after, the two friends get into a quarrel and rip the card. They later realize that they can make the biggest card ever if they team up. Continue the conversation by asking your students about their experiences with teamwork and the lessons they have learned from it.

Featuring Junie B. Jones, Geronimo Stilton, Llama Llama, and more, these books will help your students celebrate Valentine's Day with their favorite characters. These titles are just right for February reading and for teaching about the importance of love and kindness throughout the year.

Shop Valentine's Day books below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store.

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30+ Books to Celebrate Valentine's Day in Class | Scholastic

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Celebrate Valentine's Day with a Scholastic book list featuring titles from Clifford, Junie B. Jones, Geronimo Stilton, Katie Woo, Peppa Pig, and Llama Llama.

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How M&Ms Are Made (from Unwrapped) | Unwrapped | Food Network

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How Hershey's Kisses Are Made (from Unwrapped) | Unwrapped | Food Network

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On January 10, 1910, a teenager from Nebraska stepped off a train in Kansas City, Mo., with little more than big dreams and two shoeboxes of picture postcards. From those inauspicious beginnings an iconic brand was born.

More than 100 years and billions of well-wishes later, Hallmark Cards, Inc. continues to thrive with the grandsons of that Nebraska teenager at the helm. Explore our history by clicking on the pictures below.

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Hallmark History | Hallmark Corporate Information

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More than 100 years and billions of well-wishes later, Hallmark Cards, Inc. continues to thrive. Explore our history by clicking through our history timeline.

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NRF has been conducting its annual Valentine's Day consumer spending survey since 2004 to gauge American spending plans.

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Helga's Dowry: A Troll Love Story, by Tomie dePaola

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Valentine's Day PE Games: Would You Rather?

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If you need a fun and easy Valentine's Day activity, try these Valentine's Day Would You Rather Questions! These 25 questions are fun and silly to ask friends, classmates and family members. We have 2 free printables for you too!
RELATED: Would You Rather Questions for Kids
Valentine's Day Would You Rather Questions

There are 2 free printables for you to choose from. A printable checklist or cards.

The cards would be fun to bring along on a Valentine's Day dinner. The checklist would be fun for people to fill out during a Valentine's Day party or at school. Print off the questions and have fun answering the questions!

Kids love thinking about their answers for each question and finding out what their friends and family will say too!

There are 2 free printables you can get at the bottom of the post.
Use these silly questions at a classroom Valentine's Day party, indoor recess activity or even a long car ride. Or, simply print these off to pull out anytime you need a quick activity during the month of February!

For more fun Would you Rather Questions, see our full list of 100+ Would You Rather Questions for Kids!
How To Use These Questions

A classroom party at school

Indoor recess activity

Valentine's Day dinner

Valentine's Day party game

Print off the 1 pager and have kids select their response, or print off the individual cards and take turns picking a card to ask the questions.

25 Valentine's Day Would You Rather Questions

Here are the 25 Questions. Some are silly. Some are more difficult to answer than others. Some will make you laugh.

All of these questions are made for kids but adults will have fun answering them too! Keep the kids busy during February day with these fun Valentine's Day questions.
You can get the free printables down below, or read the questions from this list: Here are all 25 questions:

1. Would you rather have candy hearts for teeth or Hershey's Kisses for a nose?

2. Would you rather spend the day with Cupid or the Tooth Fairy?

3. Would you rather never eat chocolate again or never eat candy again?

4. Would you rather celebrate Valentine's Day in the spring or Halloween in the summer?

5. Would you rather act in a romantic movie or be the singer of a famous love song?

6. Would you rather have purple hair or pink eyelashes?

7. Would you rather have Cupid's wings or the Easter bunny's tail?

8. Would you rather have a love bug or a talking teddy bear as a pet?

9. Would you rather only be able to wear red or pink the rest of your life?

10. Would you rather have a swimming pool of red Kool-Aid or your own giant chocolate fountain?

11. Would you rather sing a love song over the intercom at school or say "I love you" to every person you see for the day?

12. Would you rather eat spicy chocolate or candies that taste like broccoli?

13. Would you rather give a Valentine to every person in your school or decorate your whole school for Valentine's day?

14. Would you rather receive a bouquet of brown roses or a treat box full of vegetables?

15. Would you rather attend a Valentine dance in 1950 or 2050?

16. Would you rather listen to love songs all day or watch romantic movies all day?

17. Would you rather eat 1 super sour candy or a chocolate dipped brussels sprout?

18. Would you rather dress up in a Halloween costume on Valentine's Day or give out Valentines on Halloween?

19. Would you rather say "I love you" after every sentence or only be able to whisper when talking?

20. Would you rather go to a restaurant for Valentine's day or stay home and have your favorite home cooked meal?

21. Would you rather make 100 homemade cards or receive 100 valentines?

22. Would you rather spend Valentine's day in an ice castle or go to the fair?

23. Would you rather miss Valentine's day or miss a day of school?

24. Would you rather go to the Eiffel tower in Paris or ride a gondola in Venice?

25. Would you rather meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse or The Beauty & the Beast?

Have fun with this game on Valentine's Day!

Note: printables are for personal or school use only.

Get the Free Printable Cards

Get the Free Printable Checklist

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25 Valentine's Day Would You Rather (Free Printables) - The Best Ideas for Kids

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25 Valentine's Day Would You Rather Questions. Funny, silly and a lot of fun to do! Print off our 2 free printables.

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Here are some fun "Would you rather..." Valentine's questions to bring a little love to your class!

"Would You Rather", "This or That" - Whatever you call this game, your students will love it!

You'll love the:

Respectful Discussion & Debate

Critical thinking skills

Communicating thoughts and ideas

Defending thoughts and opinions

Being open to new perspectives

Flexibility in thinking

Adopting a personal point of view

I asked my awesome Facebook Followers for some ideas for Valentine's Day Would You Rather Questions and just look what they came up with! Would You Rather Questions make terrific discussion starters or writing prompts. You can get a free version sent to your email by clicking here.

20 Would You Rather Questions - Valentine's Day Edition

Download your own copy and grab a class digital version!

Looking to make this Valentine's Day a memorable one?

You might also like our Valentine's Mystery Readers' Theater, "Who Left Us Cupcakes?."

You can use face-to-face or digitally.

You can print the script or project it line by line for students to read.

Integrate ELA skills like vocabulary, inferencing, and more!

Turn your students into detectives while celebrating each other.

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20 Would You Rather Questions for Valentine's Day

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Here are some fun "Would you rather..." Valentine's questions to bring a little love to your class! "Would You Rather", "This or That" - Whatever you call this game, your students will love it!

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In February, teachers will take time to teach their students about Valentine's Day and how to spread love and kindness all around them. While some may believe that the holiday is about buying cards and expensive gifts for loved ones, teachers can share with their students that it is about much more.
What is Valentine's Day?
The history of Valentine's Day has a little mystery to it, but it is said to circle around St. Valentine, a patron who was put to death by Emperor Claudius II after refusing to stop performing marriages between young soldiers and their lovers.

Teachers can share the history of Valentine's Day with these two videos:

This video, provided by user "breadnbeyond" on YouTube, offers a brief synopsis on the origin of St. Valentine's Day through the use of cartoon characters.

This video provided by History.com offers a little more information about not only the origin of Valentine's Day but how the world celebrates it now. If offers statistics on the amount of money spent on the holiday and trends gathered over the years.

Teachers can also educate their students on Saint Valentine with this PowerPoint presentation provided by TESConnect, or this one.

Here are some other activities and resources teachers can use in their classrooms to celebrate Valentine's Day:

1. Valentine Cinquain poems: With this lesson plan, students will learn how to write a cinquain poem and give it to a loved one on Valentine's Day.

2. Box of chocolate adjectives: Being aware of allergies, students can taste chocolate pieces in a box of chocolates and use their sensory details to describe how each piece tastes.

3. Candy heart sequences: Using a box of candy hearts, students can create their own arrangement of sentences and paragraphs on a piece of construction paper.

4. Friendship hearts: With cut out heart shaped pieces of paper, students can write compliments about their classmates to hang above their desks. This is a good activity to teach about kindness.

5. Valentine's Day books: Teachers can use these ten books in the classroom to teach about the spreading of kindness and love in the classroom.

6. Seven lesson plans for Valentine's Day: Teachers can find seven different lesson plans for Valentine's Day including:

1. Valentine's Day Every-Day Edit: With this Every-Day edit, students will read a paragraph and find the grammatical errors in the text.

2. Straight from the heart: With these activities, students will be able learn all about the heart through different activities including math, language arts, science, and more.

Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor

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Valentine's Day resources and lesson plans

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In February, teachers will take time to teach their students about Valentine's Day and how to spread love and kindness all around them. While some may believe that the holiday is about buying cards and expensive gifts for loved ones, teachers can share with their students that it is about much more.

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Did you know that the first valentine was sent in the 15th century? Or that chocolates used to be prescribed by doctors? We didn't either! Learn about these Valentine's Day fun facts and more with this list-perfect for sharing with your students!

34 Fun Facts About Valentine's Day

The first Valentine's Day celebration took place in France.

Although the exact first celebration is hard to pin down, the first official Valentine's Day as a celebration of love likely occurred in Paris in the 1400s. The English and French associated mid-February with birds' mating season, making it an appropriate time to celebrate romance.

145 million greeting cards are exchanged every year for Valentine's Day.

And that's just in the United States, according to Hallmark! Over 1 billion valentines are sent worldwide, according to this video from Homeschool Prep.

About 25% of pet owners give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.

Valentines are not just for humans but for dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, and other pets!

The inventor of candy hearts started out by producing medicinal lozenges.

In the 1800s, Boston pharmacist Oliver Chase invented a machine to simplify the process of making lozenges. The machine was later used to make heart-shaped candy with messages printed on them. Learn more about how Sweethearts are made in this video.

8 billion conversation hearts are manufactured each year.

So many conversation hearts! Classic romantic phrases on the candies include "Be Mine," "Cutie Pie," and "I'm Yours." The only year that billions of candy hearts were not produced was 2019, when the company that made Sweethearts was sold to another company, resulting in a conversation-heart-less Valentine's Day.

Consumers buy over 58 million pounds of chocolate and candy for Valentine's Day.

Heart-shaped boxes of chocolate make up about 10% of Valentine's Day candy sales.

The chocolate box has been around for more than 150 years.

Around 1850, the Cadbury company took advantage of falling import costs and created the first box of chocolates. A decade later, they created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates.

Lovebirds are actual birds.

The term "lovebirds" describes a couple in love. It's also the common name for the Agapornis bird.

The first valentine was sent from prison.

The Duke of Orleans wrote the first valentine in the early 15th century while he was imprisoned. He wrote a poem and sent it to his second wife, but, of course, he never saw her reaction to the poem he sent because he was in prison.

Every year, thousands of people send letters to Juliet (from Romeo and Juliet).

People write letters to Juliet, star-crossed lover from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and send them to Verona, Italy. This resulted in the creation of the Juliet Club, which is comprised of volunteers in Verona who respond to the letters.

Teachers get more valentines than anyone else.

We couldn't agree more that teachers deserve valentines the most, so this is one of the Valentine's Day facts on this list that may not come as surprise: Teachers get more valentines than any other group, including children, wives, and moms!

250 million roses are grown just for Valentine's Day.

Venus, Roman goddess of love, loved red roses, and red roses symbolize romance and love.

Doctors once prescribed chocolate to fix a broken heart.

This may be one of the most surprising Valentine's Day facts: Physicians in the old days would recommend chocolate to people who were suffering from a broken heart or pining after a lost love.

Most Americans will buy gifts, cards, or treats for Valentine's Day.

About 80% of consumers in the United States plan to shop for Valentine's Day, making Americans unmatched in the realm of Valentine's Day shopping. Sweet!

Hallmark prints more than 1,400 Valentine's Day card designs.

Hallmark makes more than 1,400 Valentine's card options, so there's literally something for everyone.

Valentine's Day is one of the biggest holidays for giving flowers.

If you're giving flowers this Valentine's Day, you're in good company. The other top flower-giving holiday is Mother's Day.

People in the Victorian era used valentines to discourage suitors.

During the Victorian era, people who did not want attention would send "vinegar valentines" or "penny dreadfuls." They were intended as an insult to unwanted admirers.

Men spend more than women on Valentine's Day.

In fact, men spend about two times more than women do on Valentine's Day.

Esther Howland sold the first mass-produced valentines in the 19th century.

In the 1840s, Esther Howland of Massachusetts sold the first mass-produced Valentine's Day cards. Howland's father owned a stationery store, and she took advantage of the opportunity to sell fancy greeting cards.

Hallmark was the first greeting card company to go national.

Hallmark founder Joyce Clyde Hall was the first to advertise greeting cards nationally. He ran an ad in Ladies' Home Journal and also sponsored radio ads.

California is the state with the most chocolatiers.

The state has 125 chocolate makers, followed by Pennsylvania with 114.

There was more than one Saint Valentine.

The Catholic Church recognizes three different Saint Valentines (or Valentinus). Each of the Saint Valentines was martyred and could have inspired the holiday.

Pope Gelasius officially declared February 14 "Saint Valentine's Day."

In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 "St. Valentine's Day."

Each flower's color has meaning.

Red roses symbolize love, but other flower colors have meaning too. Deep pink symbolizes happiness, purple = royalty, and white = sincerity.

Four U.S. states have cities named Valentine.

You can live in a town named Valentine in Arizona, Nebraska, Texas, or Virginia.

Mass weddings are a Valentine's Day tradition in the Philippines.

The government funds the mass weddings so they are free for the couples, aside from registering to get married.

In Japan, women give men chocolate for Valentine's Day.

Women give men chocolates in Japan, although they have pushed back against this tradition, arguing that it's too obligatory.

Oregon and Arizona both became states on Valentine's Day.

Oregon (in 1859) and Arizona (in 1912) became states on Valentine's Day.

Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent for the telephone on Valentine's Day.

Alexander Graham Bell submitted documents to the patent office on February 14, 1876. The patent was granted on March 7, 1876.

63% of us will send a Valentine's Day text.

Texting is the new Valentine's Day card. Most people said they will text loved ones on Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day has its origins in a Roman holiday.

In the 6th century BC in February, Romans would celebrate the festival of Lupercalia by sacrificing animals and performing other rituals.

Cupid was a Greek god.

We know him as a chubby, arrow-shooting baby, but Cupid was actually a handsome Greek god in mythology whose magical arrows could make mortals fall in love or hate. He became the face of Valentine's Day in the 19th century.

The red heart was one of the most-used emojis in 2023.

The red heart is a classic emoji, and in 2023, it was up there with "crying with laughter" and "rolling on the floor laughing" in the top three emojis.

Valentines are much plainer than they used to be.

In the 19th century, Valentine's Day cards were at their peak. People decorated valentines with everything from peacock feathers to lace to jewels.

Come share your favorite Valentine's Day Facts in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

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34 Valentine's Day Fun Facts To Fill Your Heart With Knowledge

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These Valentine's Day facts will educate your students on the history of Valentine's Day and how much we spend on the holiday!

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Top Valentine's Day Candy by State

The number of people buying candy for Valentine's Day is expected to be at a new record high with 57% of consumers.

Here are some of the key takeaways from our data.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Conversation Hearts Dominate over Heart-Shaped Boxes

It was a rough couple years starting in 2019 for Sweethearts conversation hearts candy. After Necco got ripped apart and its brands sent off to various bidders, Sweethearts' new owner took more time than anticipated to get their feet under them. In fact, Sweethearts weren't available in 2019 at all! As the most popular brand of conversation hearts (Brach's makes a lot of them as well), the sales of conversation hearts overall were down over 24%.

In 2020, they were back but only a limited supply was available. As new owner Spangler hurried to get them out, they ran into some printing issues and the cute little sayings written on them were distorted and blurred. Quite a few of them were blank - no words at all. Doh!

The last two years they broke through again, reclaiming their dominance with a particular vengeance in 2022. With Spangler introducing all new sayings on Sweethearts, conversation hearts made a heroic comeback in 2021, and all seems to be going very well for the chatty little cardiacs.

Hershey Kisses Moving in on M&M's gains?

Cupid Corn Back to #1 in Michigan

Just when we thought they were fading away, cupid corn made a comeback last year. After claiming a new #1 state in Nebraska, candy corn also regained the #1 spot in Michigan, where it had fallen as far as the nimbler 3 spot in recent years after a long time top V-day candy for the state.

Valentine's Day Candy Quick Facts

47% of people said they will buy themselves a box of chocolates this year.

58 million pounds of chocolate are bought during Valentine's Day week.

The peak selling period for conversation hearts is only 6 weeks long. Wow!

It takes manufacturers 11 months to produce enough for those 6 weeks.

Vodka infused with candy remained popular with conversation hearts last year.

Children receive 39 percent of all Valentine's Day candy and gifts.

In Japan, chocolate is given to men, not women, on Valentine's Day.

In Wales, wooden love spoons were traditionally given as a token of love.

The first Valentine's Day candy box was created by Richard Cadbury in the late 1800s.

The most popular Valentine's Day color is red.

The average American spends $144.56 on Valentine's Day candy.

Each year, an estimated 1 billion cards are exchanged on Valentine's Day.

The oldest box of Valentine's Day candy dates back to the early 1900s.

In the Middle Ages, valentines were handmade gifts like love poems or artwork.

About 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each year leading up to Valentine's Day.

So, which Valentine's Day candy does your state love the most? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Here is a table with each state's winners:

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Most Popular Valentine's Candy by State [Interactive Map]

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14 years of sales data is behind this interactive candy map of America, where you can hover over a state to see the top Valentine's Day candy in that state.

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More than 20% Overspend on Valentine's Day

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More than 20% Overspend on Valentine's Day

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Valentine's Day is almost upon us, and most Americans have barely recovered from Christmas debt - 37% of Americans say it will take them two months or more to pay off their 2023 holiday bills, according to one study from personal finance company Achieve.
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Even in the midst of rising costs and increasing debt, a study from Trustpilot revealed that younger Americans most especially feel pressured to spend more than they can afford for this upcoming Valentine's Day. According to the survey, 33% of millennials and 21% of Gen Z (or 27% overall) in relationships feel more pressure to spend this year than they did in 2023.

Amongst all survey respondents across age groups, 21% of those in a relationship feel obligated to spend more than they can afford, and 19% feel their partner expects them to spend more than they can afford.

The rising cost of living has put a crunch on Valentine's Day plans, with 30% of Americans in relationships telling Trustpilot that they aren't celebrating Valentine's Day because it's simply too expensive.

The average expectation for a Valentine's Day gift amongst those who are celebrating? A whopping $157.52, according to the survey.

The High Cost of 'Failing' Valentine's Day

While love shouldn't come with a price tag, survey respondents had clear feelings about what they would do if their partner didn't meet their expectations for Valentine's Day.

According to the survey, 21% would just buy something for themselves. But 17% would insist the partner make up for it at another time, while 16% would give their partner the silent treatment.

Twenty percent had an even more extreme reaction, with 10% saying they'd cancel the Valentine's Day plans if they didn't meet expectations and another 10% saying they would break up with their partner.

Meet Valentine's Day Expectations Without Breaking Your Budget

With such high consequences for not meeting Valentine's Day expectations, it's no wonder that 26% of both Gen Z and millennials said they would sacrifice their normal living expenses, including gas, food or rent, to pay for the perfect Valentine's Day. 25% of millennials said they would resort to credit cards, going into debt for the holiday.

But with some careful planning, you may be able to save money on Valentine's Day and still meet your partner's expectations.
1. Buy Restaurant Gift Cards from Costco
You can get two $50 gift cards to the upscale Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao for just $79.99 at Costco, giving you 20% off your dinner. Costco offers an even better deal for Landry's restaurants, with two $50 e-gift cards for $75. Landry's brands include Morton's the Steakhouse, Rainforest Café, Del Frisco, and others.
2. Cash In Your Credit Card Rewards Points
If you used your credit cards during the holiday season, you may have accrued some valuable points. Cash them in for restaurant gift cards, travel accommodations or a one-of-a-kind experience to celebrate Valentine's Day.
3. Plan An Activity That Doesn't Cost a Lot
Depending on where you live, hiking, bicycling or a picnic in the park can create a romantic and memorable Valentine's Day without breaking the bank. Even a short road trip to a location that's off the beaten path can set your celebration apart.

To save more money, check out Groupon for discounts on activities and attractions in your area.
4. Give a Subscription
If you'd like to give a thoughtful gift but can't spend a lot upfront, consider investing in a monthly subscription box for your partner. Here are 10 subscription boxes for every taste, all under $65 per box.
5. Choose An Affordable Winter Vacation Spot
You'd be surprised by how many cheap winter travel destinations you can find. From all-inclusive resorts in Mexico to affordable ski resorts on both coasts, a little advance planning and shopping around can yield great deals. For instance, GOBankingRates recently shared 10 vacation destinations that cost less than $250 per night.

Bottom Line
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Valentine's Day shouldn't create financial stress for couples. Be open and honest about what you can afford, and discuss your plans in advance to create a date you'll both enjoy.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Valentine's Day 2024: More Than 20% Overspend - What Does the Average V-Day Cost?

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Valentine's Day 2024: More Than 20% Overspend - What Does the Average V-Day Cost?

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Valentine's Day is almost upon us, and most Americans have barely recovered from Christmas debt -- 37% of Americans say it will take them two months or more to pay off their 2023 holiday bills,...

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New Zoom backgrounds

I love econ: Give your students the not-so-subliminal message that you love econ and they should too!

Recommended pairings: candy hearts, our video, or any lesson using supply and demand as a starting point.

The Aalsmeer flower market: This market in the Netherlands sells 20 million flowers a day in one of the largest buildings on Earth!

Recommended pairings: flowers, our video (more below), or any lesson about prices, specialization, trade, etc.

I, Rose: An econ love story

A rose by any other name would still be a perfect example to illustrate the miracle of prices, trade, and specialization! Our video captures this extraordinary tale about this ordinary item.

Every Valentine's Day, fresh flowers are given as gifts in frigid places like Chicago and Anchorage but they didn't start there. No sir. These jet-setting flowers were first grown in a warm-weather country and then shipped to the Netherlands for a quick auction before making their way to a flower shop near you.

Talk about an example of markets at work! (And yes, our Zoom background above is a perfect complement to this video.)

Want to learn even more? Check out our follow-up video on prices where Alex, with the help of an invisible hand, decides what to get his sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

Econ Potpourri

These are some great Vday-themed econ resources from around the web.

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Valentine's Day Edition: Change in Demand vs. Change in Quantity Demanded Interactive Practice

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New interactive practice tool: Have your students test their knowledge of the difference between a change in demand and a change in quantity demanded with festive examples. Perfect to use when you're teaching demand or just having your students review old concepts.

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Over half (55%) of consumers plan to celebrate Valentine's Day this year. Most of those celebrating (83%) plan to purchase a gift for a significant other, with spending on gifts for romantic partners expected to reach $14.5 billion. An additional 58% plan to purchase gifts for other family members such as kids, parents or siblings, for a total of $4.5 billion in expected spending.

Outside of significant others and family members, one-third (33%) of consumers plan to purchase gifts for friends ($2.4 billion). Another 27% will purchase gifts for their children's classmates and teachers ($2.2 billion), while 21% will buy gifts for co-workers ($1.7 billion).

Additionally, a record 35% of consumers plan to purchase Valentine's Day gifts for their pets this year, totaling $2.1 billion up from $1.7 billion in 2025.

"Valentine's Day underscores the value of relationships, and for many people, the connection they share with their pets is an important one," Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. "Whether it's a dog, cat or other animal, consumers are looking to celebrate their pets this Valentine's Day with a special toy, accessory or treat."

Candy remains the most popular Valentine's Day gift, with 56% of consumers planning to purchase candy. Other top gifts include flowers (41%), greeting cards (41%), an evening out (39%) and jewelry (25%). However, shoppers are expected to spend the most - a total of $7 billion - on jewelry, followed by $6.3 billion on an evening out, $3.5 billion on clothing and $3.1 billion on flowers.

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NRF | Valentine's Day Spending Expected to Reach New Records

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Consumer spending on Valentine's Day is expected to reach a record $29.1 billion, according to the annual survey released by NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

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Valentine’s Day Greeting Card Production on EconEdLink

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In this high school and middle school lesson plan, students will be working in small groups, participate in a production simulation (making Valentine’s Day greeting cards) to determine the effects of specialization on labor productivity, the division of labor, and investment in human capital and capital goods.

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Who doesn't like to receive a Valentine's Day card and chocolate on February 14th? Harness student energy around the holiday by using these lessons about candy, greeting cards, and sugar to teach about economic resources, production, trade, supply and demand, and the types of business organizations.

Valentine's Day Resources - Grades: K-5
Use an arts and crafts activity, like making Valentine's Day hearts, to teach students about human and capital resources.

Valentine's Day Greeting Card Production - Grades: 6-12
Working in small groups, students participate in a production simulation (making Valentine's Day greeting cards) to determine the effects of specialization on labor productivity, the division of labor, and investment in human capital and capital goods.

Sweet Opportunities: Three Types of Business Organizations
Grades: 6-12

Students analyze case studies of 4 different businesses - Hershey, Mars, Famous Amos, and the Chocolate Farm - to identify the costs and benefits of the three types of business organizations.

Demand: Valentine's Day Interactive Edition - Grades: 9-12
Have your students test their knowledge of the difference between a change in demand and a change in quantity demanded with six festive Valentine's Day examples. From CEE partner, MRU.

Should the U.S. Government Encourage Farmers To Grow More Sugar?
Grades: 9-12

This lesson teaches students about the tools used in the United States Sugar Program, analyzes the costs and benefits, and explores the effects on industries that do business with the sugar industry. Your students will look at their Valentine's Day chocolates in a new way.

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Celebrate Valentines day with Econ lessons! - Center for Economic Education

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Who doesn’t like to receive a Valentine’s Day card and chocolate on February 14th? Harness student energy around the holiday by using these lessons about candy, greeting cards, and sugar to teach about economic resources, production, trade, supply and demand, and the types of business organizations. Valentine’s Day Resources – Grades: K-5 Use an […]