It’s May!

Hey there music teachers! I'm so excited to share some fabulous activities for May with you all!

I always love incorporating small group games into my lessons to keep things fun and exciting (especially as the kiddos are suffering from a little spring fever—easier to embrace it and join in then try to fight it!). Whether we're working on rhythm or melody, playing in a game format is always a hit with the kiddos. Plus, it's a great way to keep them engaged and active while learning.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Doggie, Doggie:

  • I played this with my Kindies on Friday

    • I play the the traditional game where they sing & pat/hide & guess, but I like to add an instrument rotation. The person in the middle moves to an instrument after their turn (ex: metallphone, playing a steady CG bordun, then they move to a xylophone to play a broken bordun on CG, then to maracas to play the rhythm of the words—>then back to the circle).

      • This recorder version is great for 3rd grade and up (they love playing the games from when they were younger)—>this could be added to the instrument rotation described above or it’s own activity

      • You could add this matching game as a stop in a centers rotation

      • Or use this FREE color by note activity as a finale for your kiddos!

• One of my absolute favorite games is Go Fish:

  • It's loads of fun and many of the kids haven't even played it before, so it's the perfect opportunity to teach them.

    • Click here to shop Go Fish (level 1)

      OR

    • Go Fish (level 2)

      and bring the fun to your music lessons!

• The clear winner in my recent sales: OO-NO (an Uno-inspired game):

  • I’ve got three versions:

    • Treble Clef OO-NO

    • Bass Clef OO-NO

    • Music Symbol OO-NO

• Write the room is always a hit (my 2nd graders favorite) and I’ve got a great spring one ready for you! As the end of the school year approaches, I like to review and assess my students' progress with write the room activities. It's a great way to get them writing and reading rhythms or melodies while also allowing them to move around the room instead of sitting still.

• And lastly, dice activities like Roll a Rhythm and Roll a Note are super fun and have lots of extension suggestions included.

Happy May, and let's keep the music playing!

Joanna