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Although it’s the end of December- there’s January music lessons staring you in the face. SPLAT! Don’t get caught with a snowball in your face. It’s okay to ease students back into the swing of things that first week back from the holidays. Here are some winter creative movement activities for children you can use in January.
It’s true! Our students struggle to stay focused for more than a few minutes and lack interest in the things that we may have liked as a kid. Things are rapidly changing in the world and it’s hard to keep up with the latest “thing” that kids are doing. It’s a daunting reality for all teachers.
After the holiday break, it may seem like you are at the beginning of school again-but you’re not! You do need to review, reinforce and regroup so that your classroom learning train stays on track. But the transition times of students coming back from holiday breaks can cause some teacher stress.
That’s why this blog post is loaded with winter creative movement activities for children. Integrating movement opportunities into your regular class activities can help your students and you transition back into classroom routines.
Remember what Carl Orff said: “Tell me, I forget, show me, I remember, involve me, I understand.”
It’s about DOING things that helps children learn.
The good news is that this blog post is going to give you some concrete solutions to your winter music class activities.
Let’s incorporate movement with a beat and/or rhythm activity.
I’m using a video on the Sing Play Create YouTube Channel. If you can play the video or put it in a google slide, you can then use it for these activities.
If you don’t have the ability to use YouTube in your classroom, then consider using one of these musical selections for these activities.
Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 4 in F minor, RV 297 “Winter”
Hope that helps!
First, let’s warm up to snow activities!
And- this makes a good transition activity for any winter music lesson.
Play the video “Let’s Build a Snowman” and have the students sing and build a snowman in their personal spaces. You can try this 1 or 2 times.
Give the students some choices of what things they can move to keep warm.
Next, have them stand and play the beat in their feet.
Now have them play the beat allowing them to choose their own method.
Be sure to remind them to stay in their space. I also like them to make a percussive sound.
So if they choose HIPS then have them tap their hips as they sway them.
Then, you can teach parts to the grades that are ready for those rhythms.
Finally, you can put it all together and have students playing rhythms, moving and chanting on the very first day back.
You may want to look at the resource materials. The activities in this blog post are not part of the resource.
Get ready to move and chant with this fun winter Orff arrangement “Gonna Catch a Snowflake. Original chant with five parts that can be used across many grade levels.
Practice Beat and Rhythm, chant the poetic lyrics, or just move to the music.
It’s “snow” much fun in one activity!
Video is engaging and can help students visualize all parts together. You can upload the video to your google slides.
Easy to use in the classroom and in virtual settings.
RESOURCE INCLUDES:
HOW TO USE THIS ACTIVITY:
HOME SCHOOL APPLICATIONS:
Children will love moving to the energizing music. They’ll be able to follow along with the video to learn the parts. And can try to catch a snowflake.
Use the activities with your “snow” and winter activities. Have them write their own snowflake poem. Cut out and hang snowflakes to use while dancing to the song.
This activity is very similar-but different as it is more for your upper elementary music classes.
You’ll need some “winter” music.
Play the music.
Ask students to pretend to do something in the snow. You want them to show some type of “snow” action.
Ask them to choose 1 action and have them repeat it over and over again- not too fast!
Here are some ideas:
Or you can purchase my winter movement cards here to use with this activity.
Then when you play the video the second time, you’ll explain to them that after about 15 secs. you are going to pause the movie and ask them to FREEZE!
Be sure to clue them in to what you are doing so they are ready for it!
You can use this activity with any music!
Keep going with this idea and you’ll have everyone improvising or playing their parts.
Here are some extension ideas you can use with your upper elementary music classes.
They may not want to do “freeze” dance- but they will enjoy doing this activity.
Take the dramatizations to the next level and see if they can move on the BEAT.
Give other students an opportunity to play a drum on a beat and the students move to the drumbeat.
Now incorporate instruments. They can play beat, the rhythms in the song, improvise or make sounds of winter.
Just be sure to explain what you are looking for so that they don’t play around!
Use a variety of metal instruments and some woods like wood blocks, instead of movement.
Have the students improvise some ostinato parts or just the beat or rhythms you put on the board.
Or, use the instruments to play each part.
Any way you incorporate movement with the music with instrument playing, rhythm playing, improvising- is sure to give students a winter musical experience they won’t forget.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with your students. Start with one student playing an instrument as the others do movement.
Little by little have everyone playing.
This method of movement and rhythms will ensure that your students know how to play the music from the inside out.
These Rhythm Videos can help you with rhythm practice as a warm up or pre movement activity.
They are a fun activity you can put out to get students into music land faster.
Overall, you can give your students a variety of experiences with Beat, Rhythm and Movement in one class time.
And you can help them transition, be purposeful with movement and connect movement with music skills.
I think that adding in a movement activity helps you overall because you are teaching your students that it’s okay to move, okay to let it go-, and that moving is another way to LEARN.!
Since this is a winter blog post, I’m sharing some winter creative movement activities for children you can use anytime when it’s COLD.
Here are our Winter movement activities.
I encourage you to include a creative movement or brain break activity that ties into the theme of your lesson either as a transition activity, a break or as part of the lesson.
Be sure to check out this blog post of Winter Music Stations
Want to decorate your room with snowflakes? I found these adorable snowflakes on Amazon. Click on the picture if you’re interested in checking them out-
Be sure to subscribe to our free resource library for creative movement activities, music lessons, manipulatives, songs, games and activities for your elementary music classes.
Here are the FREE JANUARY RESOURCES you can get when you SUBSCRIBE
Winter Music Chants and Songs: Rhythms-Body Percussion-Instruments & Notes
Winter Music Class will come alive with these original Chants and Songs with interactive learning strategies to help students practice Rhythms, play instruments, move to body percussion and experience pre-note reading activities while singing, moving and playing. Perfect for K-3 and Station Activities.
Winter Music Chants and Songs: Rhythms-Body Percussion-Instruments & Notes
This resource is perfect for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade elementary music classes. Students love the playful chants that they can read, say, play and play instruments.
Hi there! I’m Sandra, one of the authors behind Sing Play Create. My goal is to provide teachers with interactive resources and activities to improve the effectiveness of their teaching and enhance student learning.
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