8 SCARF and RIBBON ACTIVITIES

8 SCARF and RIBBON ACTIVITIES

I’m sharing 8 scarf and ribbon activities you can use in your elementary music classes today to teach music concepts.  These activities are going to change the way you teach and make music in your classroom! Not only are there eight activities, but I give you the details on how to do them. There’s also two songs for scarves and ribbon activities you can use too!

To help you with music and movement activities I’ve teamed up with Bear Paw Creek in a month long GIVEAWAY!

April is Music and Movement Month Giveaway! Bear Paw Creek and Sing Play Create have teamed up in a MUSIC AND MOVEMENT Props and Materials Giveaway. THe giveaway runs from April 1st -30th 2023.

All entrants will be automatically added to the Bear Paw Creek and Sing Play Create newsletters. Entrants must be residents of the U.S.A. only.

Enter HERE to have a chance to WIN.

Enter for a chance to win a HUGE Music and Movement Bundle that includes:

• 1 Parachute
• 1 Connect-A-Stretchy Band
• 1 Rainbow Balloon Ball
• Set of 6 Primary Color Bean Bags
• Set of Scarves
• Set of Streamers
• Buggy Parachute Activities
• Buggy Bean Bag Activities
• Buggy Scarf and Ribbon Activities
• Balloon Ball Activities
• Buggy Stretchy Band Activities
• “The Scarf Song” (Scarf Song)
• “Rainbows in the Sky” (Streamer song)
• “There’s a Chocolate Chip Cookie on My Head” (Bean Bag Song)
• “Flying High and Low” (Parachute Song)
• “My Ball” (Balloon Ball Song)

WHY SCARVES AND RIBBONS?

It’s important to integrate movement activities into the music classroom because it enhances learning and has a positive effect on social, emotional, and physical health.

Here are some reasons why:

1. Movement develops gross motor and fine motor muscle development.
2. Crossing the midline will help with making brain connections and help the brain and body work together.
3. Right and left hand switching helps with reading skills.
4. Movement ca  n help students to develop a joy in moving the body which promotes an active lifestyle.
5. Movement Activities can help students develop listening skills.
6. Movement activities give kids social interaction opportunities through group work and playing games.
7. Movement helps burn off stress.

SCARF AND RIBBON WARM UP ACTIVITY

It’s a game, it’s a brain break, it’s a teaching tool!

This is a copycat game you can use to teach students how to do the scarf moves.

I want to teach them the actions of how to cross the midline.

Because that will help them make brain connections and help the brain and body work together.

We’ll also make big and small movements and switch hands.

You can use this activity as a warmup or a cool down.

Here’s the game.

You can play it with or without music.

I don’t speak during the game. 

• Count to 8 for each movement.
• Count to 4 in between moves.
• Let’s give it a try: 1-2-ready go.

• Circle
• Switch hands
• Wiggle
• Swish
• Hold it with both hands
• Wave
• Criss cross

Stop- sit down and place the scarf on the floor.

IF you try this activity with your students and it works, you can then teach your students to be the leaders.

Later you can use this activity in a STATION OR MUSIC CENTER.

You may want to check out this blog post with more activities.

SCARF ACTIVITY SONG

SCARF activity songs are great for DEVELOPING GROSS & FINE MOTOR SKILLS, and CROSSING THE MIDLINE as well as burning off energy and stress.

I wrote a little scarf song here’s how it goes:

LYRICS:

• Look at my scarf twirling!
• See all the colors swirling!
• Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle,
• wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, whirling!

• REPEAT
• Round and round it goes!
• Faster, faster!
• Slow-er and DROPS!

I’m making sure to move across the midline, make big and small movements and switch hands.

I’ll go through the lyrics and actions first.

Then we’ll do it with the music and I’ll have the students mirror me until they can do it without my help.

Then they can do the activity with the music.

Here’s the Link to the Product on TpT “Scarf Song Movement Activity”

TEACH MUSIC CONCEPT HIGH AND LOW

PITCH Is it high?  Is it low? 

You can use scarves in many ways to help students to show high and low.

When I use scarf movements, I want to be sure to make big and small movements, cross the midline and switch hands.

Here’s an activity from the Sing Play Create Free Resource Library.

GET THE FREE RESOURCE BY CLICKING HERE

I sing a little song and have the students show me high and low with their scarves.

Birds tweet HIGH,
And cows moo LOW.

Can you show the way the pitch goes?
Tweet, tweet, tweet

Moo, moo, moo

Mix it up- by switching sounds and pitch: moo, tweet, tweet, moo.

Another song that is excellent to use for this activity is “OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM”

You can use the different animals to sing high and low.

Cows moo LOW

Chickens cluck HIGH!

Be sure to make  big and small moves, cross the midline and switch hands to help students get the most from the activity.

USE SCARVES TO TEACH DYNAMICS LOUD AND SOFT

Is it loud?  Is it soft?

Use scarf movement to show LOUD/SOFT. 

I like using a simple call and response song like BOOM CHICKA BOOM.

I’m going to have the students use WAVE for LOUD and BOUNCE for SOFT.

I’m going to make sure that we make big and small moves, cross the midline and switch hands.

They will only wave their scarf when they sing.

I’ll  sing and have them echo like this:

I said boom chicka-boom! (Echo: boom chicka-boom)
I said boom chicka-boom! (Echo: boom chicka-boom)
I said booma-chicka-rocka-chicka-rocka-chicka-boom!
(Echo: booma-chicka-rocka-chicka-rocka-chicka-boom!)
Uh huh! (echo)
Oh yeah! (echo)
One more time…

Each time I sing it I use a different variation:

LOUD/SOFT

HIGH/LOW

WHISPER/SINGING VOICE

This is such a fun activity and it will also give your students a social experience as they sing silly songs together.

ACTIVITY FOR EXPRESSION AND SOCIAL SKILLS

I wrote a song to use with streamers. In this activity the students will mirror my actions. After they learn the song we’ll do some more activities.

I’m going to make sure that we make big and small moves, cross the midline and switch hands.

It goes like this:

• “Rainbows in the Sky”
• Rainbows in the sky.
• Waving up so high.
• Sparkling in the sunshine.
• Colors floating by.
• Repeat
• Higher and higher they fly!
• Rainbows in the sky.
• Waving up so high.
• Sparkling in the sunshine.
• Colors floating by.
• Rainbows in the sky.
• Rainbows in the sky.

I can use this scarf song for different grade levels too.

For Kindergarten and first grades:

First I’ll teach them the song. And then we’ll do the actions together.

In 2^nd and 3^rd grade I’ll do a small group activity.

I’ll divide the class into groups where they will work on creating actions for the song.

Then I’ll have each group share their actions.

This song can really help with learning to express music through movement.

I love the idea of students working together to create something that uses the song too.

“RAINBOWS IN THE SKY” PRODUCT LINK

SCARF ACTIVITY TO TEACH TEMPO

TEMPO Is it fast?  Is it slow?

TEMPO can be demonstrated with scarf activities too!

 Pretend play is an excellent way to get your students to understand and show music concepts.

SHOW WHAT YOU HEAR TEMPO GAME

Make a puppet using a scarf.

Give everyone a scarf and tell them that they are going to be little bunnies.

I make a little bunny puppet like this.

We’ll use some fine motor muscles to make the puppets.

And I’ll want my bunnies to hop high, low, across as well as big hops and little hops. 

It’s important to review these things as you do the activity.

I have my students form a circle. The center of the circle is the “garden”. Their spot is their bunny burrow.

When the music begins, they are going to bounce their bunny on the beat.

When the music stops, their bunny is going to rest.

You can play a simple melody on any instrument. Or use some musical selections like the Carnival of the Animals.

Vary the TEMPO for the students to respond to.

You can also have them move with their bunnies.

After the students get the hang of bouncing on the beat, you can ask them hop with their scarf bunny.

When the music stops, be sure to get back to the burrow.

This type of activity is just right for younger students and can help them channel energy, make some brain connections and learn about music too.

GET THE FREE SCARF ACTIVITY CARDS HERE

SCARVES HELP WITH AUDIATION ACTIVITIES

You can use scarves during your vocal explorations

I like to get out the scarves when we do vocal explorations in our music class. It’s one type of activity that helps students learn to audiate.

I have them mirror my actions and encourage them

To use their voice show the movement of their scarf.

I like to practice some of the movements before we begin the activity.

I’ll choose moves that are big and small, high and low, cross the midline and switch hands.

After using the vocal explorations, we play a little game.

The teacher waves a scarf and the students only respond vocally.

Then you can have students take turns waving the scarf and everyone else responds.

Using scarves with vocal explorations is another way to help your students make brain connections, learning connections and it helps them socially as everyone is singing and moving together.  This activity can infuse joy into your classroom too!

SCARF ACTIVITY TO TEACH FORM AND EXPRESSION

I found one activity that I feel speaks to all the benefits of scarf movement in the music classroom.

It also can help students learn FORM

I’m using Spring by the famous Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi.

You can create movement patterns for each section in the concerto.

“Spring” is in rondo form. 

ABACADAEABA

Here’s some ideas on colors and movement for each section.

A: TREES /BROWN & GREEN SCARVES/HIGH LOW

B: BIRDS/PINK & PURPLE SCARVES/FLUTTER

C: THE RIVER/BLUE SCARVES/ CRISS CROSS

D: THUNDER & LIGHTNING/WHITE & YELLOW SCARVES /ZIG ZAG BIG ACROSS BODY

E: RISING SUN/RED & ORANGE SCARVES/BIG SWIRLS

This activity covers most of the benefits of using scarves in the music classroom.

Students will get a physical, emotional, social & musical experience from this activity as well as learn about music concepts of fast/slow, high/low, and expression.

The students will love these scarf activities.

Swooshing, waving, tossing, wiggling scarves FAST, SLOW, HIGH, LOW  around, and across can help your students move, feel, make learning connections, learn music concepts and have fun at the same time.

NEED SCARVES FOR YOUR CLASSROOM?

Here’s my Amazon Affiliate Link:

Read here how to make your own ribbon streamers.

SCARF AND RIBBON ACTIVITIES AT HOME

Thanks for reading this post!

Let’s move and learn with music!