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You can use scarves to teach dynamics in your elementary music classes. Use the Grizzly Bear song to teach dynamics with scarf movement.
Using scarf movement is a fun and effective way to teach music dynamics. Children will love waving, tossing and swishing their scarves high and low to the music.
“Grizzly Bear” is a favorite of most elementary music teachers.
Grizzly bear, a grizzly bear is sleeping in a cave.
Please be very quiet, very very quiet,
If you wake him, if you shake him, he gets very mad!
It’s a story song and easy to learn.
The song incorporates singing and movement to help children learn about music dynamics.
The game is easy to play too!
Ask students to show LOUD and SOFT (QUIET) using body actions.
Get BIG when the music is LOUD and get SMALL when the music is QUIET.
Students stand in a circle on the floor.
One student (the “Grizzly Bear”) stands/sits in the middle and closes eyes while everyone sings the song.
The students gradually tip toe towards the “Grizzly Bear” and then FREEZE on the word “MAD”.
The bear then chases the students who run back to their spots.
Whoever the bear tags is the next bear.
There are several variations on how to play this game. I adapted the game sometimes when the students would get too noisy or wild.
Instead of playing in a circle, I’d have the students line up at one end of the classroom and put the bear at the other end. This gave everyone more space to move.
I also would have students take turns being the “trees” in the forest and the other half play the game.
This meant less children running around.
Lastly, you can play this game with the grizzly bear spinning and count down from 3 and whomever they point at becomes the bear.
Hopefully, you’ll find a way to play the game that works for you and your students.
Use the scarf as a puppet as shown in the video.
Keep the scarf movement small and low for “QUIET”.
Wave the scarf BIG and WIDE for “LOUD”.
Here is a complete Music Dynamics activity to help your K-2 students learn dynamics.
Music Dynamics Lesson & Activities: Song, Games, Worksheets, Flash Cards
Here is a free music activity to help teach HIGH and LOW to KINDERGARTEN.
10 Scarf Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten Music Time
Spring Kindergarten Music Activities
Thanks for reading this post!
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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