Ok, guys. We’re back from winter break! How is everyone feeling? I always love the beginning of the new year. It’s a great time to start fresh and enjoy trying new things!
Today, I’m going to share a few winter lesson ideas for your elementary music classroom. I love doing these fun winter activities because it gets the kids thinking about snow. We don’t get a ton of snow where I live, so it’s fun to pretend in the classroom! Here are a few ideas to get you started this winter!
Paper Plate Skating
This is one of my all time favorite winter activities. I usually do this with PreK-1st grade. Sometimes I do it with 2nd graders because they always ask!
All you need for this activity is some paper plates and some music! I use this link for Skater’s Waltz! Give each student two paper plates. Have them stand on the paper plates and “skate” around the room to the music.
This is always a HUGE hit with my kids. It is a perfect activity to get them up and moving around the room! This is especially helpful if they have been doing indoor recess! If you haven’t tried paper plate skating, make sure to add it to your lesson plans this winter!
Winter Task Cards
I’m so excited to share this brand new resource with you. I have been working on these task cards for a while and I am seriously obsessed with them.
These winter task cards are absolutely perfect for trying independent work with your students! There are two versions of the task cards: rhythm and treble clef lines and spaces. I’m hoping to add more versions later…stay tuned! With each version you’ll get 5+ winter themed activities that your students can do independently!
Rhythm Snowball Fight
I love this activity for a review after break! It’s so simple to differentiate with various grade levels! As a bonus, the kids are obsessed with it! They don’t realize they’re getting practice with rhythms, they just think it’s a snowball fight! *teacher win*
Give each student a piece of paper and have them write a rhythm on it. They can use whatever rhythms they’ve learned so far during the year.
Then they’ll wad up the paper and have a snowball fight! Be prepared for chaos in your classroom. I play music while they are throwing their snowballs. When the music stops, they have to freeze then pick up the closest snowball.
From here, you can do a couple of different things. They can read or clap the rhythm, write it on a whiteboard, or read it to a partner.
My favorite thing to do is to play it as a “poison” game. This is easiest to do with pre-made rhythms. After they have their snowball fight and the music stops, you call out a rhythm and whoever has that snowball is out! If a student gets out, I have them play jingle bells or some other instrument during the next round. The last person standing is the winner!
Winter Composing
My sweet friend Liz, from Mrs. Cookie’s Music Room, made an awesome resource that I wanted to share with you all!
This winter composing activity has digital and printable options and is perfect for the winter season! I plan on using this whole group with my kiddos as a warm up activity! Check out the resource here!
Bonus Ideas from Jessie!
Jessie, from Music and Motivate, shared some more awesome winter ideas in her YouTube video! Check it out below!
Hopefully this post gave you some winter music lesson ideas for your elementary classroom! Make sure to pin this post and come back to it when you need some ideas! Comment below or DM me on Instagram to let me know your favorite activity!
