CIRCLE TIME
A treasure hunt to discover the theme
(Open educa-decorate-Music) Print and laminate. Set the items throughout your daycare. Ask children to search for them and bring them back to you. As a group, name the items. Invite children to try to guess the theme.
The gathering song
During circle time, sit in a circle with your group. Children take turns picking a song that they know very well, standing up, and humming the lyrics. The other children must try to identify the song. When they succeed, the child who was humming sits back down and his peers stand up to give him a big round of applause.
Instrument of the day
(Open poster - Instrument of the day) Print and laminate. Select one instrument per day and present it to your group during circle time. Display a picture of the instrument on the poster so children can refer to it throughout the day.
AREA SETUP
Thematic poster-Music
(Open thematic poster-Music) Print, laminate, and decorate the walls of your daycare with all kinds of posters.
Stickers-Music
(Open stickers-Music) Print the illustrations on adhesive paper and use them to create a collection of unique stickers. Use them to reward children throughout the theme.
Educa-theme-Music
(Open educa-theme-Music) Print and laminate the different elements representing the theme. Use them to present the theme to your group (and children’s parents) while decorating your daycare.
Educa-decorate-Music
(Open educa-decorate-Music) Print, laminate, and cut out the illustrations. Use them to decorate your walls or hang them from the ceiling.
My musical floor
(Open floor illustrations-Music) Print and have children color the items. Press them on the floor using adhesive paper. The items may be used to delimit various areas within your daycare, to create a path connecting different areas, or simply to decorate your daycare per the theme.
Thematic bin: microphones, costumes, mirrors, empty makeup containers, musical instruments, glasses, scarves, tape recorder with blank cassettes, songbooks, books with sheet music, CDs, etc.
Musical notes
(Open model - musical notes) Print and glue the notes on cardboard. Cut them out and hang them from the ceiling.
PICTURE GAME
The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with the group. Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner (Open picture game-Music) Print, laminate, and store in a "Ziploc", bag or in your thematic bins.
WRITING ACTIVITY
Print and have children trace the letter. You may print a copy for each child or laminate and use with a dry-erase marker. (Open writing activity - M like music)
ACTIVITY SHEETS
Activity sheets are provided for each theme. Print and follow instructions. (Open activity sheets - Music)
VARIOUS WORKSHOPS
Have fun with these wonderful workshop ideas provided by Caroline Allard.
Construction/building blocks:
- Wooden blocks.
- Homemade blocks made with cardboard boxes, metal cans...add tiny bells or other materials inside.
- Workbench and tools of all kinds
Arts & crafts:
- Various materials which may be used to create musical instruments.
Drawing:
- Coloring pages related to the theme.
- Musical instrument stencils.
- Sheet music children can draw on.
Role play:
- Music class: various musical instruments, sheet music with notes, a conductor's baton, songbooks, chairs, desks, etc.
- Puppet theater: puppets children can use to practice different voices...singing, high-pitch, low, etc.
Manipulation:
- Memory game with educatall.com pictures.
- Real musical instruments which can be manipulated and explored.
- Board games.
- Association games involving musical instruments (wind, string, and percussion instruments).
Pre-reading:
- Books about musical instruments and musical staffs.
- Earphones and CDs of various styles of instrumental music.
- Posters of different types of instruments to decorate the walls.
Pre-writing:
- Association games.
- Mazes.
- Hunt and seek games.
- Activity sheets related to the theme.
- Games with educatall.com word flashcards.
Motor skills:
- You can dance, waltz, or sing (and record yourselves!)
- Obstacle course involving musical instruments children must play at various stages of the course.
Sensory bins:
- A small bin filled with different sizes of bells which produce different tones.
- A bin filled with small containers (film or pill containers) filled with various materials which produce sounds...try to associate them!
ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES
Stimulation bottles
Fill various sizes of plastic bottles with a variety of objects which produce sounds. Decorate them with fun colors. Babies will spend hours manipulating them (Yop yogurt containers are the perfect size for little hands)☺.
Instruments
Maracas, tambourines, and xylophones are all fun musical instruments for babies. Arrange a small bin you can present them with now and then throughout the theme.
Rhythmical dancing
Babies often love music. Use this theme to introduce them to various musical styles, music from different countries...etc. Dance together.
Rhymes
Rhymes are packed with rhythm and allow babies to assimilate them. Sing rhymes when you change diapers, at lunch time, during transition periods, etc. You can illustrate rhymes to provide visual support.
My pictures
Use educatall.com pictures to show babies different instruments throughout the theme. Concentrate on the most common instruments like the piano and the guitar.
LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES
Word flashcards
The word flashcards may be used during circle time to spark a conversation with the group or in your reading and writing area. They may also be used to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards - Music) note, staff, piano, guitar, violin, flute, drum, xylophone, triangle, metronome, trumpet, banjo
Picture clue story-Music
(Open picture clue story - Music) Print. Sit in a circle with your group. Begin reading the story. Pause for each picture clue. Point to the clue and have children guess the missing word.
Pompom musical notes
(Open pompom musical notes) Print and laminate the cards. Each child picks a card, names the letter, and sets a pompom of the corresponding color on each dot. Encourage children to, for example, say, “On the musical note, I see a red pompom, a blue pompom, a yellow pompom, an orange pompom, and a white pompom.”
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS
Modeling dough activity placemats-Music
(Open modeling dough activity placemats-Music) Print and laminate. Let children pick a placemat and provide modeling dough. Encourage them to use the dough to fill or reproduce the shapes that are on their placemat.
Roll & color-Music
(Open roll and color-Music) Print for each child. This game can be enjoyed individually or as a group. Children take turns rolling a die, counting the dots, and coloring the corresponding part.
Musical note hunt
(Open miniature musical notes) Print and laminate. Hide the musical notes throughout your daycare. Invite children to search for them. The child who finds the most musical notes may hide them for the next round.
Music game
(Open game-Music) Print, laminate, and cut out the cards. Set a round plastic paint palette with 10 wells on the table along with a bowl filled with colorful pompoms. Children take turns picking a card and setting pompoms of the indicated colors in the tray.
Musical Day
(Open perpetual calendar - Musical Day) Ask children to bring something from home which can be used to make music or produce a sound. With the musical instruments, organize your own fanfare in the streets of your neighbourhood. Wear ribbons or scarves. Play music throughout the day. Select a different musical style each day: Monday-music from Africa, Tuesday-classical music, Wednesday-Flamenco, Thursday-country music,
Friday-pop music
Sing any instructions you may have for your group. Here are a few musical game suggestions for this special day...
Musical statue
Children dance to the sound of rhythmic music. When the music stops, children must stand still, like statues. If a child moves, he must sit down on the floor and wait for the next round.
An angel's voice
Record children saying, "I have an angel's voice." Listen to the recording together. Children must guess who is speaking. Variation: Repeat the activity having children say, "I have a monster voice." (using a deep voice)
Wind instruments
Give each child a scarf. Alternate between rhythmic music and soft music... Children move their scarf to the sound of the music. They can throw their scarf up in the air, spin it around, etc. Stand in a circle, holding each other's scarves. Children trade scarves and repeat.
Sound jars
You will need 6 to 8 glass jars. Leave one jar empty and fill the other ones with different quantities of water. The last jar should be completely full. Pour a small amount of food coloring in the water to make the levels more visible. Let children discover the various sounds they can produce by tapping the jars with a wooden spoon or a metal spoon. Line the jars up according to the level of water in each, from the highest pitch to the lowest pitch. Variation: You may add objects such as metal cans, a cardboard box, plastic containers, etc. Children will perceive different sounds.
Musical hide and seek
Each child selects an object which produces a sound. All the children hide, except one. This child must find his friends. The children who are hiding make sounds with their object to help him. This activity is perfect for outdoors.
The stopped song
Begin singing a song and then stop and point to a child. This child must continue the song (singing or humming).
Musical foot. Trace and cut various foot shapes out of construction paper. (Open model - footprints) Laminate them and glue them on the floor. To the sound of music, children dance around, with their feet on the footprints at all times.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Concert on the beach
Gather all the toys you have in your sandbox and organize your very own percussion orchestra! Prepare a small concert for another group.
Rhythmic walk
Use a drum to establish the rules of the game with your group: 1 tap, children walk; 2 long taps, children walk slowly; 3 quick taps, children run...etc. Enjoy moving about the yard or the daycare following the drum's rhythm.
ACTIVITIES INVOLVING PARENTS
My father is a musician...my mother is a musician
Ask children's parents if they play a particular musical instrument. If they do, invite them to come play their instrument during an afternoon snack. It can also be a grandparent, brother, or sister...etc.
At home, I often hear...
Ask parents to share the music they listen to at home with you. Let children enjoy the music.
I dance
Invite parents to come teach the group a few dance steps like the cha-cha, samba, waltz, etc. There are surely some good dancers among parents and grandparents.
COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES
Hunt and seek-Music
(Open hunt and seek-Music) Print and laminate. Children pick a card and search for the item in the scene.
Louder, quieter sound test
(Open sound test) Print for each child. Here, you will need three different sizes of bells for each child. Invite them to glue each bell on a Popsicle stick and arrange them from smallest to biggest on the table. Have them ring the bells one at a time and color the bell that produces the softest sound in the first row. In the second row, they must color the bell that yields the loudest sound. Finally, in the third row, children color the bell that produces the sound they enjoy the most.
Puzzles-Music
(Open puzzles-Music) Print, laminate, and cut out. Children must assemble the pieces to recreate the scenes.
Counting cards – Music
(Open counting cards-Music) Print and laminate. Prepare a series of wooden clothespins on which you can paint or draw numbers 1 to 9. Children count the items on each card and place the corresponding clothespin on the correct number.
String activities-Music
(Open string activities-Music) Print for each child. Children trace the lines with white glue and then press colorful string or yarn in the glue.
Coloring hunt and seek-Music
(Open coloring hunt and seek-Music) Print and laminate. Children must find and color the items in the scene.
Magnifying glass game
(Open magnifying glass game - Music) Print and laminate the board game and the illustrations. Cut them out and store them in a box or in a plastic bag. Children pick an illustration and search for it on the board game, using a magnifying glass. Once they have found a match, they deposit the illustration in the correct square, on the board game.
Association game
(Open association game - Music) Print and laminate the game. Children must associate the illustrations representing instruments to the correct category and stick them to a square at the bottom of the correct card.
Musical dominoes
(Open dominoes - Music) Print, glue to cardboard, and laminate. This game is for 2 to 4 players. Each child picks five cards. Place the remaining cards in a stack on the table. Turn over one card. The first player tries to deposit one of his cards which matches an illustration already on the table. Matching illustrations must be touching. The second player does the same, and so on. If a player does not have a card with a matching illustration, he must pick an additional card from the stack. If he is still unable to play, his turn is over. The game ends when a player has used all his cards.
Hunt and seek-Music
(Open hunt and seek - Music) Print and laminate. Children pick an illustration and search for it in the larger picture.
Educ-series
(Open educ-pattern - Music) Print and laminate. Children must complete each pattern by placing the correct illustrations in the squares using Velcro or adhesive putty.
Educ-same and different
(Open educ-same and different - Music) Print and laminate to ensure the game can be enjoyed over and over again. Children must circle the illustration which is different in each row.
MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Experiencing emotions through music
(Open musical notes-Emotions) Print and laminate the musical notes representing various emotions. Glue each one on a colored Popsicle stick and spread them out on the floor or table in front of your group. For this activity, you will need to have a wide range of songs and types of music. Play one piece at a time and encourage a child to pick up the musical note corresponding to the emotion he associates with the musical piece. Let the child explain his choice and invite others to share whether they experienced the same emotion when listening to the song or music.
Our choir
Practice singing a few songs with your group and have your choir sing in a retirement home near your daycare.
My song box
Deposit small illustrations which represent the songs you wish to sing in a special box. Decorate the box (yourself or with your group). Children take turns picking a card, associating it to a particular song and singing the song with their friends.
Orchestra conductor
Direct an imaginary orchestra! One child is the conductor. Using his baton, he encourages the other children to play music fast, quietly, loudly...depending on the movements you established prior to the activity. Each child is given a turn to be the conductor. Children can pretend to play instruments.
Lullaby
Play different types of music during your relaxation period. This will give children a chance to discover new music styles, new tones, etc.
CULINARY ACTIVITIES
Popcorn
Prepare popcorn using a microwave oven or a popcorn machine. Listen to the popping sounds!
Cooking around the world
Prepare an exotic recipe...and listen to music from the country while you cook and eat!
EARLY SCIENCE
Musical bottles
Make music with soft drink bottles. Simply hold a bottle in front of your lips and gently blow above the opening. The sound will vary if you fill the bottles with different levels of water.
Sound glasses
Fill 8 glasses with different levels of water. Have children tap gently on the glasses using a wooden spoon and listen to the sounds.
Musical ear
Present children with different musical instruments. Blindfold children one at a time and play an instrument. The blindfolded child must guess which instrument you are playing.
I can whistle
Show children how to place their lips to whistle...practice throughout the theme.
I tap on my drum
Find a real drum (or a toy version) and use different types of drumsticks to tap on it...real drumsticks, metal spoons, wooden spoons, chopsticks, pipe cleaners, etc.
ARTS & CRAFTS
My hat-Music
(Open educa-decorate-Music) Print and cut out the items. Glue them on a paper headband.
Models-Music
(Open models-Music) Print the various models and use them for different activities and projects throughout the theme.
Puppets-Music
(Open puppets-Music) Print the models on heavy paper or cardboard. Have children cut them out and decorate them with arts & crafts materials. Press each one on a wooden stick to turn them into puppets.
I can make a microphone
Cover a toilet paper roll with aluminum paper. Apply glue to a ball of Styrofoam and roll it in a platter of silver sparkles. Insert the ball in the end of the toilet paper roll.
I can make musical instruments
Use an old shoebox to make a guitar. Punch a hole, about 8 cm in diameter, in the cover of the box. Put the cover back on. You will need six different sizes of elastic bands. Slide them next to each other, over the hole so you don't smother the sound. Children will hear guitar sounds when they pinch the elastic bands.
Rice maracas
Use a piece of cardboard and adhesive tape to close off one end of a paper towel roll. Pour rice into the maracas until half full. Have children hold it while you close off the other end. Children decorate their maracas as they wish. Shake the maracas to create various rhythms and have children reproduce the rhythms.
Musical drawing
Divide your group into two teams. Have each team sit at a table. Give each team one large sheet of paper and one pencil. Play music. One child from each team begins a drawing. When the music stops, another team member continues the drawing. The activity continues until each child has had a turn. Play different types of music.
My conductor's baton
Use an empty paper towel roll and ask children to decorate it with various materials. When they are done, they may use it to pretend they are orchestra conductors.
My drum
Use coffee cans, ice cream tubs, or metal containers with plastic lids to create drums. Children may decorate their drums as they wish using paper, glue, paint, markers, etc.
My tambourine
Use two strong paper plates. Fill the first plate with small pebbles found outside (or aquarium pebbles). Place the second plate on top and staple the contour. Let children decorate their tambourine.
CREATIVE COLORING
(Open creative coloring - Music) Print for each child. Invite children to draw musical notes.
COLORING PAGES
(Open coloring pages theme-Music) Print for each child.
SONGS & RHYMES
Music
by: Patricia Morrison
sung to: Mary had a little lamb
Music is so fun to hear
Fun to hear, fun to hear
Music is so fun to hear
Turn on the radio
Music makes me dance and sing
Dance and sing, dance and sing
Music makes me dance and sing
It can play fast or slow
Music always makes me smile
Makes me smile, makes me smile
Music always makes me smile
Just listen for a while
Have fun!
The Educatall team