Fall is my favorite season. The smells, the lattes, the colors, the weather, the sweaters. And I absolutely love doing fall themed activities in the music classroom. Here are a few you can implement in your music class for loads of festive fun.
This post features products from my TeachersPayTeachers store that you can buy individually or in a discounted bundle AND I will be having a first day of fall sale where all of my fall products will be 10% off on Thursday, September 22, 2022.
Autumn Leaves
If you don't mind a little bit of chaos, this is a super fun game to play. I found it online (cannot remember the source) early last year and played it with my younger students and they absolutely loved it.
Materials: cut-out leaves or felt leaves
Game play: students sing the song while walking in a circle. Teacher will throw the cut-out leaves in the air on the words "Falling down" in the first half of the song. In the second half, students will begin to pick up the leaves during the lyrics "pick them up" and throw them at their friends.
Precautions/Rules: This game is so fun it may get a little crazy. Establish clear rules such as no throwing at people's faces (don't want any cutout leaves hurting someone eyes). Students can also only pick up and throw leaves at correct sections in the song. I was very strict with this and would ask students to sit out if they were not willing to follow directions.
Matching Games
Matching games are great for centers, sub-tubs, or during some down time. Here are two matching games that are in my TeachersPayTeachers shop. Both of them are adaptable for different age groups.
Watercolor Pumpkin Matching
This matching game is a 24-set where students lay out all the cards and find the correct match by pairing correct rhythms or music symbols with note names.
Suggestions for use:
Great for fall themed centers, as a game to use with a sub, and to help students learn names for notes and rhythms.
You can check out more details and/or purchase this game here.
Puzzle Pumpkin Matching:
This game is adaptable for 1st - 5th grade. Cut out the pumpkin pieces and pass around to students. Have them find their match either within a certain time limit or pass out multiple pieces and have them find as many matches as they can.
Grade adaptations:
1st grade: notation set
2nd & 3rd: notation set, note names, and lower C scale
4th & 5th: all levels (notation set, note names, lower C and upper C scales)
You can check out more details and/or purchase this game here.
Write the Room
Write the Room games are super beneficial for students. I have a whole post on them here with an explanation on how to play, adaptations for grade levels, and use such as for assessing students' comprehension of material. They're of course great for sub-stuffers as well as centers, and they're just super fun! I have a whole slew of Write the Room games on my TpT store packaged in a bundle, or you can purchase them separately (but with the bundle you do get a nice discount!)
This particular fall activity has grade-level adaptations that are great for 1st-4th grade, with easy to advanced syllables and rhythms. You can check out more details and/or purchase this game here
Color by Note or Color by Rhythm
Ahh, coloring. Brings back memories of kindergarten and 1st grade. Whatever happened to coloring? I do have a post all about the benefits of coloring in any type of classroom at any grade level that I highly recommend you read. It gives scientific evidence as to why coloring is so crucial for any grade level but also specifically why coloring and learning help connect the learner.
Anyway, this packet has two color by rhythm pages as well as additional pumpkin patch themed coloring pages. It is a great way to end the day with some downtime while listening to festive music.
Again, you can get the bundle for the linked activities on my TeachersPayTeachers.
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