Do you ever find that holidays sneak up on you? Here I am, teaching content and rocking it (most days), when all of a sudden I realize that it’s Valentine’s Day and I should probably plan something festive. If you are in the same boat as me, don’t worry! I’ve got you covered with these three, tried and tested, Valentine’s Day Music activities.
1. Valentine's Day Listening Activity
First thing’s first, this activity involves candy so make sure to check for allergies before you buy a whole bunch of cinnamon hearts. I also substituted with those Sweetheart candies that are peanut-free but also contain gelatin so I couldn’t use them with some students due to religious reasons. In other words, kids love candy but do your research! Another option is to use heart-shaped stickers or erasers. Those work, too!
Here’s how this activity works:
1. Pass out 4 candies/stickers to each student (and a paper towel if using candy). Have the students spread the hearts out in a row in front of them.
2. Play some music in 4/4 time and have the students tap the beat on each heart. I played “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles.
3. Have the students eat a candy or put a sticker on their hand, and switch to a piece in 3/4 time (“Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet” by Henri Mancini) while they keep the beat.
4. Do the same thing with a 2/4 piece (“I Will Wait” by Mumford and Sons).
This Valentine’s Day music activity requires a little bit of prep but is super simple and the kids love it.
2. Valentine's Day Music Flashcards
For this activity you will need some rhythm flashcards and container of some sort. Now, you could totally use regular rhythm flashcards for this activity, but to get into the Valentine’s Day Music Spirit (yes, that is a thing) you can grab these heart-shaped flashcards by clicking here. Check out your local dollar store for a cute Valentine’s themed box or decorate your own with some paper hearts.
This activity was used with my recorder students but could easily be adapted for band and vocal music classes (clap-back instead of play-back).
First, split your students up into six groups.
Then, give each group a Valentine’s box and twelve rhythm cards. Make sure each group gets the same cards and keep a copy of the rhythm patterns for yourself. Instruct your students to spread out the cards face up.
Next, play one of the flashcards on a recorder or a band instrument. All students will play/clap the rhythm back. One group member will search for that rhythm flashcard and place it in the box.
Take up the correct answer with the class.
3. Musical Hearts Movement Activity
I don’t know about you, but sometimes around the holidays my students just need to move. This Valentine’s Day Music idea is a fun movement activity that you could do in your Music classes or even in a regular class. I first saw this activity on No Time for Flashcards and made some changes so it would work with my classes.
Basically, you can grab some foam hearts and write some gross motor movements on them like “hope like a bunny” or “fly like a butterfly.” Spread the hearts out in a circle, movement-side face down on the floor.
Split your students up into six teams and have one person from each team move around the circle to some music. When the music stops, each person grabs a heart and takes it back to their team where the whole team performs the movement on the heart. Send the next student from each team up and do it again!
Do you like the idea of this Valentine’s Day Music activity but are strapped for time? I’ve got you covered. Click here to grab this freebie. Just print and cut out these hearts (or even just print and skip the cutting).
Did you try one of these activities? Let me know how it goes and send me a DM on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
