About year ago, Sheryl Welles posted on her blog about a “Twister Hopscotch” game that she modified into a wonderful music game. Basically, all you have to do is use Avery circle stickers of some kind to make the spinner into a music spinner with rhythmic note values.
Here’s how the game works: In advance, set up the circles into a chain around the room. Students take turns spinning the spinner. If they correctly identify the name of the note value they spin AND correctly state the number of beats that note value receives, they may move that many steps forward on the circles (I call it a “life-sized gameboard”). If they answer the name or the number of beats incorrectly, they do not get to move forward that turn. The first student to reach the end of the game board wins. I call this game “Musical Hopscotch.”
My homeschool music class students LOVED playing this game, and it was a great way to drill the note values that they learned last week. I’m always amazed at the effectiveness of any game that involve any kind of movement!! I can’t think of a better way to drill note values with groups of young ages than with this game.
Since I had the circles set up in my living room already, I also used the “life-sized game board” with my other class, the Piano Readiness Class. Students took turns identifying notes on the staff using flashcards (you don’t use the spinner for this), and we used the gameboard as a way determine the winner instead of keeping points. I love that this game is so versitile! (THANK YOU, SHERYL!)
If you are unable to find Twister Hopscotch in stores, you can order it on Amazon (click here).
I saw on amazon that the twister hopscotch game rings were very small. So I looked around on the Internet and found various sizes of hula hoops for sale in bulk. I was thinking one culd use those…maybe using smaller sizes for smaller time values etc. I think you could find Velcro loops (the kind you bind cords and cables together with) to link the hoops together…seems like it could work for other games too so you could emphasize the time values… Two smaller ones fit in ine larger one…demonstrating two eighths in one quarter etc. just an idea. Sandy
I’d say the rings are about 12 or 13 inches diameter. For most of my students, their shoes fit inside the rings just fine. Using hula hoops is not a bad idea, though, especially for outdoor games at a camp or something! That could be very fun!
For students with the coordination to hop, what about hopping a rhythm through the hoops? Standing at the end of the line of hoops, hold up a flashcard with a 2 measure rhythm – they must hop to a new hoop on each note in time. For younger students, they could use a 2-footed jump from hoop to hoop. Variation: they must look at the rhythm and say it to themselves enough to “memorize” it before hopping. That would be great for rhythmic sight-reading practice. Thanks for the tip about the hoops!
Hi Joy!
I am a beginning piano teacher and children’s singer/songwriter. I teach piano to preschoolers and elementary aged children, and Mommy and Me music classes. Your blog is very inspiring. When I am stuck and need of new ideas for activities I can always count on your blog for inspiration. Thank you for sharing!!!!