Valentine’s Day is right around the corner!
Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking: Valentine’s Day isn’t a real holiday! Why should we “celebrate” this in our lessons and rehearsals?
I’m inclined to agree that Valentine’s Day is basically a Hallmark holiday, but at this point in the year, I’ll take pretty much any excuse to mix up my regular teaching routine and introduce something a little whimsical and fun (especially when gummy candy is involved!).
Whether you’re planning your children’s choir rehearsal, hosting a studio class, or looking for a few ways to reinvigorate your February music classes and private lessons, here are 11 Valentine’s Day-themed music games your students will love:
11 Fun, Creative Music Games for Valentine’s Day
*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
1. Valentine Melodic Dictation (free!)
Recommended ages: 1st-4th grade
Materials:
heart-shaped erasers, conversation hearts, or heart-shaped gummy candy
printable music staff (one for each child)
How to play:
Play or sing the starting note and tell children where to put their first marker.
Play or sing a 3-4 note melody, using steps up or down and repeated notes and ask children to use their markers to notate what they hear on the staff.
Repeat the melody, then see if children can point and sing back the melody, based on what they notated.
For an extra challenge, incorporate skips up or down in addition to steps and repeated notes.
Source: Compose Create
2. Interval Valentine Music Game (free!)
Recommended ages: 2nd-7th grade
Materials:
heart-shaped erasers, conversation hearts, or heart-shaped gummy candy
printable music staff (one for each child)
How to play:
Play or sing the starting note and tell children where to put their first marker.
Play or sing an ascending interval from that note (2nd, or 3rd in the beginning, then adding in 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, and octaves, depending on the ages you’re working with) and ask the children to use their markers to notate what they hear on the staff.
Repeat the interval. If using the piano, play the melodic version, followed by the harmonic version of the interval. Ask children to name the interval they heard.
For an extra challenge, incorporate descending intervals and major and minor forms, as well.
Source: Compose Create
3. Music Cookie Memory Game (free!)
Recommended ages: K-2nd grade
Materials:
How to play:
Shuffle the cards and arrange face down in grid formation.
Take turns flipping over two cards from the playing surface, one at a time.
If the cards match, they remain face up and that player gets to go again. If they do not match, the cards are turned face down again and play continues to the next person.
The player who has the most matches at the end, wins.
Source: Sara’s Music Studio
4. Valentine Fish Rhythms (free!)
Recommended ages: 1st-3rd grade
Materials:
printable worksheet (one for each child)
pencil (one for each child)
How to play:
Tap or chant four measures of rhythm (based on the worksheet) and ask children to notate the rhythm they hear in the empty measures.
Give them a few seconds to write, then repeat the example.
Once everyone has finished writing, have the children point and chant back the pattern, based on what they notated.
Source: My Fun Piano Studio
5. Valentine Composition Project (free!)
Recommended ages: 1st-3rd grade
Materials:
Valentine composition worksheet (one for each child)
pencil (one for each child
How to play:
Have each child use the rhythm above each measure to create their own Valentine composition.
For younger piano students (or children’s choirs), use the 5-finger printable and limit pitches to the notes of the C Major 5-finger scale. For elementary piano students, have them choose a key and create tonal patterns for both hands to play.
Source: Ashley Danyew
6. Candy Heart Rhythms ($4.50)
Recommended ages: K-4th grade
Materials:
“Candy Heart Rhythms” Powerpoint Slides (56 total)
How to play:
Open the file on your computer and project onto a screen, whiteboard, SMART board, or blank wall in your teaching space.
Have children match the rhythm of the words in the candy heart shown to one of the rhythm patterns shown on the screen.
Source: Smart Lessons 101
7. Valentine’s Day Rhythm Hunt (free!)
Recommended ages: Early childhood-2nd or 3rd grade
Materials:
How to play:
Hide the cards around the room before children arrive.
When it’s time to play, tell them you have hidden Valentine’s Day cards all around the room. Each card has a rhythm pattern on the back. Their job is to find all the rhythm patterns that include ______ (quarter notes, half notes, etc. - whatever you want them to identify first).
Once they’ve found all the rhythm pattern cards that match your description, lay them out and have everyone chant them together.
Repeat the hunt, looking for rhythm patterns that include ______ (choose something else this time!).
Source: Susan Paradis
8. Valentine’s Day Musical Craft (free!)
Recommended ages: Early childhood -1st grade
Materials:
scissors
glue sticks
How to make:
Take one cupcake liner and turn it inside out. Glue the bottom to a piece of construction paper (portrait orientation, near the bottom-left corner).
Choose a contrasting sheet of paper and cut a long, thin strip. Glue to the right side of the cupcake liner to create a quarter note. Repeat to create another quarter note.
Add a thin strip of contrasting paper across the top to create a pair of eighth notes.
Repeat this process with a few other pieces of construction paper until you have enough quarter notes and eighth notes to create a series.
Point and chant the rhythm together.
Source: My Musik at Home
9. Rhythm Hearts Worksheet (free!)
Recommended ages: 1st-3rd grade
Materials:
How to play:
Use these simple worksheets for rhythmic dictation (you chant a 3- or 4-beat rhythm pattern and have children notate what they hear), to notate the rhythm of a song, or for a composition project where children can make up their own rhythms.
If using the first worksheet linked above, children may write inside each heart or in the space below.
Sources: Maurer Music Hour and Susan Paradis
10. Valentine’s Day Rhythm Headbands Game ($4.00)
Recommended ages: 2nd-5th grade
Materials:
printable worksheet (one for each child)
How to play:
Divide children into pairs.
Have one child from each group choose a card and, without looking at it, hold it up to their forehead for their partner to see. Have each partner chant the rhythm on the card out loud.
Using the included worksheet, the child holding the card should write down the rhythm they think is on their card, based on what their partner chanted. The partner may repeat the rhythm pattern a few more times, until the child is able to notate the rhythm correctly.
Then, have the children switch roles and repeat.
Source: Band Directors Talk Shop
11. Valentine Rhythm Shakers (free!)
Recommended ages: Early childhood-1st grade
Materials:
plastic cups (two per shaker)
tape
scissors
curling ribbon
Valentine’s Day stickers (opt.)
How to make:
Fill one plastic cup with a handful of cinnamon candy hearts.
Place other empty cup on top and seal edges with tape.
Cut a few pieces of ribbon and curl. Tape to top of shaker or tack in place with a sticker.
For six fun rhythm games to play with these shakers, see this post.
Source: Teach Piano Today
What are your favorite Valentine’s Day-themed games and activities?
