Musical Hearts for Preschoolers
Kathleen Shepherd
Editor at IdNomadic Press
Polson, MT
Back in 2010, No Time For Flashcards came up with a brilliant game called Musical Hearts. The only catch is that without the ability to read, the player(s) were dependant on a helper. In the spirit of raising up independent children, here's a variation designed for the Pre-K ability level. The real difference here is that you are using pictures instead of words.
You will need;
Construction paper or sheets of foam
Scissors
A pen
A skill in drawing or some printed pictures of body positions
Tape
Music
Prepare the hearts ahead of time.
If you have the skill to draw different body positions, great. I suggest googling yoga positions. Otherwise, I've provided some stock photos from freeimages.com below.
1) Decide in advance what body positions you want to use, so you know how many hearts to cut out.
2) Print the body positions onto the construction paper. (if your printer doesn't like the construction paper, or you're using foam - print it on printer paper, and tape the pictures to the finished hearts)
3) Cut the paper or foam into the largest hearts the pictures will allow.
4) Tape the hearts to the floor. This will help. If they're paper, they're still going to be destroyed during the game. If they're foam, they're still going to get kicked around a bit.
Party Time!
This is like a cake walk. Only, when the music stops, instead of eating a big pile of sugar and fat, the kids do yoga stretches and practice their gross motor skills.
1) Play the music!
2) After 5 - 10 seconds, stop the music.
3) Each child should run to the closest heart and try their best to imitate the picture on it.
Variations
If you want the game to have a set end time, run it like musical chairs.
1) Group version. Start with at least as many hearts as kids. Once they have the hang of the game, start removing a heart before you start the music back up each round. The final 2 kids win.
2) Single version. Each round, the heart the child just completed is removed from play. Eventually, they'll complete all the hearts and the game will be over.
Some Clip Art to Get You Started
Photo Credits:
Stretch by Michal Zacharzewski, SXC
Yoga Silhouette series 1 by Kimberly Vohsen
Yoga by Stephanie Berghaeuser
Yoga by oshin beveridge
Wrist Stretching 1 by Carpal Tunnel Gadgets
Yoga by Aaron Neifer
