Are you ready for Thanksgiving? If you’re anything like the music teachers I know, you’re already gearing up for a BREAK! The school year is in full swing, behaviors are off the walls, and winter concerts are right around the corner. With everything going on, I completely understand the need to give our voices (and selves) a rest as we head into the holiday season. That’s why I decided to share this simple Thanksgiving music activity that keeps your littlest learners occupied. It works great as a simple craft that can easily be led by you or a non-music sub if you’re busy with teacher conferences. Let’s dive in!
Who is this Thanksgiving Music Activity for?
This activity is for your youngest learners (ideally in grades K-1)! It does require some cutting and pasting, so I recommend checking to ensure your students have developed scissor skills, especially if you plan to use it with kindergarteners. (Tip: ask your art teacher!)
What Musical Concepts are Covered by this Activity?
This Thanksgiving Music Activity covers Ta and Ti-Ti rhythms,a fundamental early music education concept that I recommend introducing after your K-1 students demonstrate an understanding in steady beat and long/short sounds. For more information about teaching long and short sounds, see my post Teaching Long and Short Sounds in Elementary Music.
This activity uses syllabic words and sounds for common Thanksgiving foods in the place of numerical counting, or Ta and Ti-Ti. Instead, words like “Tur-key” are used for Ti-Ti and words like “Corn” are used for “Ta”. All students have to do is mix and match the pieces to create their own rhythm plate!
Supplies for the Thanksgiving Music Activity
You’ll need a few supplies before you kick off this craft with your students. Those supplies are:
- Scissors
- Glue Sticks
- Construction Paper (optional)
- Coloring Supplies (also optional)
You’ll also need to print two pages from this Thanksgiving resource for each student—one printout of the plate per student, and one printout of the manipulative food pieces for each student. This Thanksgiving Music Activity is designed in black and white, so you’ll have the option to print everything in vivid color, or use the black and white version so students can color their own plates. It’s entirely up to you!
How Can I Integrate This Activity Into A Regular Music Lesson?
Quite easily! If you have a standard thirty-minute class, I can confidently say that this activity will take at least 15-20 minutes for K-1 to complete, since they’ll likely need additional time with the scissors. If you plan on using this resource with kindergarten, I would recommend double-checking with the art teacher or classroom teacher about scissor skills. Depending on their answers, you may want to have some scissor helpers on standby for this Thanksgiving music activity.
So what other learning activities can you pair with this one? If your district has a subscription to MusicPlayOnline, there’s a wonderful song called We Cook Turkey by Denise Gagne that uses Ta and Ti-Ti rhythms and would make a perfect review before the craft.
If your students are more wiggly, my K-1 students also loved this Thanksgiving-themed move-and-freeze dance from The Learning Station.
Other times, I like to break out classroom percussion instruments and have my students play Ta and Ti-Ti rhythms with different backing tracks. Here’s a nice one that works really well as a Thanksgiving music activity.
You can also snag a free printable set of Ta and Ti-Ti rhythm cards from my growing free resource library, The Chamber of Freebies. It’s easy to sign up and snag these free rhythm cards along with 20+ music education resources!
Can I Leave This for a Non-Music Sub?
Yes! I do recommend that your students have some familiarity with quarter notes and eighth notes before leaving this Thanksgiving music activity with your sub plans. This can help you assign some class leaders or practice groups for students to transition into when they complete the activity.
Alternatively, you can have students complete crafting portion of the music activity with the sub and have the sub collect student work for your return. Then, your next lesson can pick up with students pairing in groups to practice their Thanksgiving rhythm plates.
Final Considerations for this Thanksgiving Music Activity
As I mentioned earlier, it’s always a good idea to double-check on scissor skills with the classroom or art teacher, especially if you plan on using this resource with kindergartens. If you have any concerns about this, you can make adjustments either by precutting pieces for the students you think might have trouble. or electing a scissors assistant which might come in the form of class leaders who have strong scissor skills. Or, appoint a classroom aide or even an older student to act as a kindergarten helper. Another option would be to prep and precut pieces for students you predict will need assistance during class.
You might also consider whether you want to paste the final product to colorful construction paper, and whether you’ll want students to have access to coloring supplies (helpful if you’re using the black and white version).
All in all, I think this music activity is an easy win for the weeks leading into Thanksgiving. The pieces are large and easy to manipulate and arrange into a unique four beat rhythm. Students can then take turns sharing their rhythms or splitting into practice groups to practice various Thanksgiving rhythms.
It’s also just as easy to leave this as a sub plan for K-1 if you’re planning to be away for a teaching convention or parent-teacher conferences. Just make sure you leave the sub with the supplies they’ll need (scissors and glue sticks). and you’re good to go!
I hope you and your students have a wonderful week leading into Thanksgiving and your winter concert season. Enjoy your well-deserved break! 🦃