Resources for Winter Music & Movement

As the cold winter season arrives, it can be hard to keep the momentum and energy of the holidays going. In this blog post, I’m going to share some of my favorite winter resources to ease your prep and planning during this chilly, slow, and gray time of year!

This or That

This or that is always a favorite with my groups! I love this activity, as it can be easily adapted and used with all ages. Whether your clients are working on choice-making, or you’re looking for an opportunity to foster conversation amongst your group, This or That is an activity that supports a diverse range of needs!

Materials Needed

This or That visual
Egg shakers
Bells

Procedure

Pass out one egg shaker and one bell to each participant.
Explain to the group that they’re going to be sharing some of their winter “favorites” by making some choices between some different winter activities, foods, movies, etc.
- We’re going to use our instruments to share our choice by shaking our bells for choice #1 and egg shakers for choice #2.
Begin singing through the This or That song incorporating the different choices into the lyrics (i.e. “Bells for ‘build a snow fort’ and egg shakers for ‘build a snowman' ”).
- A recording of the song can be found here
After everyone has made their choice, I typically like to provide some space for follow-up questions, and this typically fosters the opportunity for organic conversations to unfold amongst the group.

Ways to Adapt

If you have groups who have a difficult time with choice making and/or are working on inhibition, I like to pass out just one egg shaker to each participant and instruct the group to shake for just ONE of the choices when I point to their favorite
- We may like both, but I’m going to ask you to pick your favorite!
For groups that are wiggly and may need some extra movement, I like to structure this activity by having participants move to either side of the room to make their choice (i.e. “‘build a snowman’ to the right and ‘build a snow fort’ to the left”), or by incorporating different dance moves for each choice (i.e. “‘build a snowman’ clap your hands and ‘build a snow fort’ stomp your feet”)

Roll a Winter Character

If you’re looking for a movement activity for your early elementary groups for this time of year, “Roll a Winter Character” is a fun and engaging way to incorporate movement while also providing opportunities for turn taking and creativity!

Materials Needed

Students will take turns rolling a dice that includes visuals of different winter characters paired with a movement and are encouraged to move around the room as directed by the visual. I typically like to use an instrumental song like “Sleigh Ride.” When the music stops the group freezes, and another participant is given an opportunity to roll the dice.

If you don’t have access to dice, you can always place your visuals in a bag and have your participants take turns selecting this way, or create a Wheel of Names with the various movement directives, and have the participants take turns spinning the wheel.

Scarf Canopy Fun

If you’re looking for a fun way to incorporate snow into your session, I love placing some fake snowballs on top of my scarf canopy or parachute! While we’re moving, I typically like to use a song that references snow. You can use a classic like “Let it Snow” or “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”, or another favorite of mine is Stephanie Leavell’s “It’s Snowing Outside”

Materials

Scarf canopy or parachute
Fake snowballs (I found mine at my local Marshall’s, but they’re also available on Amazon)
Speaker

Depending on the needs of your group, you can structure this activity in two different ways:

For my groups who may be working on joint attention and collaborative play, I’ll invite each participant to hold onto an end of the scarf canopy and challenge the group to not let any of the snowballs fall off!
For my sensory seekers, I may invite them to lay underneath my scarf canopy and watch the snowballs dance. Adding some tea lights to your scarf canopy can also add another layer to this experience!

Spotify Wrapped Song Discussion

Something I look forward to every year is taking a look at my Spotify Wrapped. What better way to reflect back on your year, than through your music! This activity organically prompts cooperative group discussion and offers opportunities for participants to communicate preferences and share opinions, all while practicing cognitive flexibility (Someone else may not like this song, and that’s okay! Everyone has different music preferences.)

Materials

Spotify Wrapped sheets
Pens or dry-erase makers (I like to laminate my sheets so that they can be used again!)
Speaker

Procedure

Participants will first take some time to fill out the Spotify Wrapped sheets.
- Because not everyone is a Spotify user, I might encourage the group to share “their most played song” or “favorite song” of 2024.
Once completed, participants will take turns sharing their songs and responses
- I first like to play a quick sample of the song for the rest of the group to hear, for those who may be unfamiliar with the song choice.
- Then I’ll encourage the participant to share their responses on the Spotify Wrapped sheet.
Typically, this naturally prompts group discussion, but if your group needs some additional support, you can use this music listening sheet to spark conversation.