At the Meridee Winters School of Music, we always warn teachers that February can be a tough month for kids. The skies are gray, outdoor activities are limited and winter break is in the rear-view while spring break feels very far away. (We don’t have the exact math, but we’ve gathered from our students that eight weeks feels like approximately 487.2 years to them.)
Fortunately, our teachers also have a creative arsenal of games, tricks and activities to add energy to even the grayest of days. And good news – many of these activities can translate to your everyday life with kids. Here are some favorite February tips and activities from the Meridee Winters School of Music:
1) Create your own version of a favorite artwork, story, song or poem. Our students are taught to add their own creativity to songs and to put their own spins on music from their very first lessons. Why? It’s fun, empowering AND aids learning. Can you challenge your young learner to change the words to a favorite poem? Or brainstorm how they’d change the ending to a favorite show they just watched? Perhaps they can draw their own take on a famous painting they learned about in art class. It’s a simple extra step to take something they’re currently interested in a little further, but activates all those ever-important higher-order thinking skills!
2) Conversation hearts = epic game pieces. Within our music lessons, teachers have used conversation hearts as game pieces in Meridee’s musical board games, or as place markers for note-reading bingo. You can even compose music by placing hearts at notes on a large, printed music staff. Outside of music lessons, conversation hearts can be bing
o markers for this week’s vocab words, game pieces for tic-tac-toe, or even a temporary fill-in for your usual top hat during Monopoly on family game night. (Bonus: you can’t eat the top hat after the game is over, but you can eat your candy heart!)
3) Add color. Yes, the skies outside are definitely gray and we’re still waiting for the green to return to the trees, but the only thing standing between you and a more colorful day might be a 24 pack of crayons. In our lessons, teachers
write out homework in a bright rainbow of colors because we know firsthand that it increases practicing. Our students might also move to the floor mid-lesson to draw some giant colorful music notes they’ve been practicing on the staff, or add a color illustration to the song they just wrote. Could you add color to your day by having purple pancakes during breakfast-for-dinner night? Or maybe your child can practice their spelling list with a rainbow selection of colored pencils. (Parents – even writing your to-do list or shopping list with colorful pens is an instant mood lifter. Trust us!)
While February may be dreary at times, a little creativity can go a long way in making the month brighter and more fun. Whether it’s adding a personal twist to a favorite story, turning everyday objects into game pieces, or simply bringing a pop of color into the day, small changes can have a big impact. So the next time the winter blues start creeping in, try one of these ideas—or better yet, invent your own! We’re also happy to hear from you if you’re looking for fun of the musical variety. Enjoy these creative activities and remember: spring is just around the corner.
P.S. So is spring fever. But don’t worry – we’ve got games for that, too!
