Move Only When You Hear Your Instrument

The class splits into three families wearing colored pinnies, each with its own instrument, and only the family whose instrument is playing moves while the others wait still. Children practice telling instrument sounds apart, paying attention, and waiting their turn.

How to play

1. Hand out three colors of pinnies: red for the hand drum family, blue for the maracas family, yellow for the triangle family (2 min).
2. Each family listens to its instrument and learns its movement: hand drum, jumping; maracas, quick little running steps; triangle, tiptoeing (2 min).
3. Everyone spreads out: an instrument plays and only its family moves; the others stand still as trees (3 min).
4. The teacher plays with their back turned so we can't see the instrument, switching faster (3 min).
5. Swap pinnies so everyone joins a different family, and play again (3 min).
6. Finale: all three play softly together and every family walks slowly to sit in a circle (1 min).

Rules

• Only your family moves when your instrument plays.
• If it's not yours, be a tree and wait.
• Move without bumping into the trees.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: their family does the movement with arms in place or in the wheelchair with support.
• Hearing impairment: the teacher holds up a scarf in the family's color while playing.
• Autism: may keep the same color the whole game if switching pinnies causes anxiety.

Learning goals

• Tell apart the sounds of three instruments.
• Wait without moving while others play.
• Connect each instrument with a movement.

Equipment for a class of 25

• pandero: 1
• maracas: 1
• triángulo: 1
• petos: 25

Teacher tip

The hard part isn't moving, it's staying still when another instrument plays, so praise the trees a lot. Play each instrument for at least five seconds so kids have time to react.

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