Fun Back-to-School Elementary Music Activities for the First Days of School
Welcome students to your elementary music classroom with fun and engaging Back-to-School music activities.
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Welcome your students with fun and interactive Back-to-School music activities that will hook them on the first day of music class. These engaging lessons help kids settle in, interact positively, and set the tone for a strong start to the school year.
The fun activities below will have your students engaged in singing, moving, playing, and learning music skills as you teach music classroom rules and build a positive and musical classroom community on the first days of school and beyond.
Plan activities that you and your students will enjoy!
What’s in this post? Click to open the Table of Contents
Teach Music Rules with Rhythm: First Week Music Class Ideas
Who says teaching rules has to be boring? Set your music class expectations to rhythm patterns that get students clapping, tapping, and moving!
Use body percussion, Orff instruments, Boomwhackers, or unpitched percussion to introduce your music rules in a fun and memorable way.
👉 Grab your FREE Rhythm Rules Posters — just print, mount on colored paper, and hang. First bulletin board: done!
4 Days of Ready-to-Teach Rhythm Lessons for Elementary Music
Need a structured plan for your first week of music class? The Rhythm Rules Orff Activities Bundle includes everything you need for four fun, no-prep lessons.
- Day 1 – Body Percussion
- Day 2 – Rhythm Instruments
- Day 3 – Boomwhackers
- Day 4 – Rotation Stations
Use these lessons to teach routines while building rhythmic and cooperative skills.
See this blog post for detailed directions and video demonstrations – 4 Fun Ways to Teach Music Classroom Rules.
What Teachers are Saying
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I love how this helped my students remember our classroom rules while teaching them rhythms! Genius! – Rachel
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really like the incorporation of instruments. There are so many ways to use this and you’ve added so much in there from a fun and easy-to-understand rubric, as well as how to differentiate and pace out the lesson for all grade levels.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The students are engaged and I look really organized in the process! – Andrea H.
Music Mixer Activities to Build Community
Use music movement games and icebreakers for elementary music to help returning students reconnect and new students feel welcome.
Music mixer activities get kids singing, clapping, and interacting from day one—and they’re perfect for any time a new student joins your class.
No time to create your own? Browse these no-prep Music Mixer Games.
Focus on Elementary Music Literacy
Yearly planning charts simplify lesson planning, saving you time throughout the year. They ensure that lessons are sequential and there are no gaps in learning.
Get your Free Yearly Music Curriculum Charts when you subscribe to our email list. Use them to map out the music concepts you teach by grade level and ensure a logical, sequential plan.
Lesson Planning Tips to Develop Music Literacy Skills
Developing music reading skills in elementary students requires a thoughtful, sequential approach. These quick tips can help build stronger musicianship across grade levels:
- Use a consistent music lesson plan template to create balanced, focused lessons.
- Start each class with a short music literacy activity to build skills gradually.
- Keep it fun! Use songs and games that kids will genuinely enjoy.
- Introduce only one new musical element at a time.
- Plan sequential lessons that build from week to week.
👉 Click below to preview these ready-to-use Music Reading Activity Bundles that make planning easy and learning fun!
No-Prep Music Literacy Activity Bundles
No Kodály training needed to teach these guided music reading lessons.
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Fall Holidays are Right Around the Corner
Do you celebrate Oktoberfest in your elementary music classroom? Does your community have a local celebration? If so, consider scheduling students to sing at the festival. Oktoberfest is a less well-known celebration that makes a nice addition to your elementary music lessons.
Plan Ahead: Fall and Oktoberfest Music Lessons
Looking ahead to fall? Try adding an Oktoberfest music lesson to your fall music activities. This unique cultural celebration gives students a chance to sing, move, and play instruments with a fun German folk song.
Included in the Oktoberfest Music Activities:
Included in Oktoberfest Activities
- Simple German Folk Song
- Orff accompaniments
- Boomwhackers notation
- Hand clap activities
- History of Oktoberfest, and more.
Don’t speak German? No problem. Two screencasts are included to teach German counting to 10 and the pronunciation for the simple German folk song.
Take a peek at these Differentiated Oktoberfest Activities with fun options for Grades K-5.
Featured Storybooks 📚
Welcome your students back to school with one of these storybooks.
Crowdfunding Platforms Can Help
TpT has a crowdfunding platform to help teachers raise money for classroom resources. They have also partnered with DonorsChoose. Talk to your administrator and consider starting your class fund at one of these helpful sites.
**Always get prior approval before beginning any fundraising.
Hook Your Students on Day 1
Choose first day music class activities that are fun, organized, and musically rich. The first day sets the tone for the year, so keep things simple, musical, and welcoming.
You’ve got this—and we’re here to help all year long.
Prioritize Your Classroom Needs and Develop a Plan
There’s always so much to plan at the beginning of the year, and it can be overwhelming. But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time.
This easy-to-use Free Elementary Music Resource Guide features a detailed “at-a-glance” visual index of music elements. It helps you quickly locate lessons by music element, skill, concept, or season and includes a mix of free and paid resources, so you can find exactly what fits your classroom needs.
More Fun Elementary Music Lesson Plan Ideas
- How to Create Back-to-School Music Mixer Activities
- 4 Fun Ways to Teach Music Classroom Rules
- Elementary Ideas and Activities for September
- Two Free Interactive Elementary Activities Your Students Will Love
Meet the Author
Terri Lloyd is an experienced music educator with over 25 years of teaching in elementary music classrooms. She holds a Master’s in Education, an Instructional Technology Certificate in Curriculum Design, and a Bachelor of Music. Her resources are designed to help music teachers develop students’ music literacy and performance skills while enjoying learning.
She presents music education workshops, develops curriculum, and writes for her blog. She is on the music staff at her church and leads a children’s program. She performs as a active community musician with a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and at various events.
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