Follow YOUR

Art
Integrating Arts into the
Classroom

By: Shanika
Edouard
Introduction

This resource serves as a guide to incorporate different types of

art activities into a classroom setting. The activities can be used for

children who are three to five years old. Having arts in a classroom is a

way that children can express themselves in a different way that they

are not used to doing. I hope that with these activities children will be

embrace how fun learning can be and retain the knowledge that they

gain from it as well.

This resource is broken up into four parts: warm ups,

movement/drama, music, and theater activities. In each activity I will

state where in the classroom will be best to have the activity. I will

have the steps on how to complete the activities so people could use as

a resource.

The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading,

writing, and arithmeticmusic, dance, painting, and theater are all keys

that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.

-William Bennett, Former US Secretary of Education

Table of Content

Warm Up
Activities
Red Light/Green Light (Block Area)
Red light/green light is a great way for children to warm up
their bodies and get their bloods flowing. This game could be
either child led or adult led depending on the classroom
environment.
 1. Introduce this game to children while they are in morning
meeting.
2. Pick one child at a time that plays the role of the stop
light and the other children has to touch him or her to
rotate the roles.
3. Children stand far away from the stop light.
4. The stop light turns away from the children and can
either say red, yellow, or green light.
5. At any point the stop light can say, red light! and turn
around. If a child is not frozen they are out.
6. The game resumes when the stop light turns back
around and says, green light!
7. Whoever is the first person to touch the stop light
wins.
Ten Count Shake (Rubber Chicken) (Block
Area)
This activity is a phenomenal way to get children both moving

and boost up their energy. It can also help the children learn

how to count backwards and to the number ten.

1. Children are standing in a circle and they will count form

1-10 while shaking their right hand then left hand then

right foot, then left foot.

Ex: Right hand shake- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Left hand shake- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Right foot shake- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Left foot shake- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Right hand shake- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

Left hand shake- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

It continues until the children get to 1 and at the end

they shake their whole body and shout out, Rubber

chicken!

Simon Says (Block Area)

Simon says is a common childhood game, but for most children

this could be extremely difficult. It forces children to think

of more than one aspect at a time. This game also helps

children to settle down and to pay attention to the person in

charge.

1. The person who is in charge is called Simon

2. Explain to the children that they only do what the

person says if the phrase begins with Simon Says.

Ex: Simon says to touch your nose.
3. Make the game challenging by directing how fast or

slow something should be, the size of the motion, and

to see if the children are paying attention.

4. The game could also be based on elimination to teach

children that it is okay not to always win.

Tongue Twisters (Block Area)

Tongue twisters are a fun way to also get childrens sillies out.

It helps the children practice their pronunciation and

enhances their vocabulary skills.

Example: The Big Black Bug Bit the Big Brown and the Big

Brown Bear Bleed Badly, But he didnt Bleed Blue Blood.

With this tongue twister the classroom can talk about

what letter is commonly used, which is the letter B.

Example: Babbling Baby Bobby.

Example: Six Sick Snakes Sit by the Sea.

Example: The Sun Shines on Shop Signs.

Movement
and Drama
Activities
Freeze Tag (Gross Motor Area or
Outside)
Freeze tag is like basic tag, but the only thing that is

different with this version is when a child is tagged, he or she

does not become it. The adult will name a category in the

beginning of the game (ex: animals). The child becomes frozen

like an animal of their choice when tagged. The children who

are frozen can become unfrozen when another child who has

not been tagged yet tags them. The game is over when the
person who is it tags everyone and the last person to be

frozen is the new it.

Some ideas of different categories to freeze like:

Monsters

Transportation (airplane, bus, train, etc.)

Sports player

Character in a Disney movie

Superhero

Villain

Parachute! (Gross Motor Area or

Outside)
Playing with the parachute is a great way to promote team

work and listening skills. The children need to to work

together to follow the directions and accomplish the goal of

the game. The teacher will put a ball in the middle of the

parachute and the childrens goal is to keep the ball from

falling on the ground. This game will have the children moving

their upper body a whole lot!

Make sure not to use a ball that is too heavy because the

children would not be able to keep that ball on the

parachute for long (ex: a kickball).

Different props you may use:

Balloons

Bouncy Ball

Plastic Ball

Foam Ball

Tennis Ball

Dance Your Name (Gross Motor Area,

Outside, Block Area)
All the children stand in a circle and have one child stand in

the middle of the circle. The child in the middle says his or

her name and dances it out however he or she wants.

For example: My name is Ms. Shanika and I would do the twist

while I say my name (does the twist).

This is a fun way for children to shake their sillies out and

practice waiting their turns.

 Music

Activities
Name That Tune (Block Area)
The teacher compiles the childrens favorite songs or nursery

rhymes and the teacher would either clap or tap out the song.

The children would then have to guess what song it is. This is

a great way to hear what the children are interested in, and

since the teacher will clap or tap out all the songs it will keep

the children engaged and excited for when the teacher does

their favorite song or nursery rhyme.

Examples:

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Jack and Jill

ABC (Jackson 5)

Im a Little Teapot

Watch Me Whip, Watch Me Nae Nae

Elmos World
Apple Apple on a Tree (Block Area)
Apple apple on a tree wont you say your name with me: claps

name

Sha-Knee-Ka: 3 syllables

This song teaches the children about syllables and how many

syllables are in their name.

Example: Apple apple on a tree wont you say your name with

me claps name

Sa-man-tha: 3 syllables

Example: Apple apple on a tree wont you say your name with

me claps name

Jade: 1 syllable
Read Aloud with Sounds (Block Area)
This is a great to incorporate the children in a read aloud.

Look at through the book before reading it aloud and pick out

different words that the children can make sound effects to

based on what they hear.

Example: Word: Waterfall

Sound: Shhhhhhh

Example: Word: Stomp

Sound: Children start to stomp

Example: Word: Horn

Sound: Beep Beep

Example: Word: Cow

Sound: Moooo

Example: Word: Train

Sound: Choo-choo

Example: Word: Car

Sound: Vroom Vroom

Rat-A-Tap-Tap (Block Area)
This is an amazing opportunity to promote using instruments in

the classroom at such a young age. Each child would have a

drum for themselves and they would have to follow the beat

and pattern of the teacher.

Is it High or is it Low? (Block Area)
The teacher will play different sounds on either his or her

phone or radio. This activity will help reinforce high and lows

sounds. The children would make a judgment whether it was a

high or low sound that they heard.

Examples:

Drum

Whistle

Lions roar

Human heartbeat

Birds chirp

Violin

Ringing of alarm clock

Grasshopper

Owl
 Theater
Activities
Emotional Charades (Block Area)
Teaching emotions through play is an important way to

enhance a childs ability to express ones self. For children in

preschool it may be difficult for them to express themselves

because they may not have the correct language, but with this

activity a child will have the ability to name how they are

feeling. Acting out different emotions with give a child the

tool that they need to express themselves as they get older.

A movie that showcases this well is Inside Out.

Act Out Rainbow Fish (Block Area)
The book Rainbow Fish promotes how we should share with our

friends. Doing an interactive reading to this book will show the

children how important the message of sharing is. In certain

parts of the book the teacher will call out children up in the

front of the classroom to act out a certain part of the book.

Emphasizing to the children that we should always share in

the classroom should help them realize everyone needs to

share with their friends in the classroom.

Puppet Making (Art Area)
Puppets are a great way for children to use their imagination

and see them as a friend as well. Puppets provide many hours

of storytelling and entertainment. The children will be able to

pick the sock with the design they desire and begin to

decorate it. Once all the puppets are decorated the classroom

can have a big puppet show to showcase all the childrens

puppets.
 Massachusetts

Standards
Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences
http://www.eec.state.ma.us/docs1/curriculum/20030401_preschool_early_learning_guidelines.pdf
Language
Listen to and use formal and informal language.
Physical Development
Build body awareness, strength, and coordination through

locomotion activities.
Build awareness of directionality and position in space.
Use both sides of the body to strengthen bilateral

coordination.
Strengthen hand grasp and flexibility.
Social & Emotional Health
Recognize and describe or represent emotions such as

happiness, surprise, anger, fear, sadness.

Movement & Dance
 Explore activities and vocabulary related to movement,

balance, strength, and flexibility.

Respond to a variety of musical rhythms through body

movement.
Music
Sing expressively.
Play instruments using different beats, tempos, dynamics,

and interpretation.
Theatre Arts
Listen to storytellers and watch puppet shows.

Goal for social and emotional learning

To help children develop understanding, strategies and skills that

support a positive sense of self, promote respectful relationships

and build child capacity to recognize and manage their own emotions

and make responsible decisions.

 The arts invite children to imagine, solve problems,

express ideas and emotions, and make sense of their

experiences. Creative arts are a meaningful part of the

early childhood curriculum for their own sake and because

they can enhance childrens development of skills in

literacy, science, mathematics, social studies, and more

(Koralex 2005, pg.2).