Favorite Music Movement Props

Props are a great way to mix things up, spark the imagination, and add interest to movement activities in elementary music. As I've been able to slowly add more movement props to my classroom the last few years I've really enjoyed all the different ways that my students can learn about, and interact with, musical concepts in fun and creative ways. Here are my favorite movement props to use in elementary music (some of them more common than others), with all my best lesson plans and teaching strategies for using them.

I've written in greater detail about each of these movement props in the past, so for each one I'm linking those posts so you can read all the details, and if they are ones I purchased I've also linked the ones I have and recommend in case you want to get them as well. I will say, most of these are things I've gotten from Amazon wishlists, donorschoose, and other donations over the years, so please don't rule them out if you have a small budget- they are worth trying to raise money to get for your classroom!

1. Scarves

Scarves are probably the most common movement prop for elementary music teachers to have in their classrooms, and they are so versatile! Here are some of my favorite scarf songs to use with early childhood classes:

2. Stretchy band

The stretchy band is one of my newest additions to my classroom and I was honestly intimidated by it at first, but it has quickly become a favorite, even with my older students! Here are some of my favorite lesson activities to do with the stretchy band:

3. Bean bags

I love using bean bags. The longer I teach, the more ways I end up using them in my lessons! Here are all my best tips for management, teaching strategies, and my favorite lessons for using bean bags with every age group:

4. Cups

For upper elementary (and even middle school), cups are probably my favorite movement prop. Ever since the cup song became popular a few years ago they have been cool with my big kids! Here are some of my favorite ways to use cups with upper elementary, plus my best teaching strategies for helping students be successful with passing games in general:

5. Tinikling poles / Jump bands

I love teaching my students how to do Tinikling, a traditional dance from the Philippines, and using jump bands like these makes it so much easier to do with elementary students than trying to use the traditional bamboo poles! Tinikling is great for working on triple meter, and after spending a good chunk of time on it during our unit on the Philippines in 3rd grade, my older students love getting them out at the end of the school year every now and then! Here are the lessons I use to teach my Philippines unit, including how I teach Tinikling:

6. Poi

Poi is another movement prop that is relatively new to my classroom because I thought it would be so difficult and time consuming to make a class set, but after making them for my students to use a few years ago I can confidently tell you they really are not that hard or time consuming to make, and they are one of the highlights of my 2nd grade curriculum for sure! Here are all the details on how I made them, plus all the lessons I do with them:

7. Parachute

For a long time I thought I would only ever use parachutes with my small, self-contained classes because to get one big enough for an entire class of 20-30 students would be too big for my room! Pro tip: I now have 2 smaller ones like this that can fit up to 12 students, and with bigger classes I can have them split in half and use 2 side-by-side, which is a much better fit for my rectangular room. So if you have a similar long room like me, that may be an option! Here are some of my favorite lesson ideas and teaching strategies using parachutes:

I hope this helps give you some new ideas to use with movement props in your elementary music lessons! What are your other favorite ways to use these items? Are there other props you love using in your teaching? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments.