Tap the Magic Tree:
A Movement-Filled Music Lesson for Kindergarten and First Grade
If you are looking for a story that practically begs students to get up and move, Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson might just become one of your favorite books to bring into the elementary music classroom.
Watch a Full Video Walk-Through Here~
Let’s Get Started
I especially love this lesson at the beginning of the school year. Kindergarten students are often brand new to school, brand new to music class, and honestly, sitting still is not high on their list of priorities. Instead of fighting that reality, I like to build a lesson that embraces it.
That’s exactly what Tap the Magic Tree allows me to do.
Using this simple interactive story, my students practice steady beat, sol and mi solfege, ta and titi rhythms, listening analysis, seasonal vocabulary, and movement while staying actively engaged from beginning to end.
Starting with Movement
Before we even open the book, I like to begin with a scarf dance to Vivaldi’s Autumn. Right away, students are moving, listening, and experiencing music with their whole bodies. It helps set the tone for the lesson and gives those wiggly kindergarteners a chance to be successful from the very start.
One thing I have learned over the years is that young students often learn best when movement is woven directly into instruction instead of being treated as a separate activity. That’s a philosophy that runs through this entire lesson.
Introducing Solfege Through the Seasons
The story follows a single tree as it changes throughout the year, which creates a perfect opportunity to introduce simple solfege patterns.
For my youngest students, I keep things incredibly simple with just sol and mi. We sing, echo, and explore the pitches using Curwen hand signs while connecting them to different parts of the story.
To make things even more engaging, students help match colors to leaves and flower petals, identify where the pitches belong, and practice moving between sol and mi. Sometimes we do this together as a class, and other times students complete it independently using the digital or printable workbook.
Because this is often one of my students’ first introductions to solfege, I want them moving while they learn. We stand tall on our tiptoes for sol, bend down low for mi, and turn pitch practice into something they can physically experience.
Using Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for Listening and Movement
One of my favorite parts of this lesson is that it doesn’t stay in one season.
As the tree changes throughout the story, students experience excerpts from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. They listen to Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter while discussing what they hear and showing their ideas through movement.
I might ask questions like:
- Does this music sound smooth or bumpy?
- Loud or quiet?
- What do you imagine happening in this season?
- What are some of your favorite things about this season?
- Can you try to show me a favorite activity with your body and I will guess?
- How would your body move to match the music?
Suddenly, listening analysis becomes active instead of passive.
Instead of telling students what Vivaldi’s music sounds like, expecting them to sit still and listen, they discover it for themselves.
Bringing in Steady Beat and Rhythm Practice
Because the story is so interactive, rhythm work fits naturally into the lesson.
Students begin by practicing steady beat as they tap along with the story. Then we move into simple echo chants using words from the book like “plop” and “kerplop.” Before they even realize we’re talking about rhythm, students are already feeling the difference between ta and titi patterns.
Later in the lesson, we continue building those skills with seasonal rhythm patterns using words like acorn, tree, pumpkin, and corn. Students chant, clap, move, and practice identifying rhythms in a way that feels playful instead of intimidating.
For students who need even more movement, those rhythms can easily become jumping, hopping, or stepping activities.
Grab This Lesson- Plus Our Entire Curriculum For Two Free Months!
If you don’t love it after the month, the first charge is 100% refundable.
That means you can explore everything risk-free and see if it fits your classroom.
Easy Assessments Without Stopping the Fun
One of my favorite things about this lesson is how easy it is to gather beginning of the year data without disrupting the flow of the class.
Throughout the lesson, students can complete activities using either the digital workbook or printable worksheets. Whether they are matching solfege, identifying rhythms, or recording listening observations, I can quickly see who is understanding the concepts while keeping the lesson fun and movement-centered.
Happy Planning!
As summer continues, I hope you are finding time to rest, recharge, and remember why you fell in love with teaching music in the first place. The school year will be here before we know it, but lesson planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. My hope is that resources like Tap the Magic Tree help make planning feel a little more joyful, a little less stressful, and remind you that some of the best lessons are often the simplest ones.
If you are looking for another story that is perfect to bring into the music room for the beginning of the school year- check out my “How to Speak Moo” lesson plan walk through above! It is truly one of my favorite back to school lessons!
Enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the break, and when you’re ready to start planning for fall, I hope this lesson helps you and your students start the year with movement, music, and plenty of magic. Happy playing!
Happy playing,
Leanna O’Brien
Founder of The Soaring Scarves Academy
Check Out Some of Our Other Articles Here!
Back-to-School Music Lessons and Free Resources for Elementary Music Teachers
Free Back-to-School Music Teacher Resources + Summer of Free Trial Back-to-School Resource Hub Back-to-School Music Lessons and Free Resources for Elementary Music Teachers The beginning of the school year can feel exciting, overwhelming, and a little chaotic all at...
No-Prep Back-to-School Music Lesson for Grades K–2: Monkey Puzzle Activities for Rhythm, Solfege & Movement
Back-to-School Music Lesson: Monkey Puzzle If you're anything like me, the beginning of the school year is all about one thing: finding out what your students remember while helping them fall back in love with music class. That's exactly why I love using Monkey...
Easy Back-to-School Music Lesson for Grades 2–4 (Dynamics, Rhythm & Movement)
Back-to-School Music Lesson: The Quiet Forest for Dynamics, Rhythm & Movement The beginning of the school year is one of my favorite times to bring storybooks into the elementary music classroom. Not because I'm trying to teach something brand new. Because I want...
30-Second Movement Breaks for Elementary Music Teachers: Easy Classroom Management Ideas
The 30-Second Movement Formula One of the biggest misconceptions about classroom movement is that it has to take a long time to make a difference. It doesn't. Some of the most effective movement moments in my classroom take less than 30 seconds. In fact, some of my...
Why Movement Breaks Fail in the Elementary Music Classroom (And How to Fix Them)
Why it Fails and How to Fix! If you've ever tried adding movement to your elementary music classroom only to have the class somehow become more chaotic, you're not alone. A lot of music teachers are told to "just add movement," but nobody really talks about why...
Play the Movie and Keep the Learning Going: A No-Prep Superworm Music Lesson for Elementary Students
Superworm for Elementary Music (Movement, Solfege, Rhythm & Movie Day!) Hello, elementary music teachers. It's May. How are we doing? No really- How are we doing? Because if you're anything like I was in May, you're trying to keep students engaged, keep learning...
Elementary Music Teachers: It’s Okay to Play the Movie at the End of the Year
Keep Them Learning Along with the Movie! Play the movie. Your students may have earned it… but honestly? You have earned it! The end of the school year is a strange mix of excitement, exhaustion, field trips, missing pencils, mystery schedules, and students who...
No-Prep End of Year Music Lesson: Peter and the Wolf for Elementary Music (Sub-Plan, Movement, Listening & Assessment Included!)
Keep Them Learning Before the Movie! Alright—if you are at that point in the year where you are this close to summer and you’re thinking, “Can I just put on a movie?”… I hear you. I really do. But what if you could still give your students that Peter and the Wolf...
3 No-Prep End-of-Year Music Lessons That Actually Work (Movement, Rhythm & Engagement Built In)
No-Prep End of Year Music Lessons for K–5 Hello, elementary music teachers—it is the end of the school year, and if you’re anything like me, you’re trying to keep things engaging, meaningful, and honestly… manageable. So here’s exactly what I do. These are three of my...
Fun Spring Music Activities for Elementary (Rhythm, Form & Solfege Made Easy)
No-Prep Spring Music Lesson for K–2 If you’re looking for a spring music lesson that feels engaging, meaningful, and easy to teach, Little Raindrop is one of those stories that does the heavy lifting for you. This lesson is built around natural rhythm, movement, and...