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Why The Wish Tree Works So Well After Winter Break

Based on the story The Wish Tree, this lesson feels magical without being overwhelming. Instead of traditional New Year’s resolutions, students create wishes, which makes the experience feel thoughtful, creative, and developmentally appropriate.

It’s especially effective for kindergarten through second grade, but can easily stretch into third with small adjustments.

Best of all—it’s zero prep.

Let’s Get Started

Step 2: Rhythm Review Through the Story

As Charles and his toboggan Boggin journey through the winter forest, students begin reviewing rhythm patterns:

• ta

• titi

• long ta (half note)

Students listen, clap, and analyze short rhythmic phrases tied directly to the text. Because the lesson is editable, you can easily adjust the rhythm vocabulary to match what your students already know.

Small rhythm checks are built into the lesson so assessment never feels like a test.

Step 3: Digital or Printable Assessment—Without Stopping the Flow

Throughout the lesson, students complete short mini-tasks:

• Dragging rhythms into place (digital)

• Matching solfege to notes

• Completing quick sight-reading challenges

Because these are woven into the story, students stay engaged—and you still collect meaningful data to guide your next few weeks of instruction.

Step 4: Movement + Rhythm Challenge (Nutcracker Tie-In)

To keep energy positive and focused, students complete a sledding-themed rhythm challenge paired with Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Tea Dance.

They:

• Clap or move through rhythm patterns

• Feel steady beat

• Jump, step, or “sled” to the music

This is a perfect way to reintroduce movement without chaos—and students LOVE it.

Step 5: Creating Wishes (Simple Composition)

The lesson ends with a calm, meaningful creative moment.

Students write a short wish, then:

• Break it into rhythms

• Use notes from the solfege set introduced earlier

• Turn it into a tiny “wish song”

Their wishes can be folded and hung on a classroom tree, taken home, or displayed as part of a winter bulletin board.

This light composition activity feels special—without being intimidating.

Want More Lessons Like This? Try the Back-From-Break Survival Kit

The Wish Tree is just one lesson inside my Back-From-Break Survival Kit, created for those first weeks after winter break when students need structure and movement—and teachers need things to be simple.

Inside the kit, you’ll get:

• 12 ready-to-teach review lessons

• Digital + printable assessments

• Movement breaks and rhythm play-alongs

• A 5-week movement course with short, practical videos

• Workbooks, planning tools, and 20+ hours of PD

Everything is designed to help you start the new year strong—with less prep, less stress, and better data.

The kit is available inside The Soaring Scarves Academy and supports you well beyond January.

Final Thoughts

The Wish Tree is more than a winter story—it’s a gentle reset for your music classroom. Students sing, move, listen, analyze, and create while easing back into learning mode. You get clarity on what they remember, and they leave feeling confident, successful, and ready for the year ahead.

If you’re looking for a peaceful, purposeful way to start January, this lesson is a beautiful place to begin.

Happy playing,
Leanna O’Brien
Founder of The Soaring Scarves Academy

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