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musical hearts: reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game

home / Activities / holidays / musical hearts: reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game
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The snow and freezing cold temps has cause my three kids to be on energy overload lately.

They need to burn steam.

They need to run, jump, skip, hop, spin, and then do it all again.

musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.com

They need to loosen up, wiggle out those wiggles, laugh hard, and be super silly.

So when I was looking for some cool indoor games for us to play in the down time between school and homework, I stumbled upon my dear friend Allie’s Musical Hearts game. ย And like everything she does, it’s awesome.

When the girls and I were at the craft store this week, you better believe I added big foam hearts to our cart so that I could make Musical Hearts work for us and hold up for more than one game.

And it sure did.

I turned Musical Hearts into a reading game, a moving game, and a crazy-fun after school, burn-some-serious-steam game.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Musical Hearts– Reading, Moving, and Crazy-Fun Kid Game:

musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.com

musical hearts | reading, moving, crazy fun game for kids - 03
I wrote my actions on the fly, thinking about what I both wanted my kids to read and what I wanted them to do. I wanted simple but fun. And I wanted Cora, Owen, and Maddy to be able to play.

My list of Musical Hearts Actions is here for you to check out, print, and use as inspiration. Just scroll down below and throw your email in the box!

It includes 30+ ideas, like:

  • Hula dance.
  • Do 5 jumping jacks.
  • Spin on one foot five times then spin on the other.
  • Do 5 pushups.
  • Hop on one foot 10 times.
  • Hug the person on your right.
  • Plank for 10 seconds.
  • Jump as high as you canโ€”8 times.

musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.com

It took virtually no persuading for the kids to try out this game.

I said, Hey, you guys, after your snack I’d like for you to try out something that I found online that I think will be a lot of fun. I know you haven’t had recess outside lately, so this will get us up and moving. ย Who’s game?

musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.com

Maddy’s nose was buried in a book, so she sat this one out–for a bit.ย Literally Cora and Owen dropped their snacks, jumped down from their stools at the snack bar, and found me in the kitchen.

Okay, so here’s the deal: We flip these hearts upside down and put them in a huge circle.

And then I blast some Frozen soundtrack and we play just like Musical Chairs–except this is called Musical Hearts. And there are no chairs. Instead, there are hearts with little messages underneath. When the music stops, you flip your heart and do what’s on the other side. Get it?

They did.

musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.com

musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.com

We played and played and played.

And laughed and laughed and laughed.

Music on, kids walking on the hearts. Music off. Hearts flipped. Kids jumping, planking, spinning, and singing. Music on. Kids up. . .ย 

Maddy even ditched the book and joined us, and before I knew it, they were all overheated and burning some much-needed energy.

It got hilarious. And surprisingly, they didn’t want to stop.

musical hearts reading, moving, & crazy-fun kid game teachmama.com

But after the millionth time, when I looked at the clock and realized that OHMYGOSH! we needed to do homework–ack! homework!–before we took Maddy to gymnastics, we had to wrap up the game.

But I’m betting they’ll ask to play tomorrow. . .

And really, that was that.

Just a really fun, super-cool way to get kids up, reading, and moving–and laughing!–on a freezing cold, grey winter afternoon.

Love this idea and cannot thank Allie enough for sharing. ย The possibilities for adapting Musical Hearts are endless:

  • play it during class parties
  • use basic shape foamies and play it for indoor recess
  • put sight words on the foamie
  • put spelling words on the foamies
  • put math problems on the foamies
  • put letters of the alphabet on the foamies
  • put family names on the foamies
  • play a larger-than-life matching game with foamies

Check out Musical Hearts in action, even with some of my students playing:

Grab the ideas for your own Musical Hearts game here:

musical hearts game ideas

YES! I’d like the free Musical Hearts Game ideas so my class party ROCKS and the kids have fun!

(And I’d also love more free ideas from teachmama.com)

We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Powered By ConvertKit

Want a few more fun Valentine’s Day ideas? Check out:ย 

how to throw a rockstar valentine's day party teachmama.com 2

valentine's day class party ideas, 2.0 | teachmama.com

  • How to throw a rockstar Valentineโ€™s Day class party
  • Valentineโ€™s Day Class party 2.0
  • Melted Crayon Valentines
  • Mini-Stained Glass Hearts
  • Musical Hearts
  • Secret Message Valentines
  • Bookmark Valentines
  • Scratch-Off Ticket Valentines
  • Valentine’s Day Lunchbox Notes
  • HEART Bingo

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are โ€œaffiliate links.โ€ This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionโ€™s 16 CFR, Part 255: โ€œGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.โ€ ย For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.ย 

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:reading informational text and crafting | teachmama.comreading informational text and crafting: easy, beautiful jewelry-making
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vicky

    November 25, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    What a fun game!
    Great pictures along with a great article.

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      November 25, 2014 at 1:53 pm

      thanks, Vicky!

      Reply
  2. Amanda

    February 5, 2015 at 9:48 am

    I love your doodle!!!! I have one too ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 5, 2015 at 1:27 pm

      HA!! THANK YOU! He’s a super awesome pooch!

      Reply
  3. stacy

    February 5, 2017 at 10:18 pm

    I am having trouble signing up. Could you please send me the musical heart game ideas?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 6, 2017 at 6:26 am

      Hey Stacy! My records show you’ve signed up, so the ideas should be in your inbox! ENJOY and thank you!!

      Reply
  4. lindsay

    July 14, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    ABout how long would you say this game lasted with your kids? thanks!

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      July 15, 2017 at 3:13 pm

      hey Lindsay–you can play this as long as you want, really. Most likely if you play with a group of 20+ kids and stop the music at random times, they still won’t land on the same hearts but maybe 2 or 3 times. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  5. Miss P

    January 3, 2018 at 7:23 pm

    WHAT a fun idea, I want to try this for my next classroom party! Since I work with non-readers, and needing to read each one per child would take too long, I plan on having photos of animals on the back sides. when the music stops they have to make the sound of that animal. It’s going to get noisy but I think they will love the variation. Maybe others will like the idea too. ๐Ÿ™‚ Also, we will be using laminated construction paper hearts and printed photos of animals. Foam hearts are harder to come by for our budget and we already have the other supplies at hand.

    Thanks for the game!

    (( by the way, I could not get it to type capital letters in the comment box, this was not an oversight on my part. ))

    Reply
  6. Laura

    February 3, 2020 at 10:17 am

    Hi! I would like the heart activity ideas, please.

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 4, 2020 at 7:55 pm

      Hi, Laura!! Check it out now, and I’m betting the box for your email will be there! Thank you, thank you!

      Reply
  7. Rebecca

    February 3, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    hi there!

    love this idea! How can I access your list of 30+ ideas for writing on the hearts?

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 4, 2020 at 7:55 pm

      Hi, Rebecca! YIKES! Should be working now. . . the site has been overloaded this week! Check it out now, and I’m betting the box for your email will be there! Thank you, thank you!

      Reply
  8. Sonja garrett

    February 6, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    Would love the Musical Heartsโ€“ Reading, Moving, and Crazy-Fun Kid Game ideas! tHANKS!

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 12, 2020 at 2:41 pm

      Hi, Sonja! You can simply throw your email and name in the box, and the ideas will land in your inbox!

      Reply
  9. Deann dennis

    February 7, 2020 at 11:33 am

    Looks like Lots of Fun!

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 12, 2020 at 2:41 pm

      It REALLY is!!

      Reply
    • Neha

      January 20, 2022 at 9:48 pm

      Love it. Will be using this game in class party, can I please get 30+ ideas to write on the hearts.

      Reply
      • amy mascott

        January 21, 2022 at 5:34 pm

        thank you! yes, yes! please just fill out the form on the blog post, and it will land in your inbox!

        Reply
  10. Helly Ajmera

    February 11, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Hey! Can I get the list on [email protected]?

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 12, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      Hi, Helly! You can grab the printable on the post itself!

      Reply
  11. Sarah Johnson

    February 2, 2021 at 7:44 pm

    Hi Amy!

    I love your blog! My kids helped me pick out some Valentine’s Day games for a “class party” we’re having in our homeschool and found yours on Pinterest and loved it!! I wanted to let you know that I featured it in my latest YouTube video! You can see it here: https://youtu.be/wEKYhLif1w0

    Thanks for sharing such a fun game!
    Sarah

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 3, 2021 at 11:21 am

      Hi, Sarah! Thank you thank you for sharing. Great channel, super ideas, and LOVE that you reached out to let me know you included Musical Hearts in the round-up! Thank you!

      Reply
  12. Allison

    February 11, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    Hi!!! I am a parent and sending this game to school for a kindergarten valentine party!
    Do you have any tips on accommodating the game to fit 18 kids including some non readers!??
    Iโ€™d love to keep the exercise ideas since theyโ€™re stuck inside due to weather!!
    Wasnโ€™t sure if it would work for them all to do actions at once
    Thanks so much
    Allison

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 16, 2021 at 9:20 pm

      Sorry friend–I missed this! I just had a bunch of parent volunteers around for the little guys–the parents/ volunteers helped decode!

      Reply
  13. Lisa caviness

    January 18, 2022 at 10:58 pm

    So intriguing

    Reply
  14. Diane Broniszewski

    February 2, 2022 at 11:36 am

    Hi Amy,
    Thanks for the idea. I am going to do this with my son’s class at school. I’m wondering you removed the hearts, as you would remove a chair in musical chairs. This would be more of a competition.
    Thanks.
    Diane

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 5, 2022 at 12:46 pm

      Like I said–I never played that way, but you sure can try it!!

      Reply
  15. Diane Broniszewski

    February 3, 2022 at 2:35 pm

    Hello Amy,
    I am going to use this idea for my son’s Valentine’s day party at school. I was just wondering if you removed a heart each round, as you would remove a chair in musical chairs.
    Thanks.
    Diane

    Reply
    • amy mascott

      February 5, 2022 at 12:45 pm

      Hi, Diane! I didn’t remove a heart each round–I just tried to have as many rounds as I could so that the kids had a chance to do as many actions as possible. There’s enough running and moving already–Musical Chairs makes me nervous in the first place, so Musical Hearts, with hearts on the floor, may be even more dangerous and slippery! If you try it, let me know how it goes!!

      Reply
  16. Anne Smith

    February 4, 2022 at 10:19 pm

    This is so much fun! Thank you for sharing. I’d love to have the game. I’m planning a party for my grandchildren!

    Reply

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The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

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Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

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Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
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How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
View
Open
(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
View
Open
Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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