I’m so excited to announce today a brand new printable game now available in my shop. This is the Trick-or-Treat! rhythm game!
I first started testing this game around this time a year ago. My students were thrilled when I pulled it out again this year!
How does the game work?
This is a fun way to spend the first few minutes of your lessons around Halloween time, to improve your students’ rhythm skills. Playfully inform your student that you have a bowl of treats — but that they must EARN their treat by playing a rhythm game. 🙂
Choose the appropriate deck for your student (Levels 1-4). Explain to your student: There are TRICK cards and there are TREAT cards. When a TREAT card is drawn, the game is over and it’s time to choose a treat. When a TRICK card is drawn, the student performs the rhythm on the card and then draws again. To begin playing, fan out the cards for the student and ask them to randomly choose a card.
All four levels of cards contain rhythms that are in duple meter and triple meter. The rhythms get progressively more advanced with each level. The easiest rhythms contain only quarter notes and eighth notes (or, macrobeats and microbeats, to use MLT-based terminology). The more advanced levels contain sixteenth-note combinations, ties, rests, and upbeats.
The first week you present the game to your students, I recommend starting with Level 1 (even if they can handle more advanced rhythms). Over following weeks, you can bump up to the next levels or stick with the same level if more practice is needed.
This approach really works! You’ll be impressed with how your students do from week to week.
The leveling information is detailed clearly for the teacher on a cheat sheet.
Students will draw an average 4 or 5 rhythm cards before drawing a TREAT card. However, if you decide you’d like the game to last longer, simply remove one of the TREAT cards from the deck.
Here are a couple of game variations I’ve been also using with some of my students:
- YOUNG BEGINNERS: Instead of asking the student to read the rhythms, ask them to echo after you. This is so good for developing their ears and preparing for reading down the road!
- SMALL GROUPS: Play the game normally, except ask the entire group to help perform the rhythm cards drawn by each individual.
This is a such FUN way to start out your lessons during the 4-6 weeks around Halloween time. It’s so easy: just pull out the cards you’ve assembled, and put some candy or treats in a bowl. Your students will be thrilled to see you present this game every year. Your students will have a blast — and you’ll see their rhythm skills improve!
Buy the 45-page Trick-or-Treat! PDF download now, and here’s what you’ll get:
- Introductory letter to the teacher
- Leveling cheatsheet and tips for gameplay
- Instructions for assembly (this is a digital product; meaning, you must print and assemble the game yourself)
- Card holders for each of the four levels
- Four levels of rhythm cards (160 cards total)
Price: $9.00
Introductory special: Buy between now and November 15, 2019 and get a dollar off! You must enter the promo code TREAT2019 during checkout to receive the discount.
CLICK HERE to visit my shop and purchase the Trick-or-Treat rhythm game.
Thanks for learning about my latest resource! I hope you’ll check it out.
Happy Halloween!
UPDATE: Check out this quick video of my student playing the Trick-or-Treat! Rhythm game, along with a series of tips for helping students perform rhythm patterns accurately!
