March of the Toy Soldiers – A Nutcracker Movement Game!
December is all about the Nutcracker. Every year we choose this theme because it is a classic tale with AMAZING music! Plus kids LOVE it.
I can’t wait to share one of my favorite activities from our month of the Nutcracker below. If you end up teaching it, let me know how it goes!
March of the Toy Soldiers Movement Activity
The first movement song we always teach when sharing the Nutcracker is “March of the Toy Soldiers”. Its repetitive form makes it easy to create a purposeful movement experience and often times there are children who immediately recognize the tune!
I set the stage by reading the book up to the point where the Nutcracker and the Mouse King have their battle. While there are many versions of the Nutcracker in book form, I especially like using Maurice Sendak’s version because of the beautiful artwork.
Let the Movement Begin!
After reading up to that point, show the listening map for the movement activity.
How to teach:
1. Have children gather on the carpet. Show the listening map and explain that there are several characters in the song they will hear below. Turn on the music and have them listen to each character’s special sound.
- Nutcracker who “marches”
- Mouse King who “tiptoes”
- Godfather Drosselmeyer who makes everyone “freeze” when his music is played
- Sugarplum Fairy who has everyone “twirl” when her music is played.
2. Next have children stand up. Turn on the music and hold up the card with the character whose music is playing. You can have children choose to be one of the four characters, but I’ve found my kids want to play all the parts!
Add an eye patch to the fun!
One fun addition is to have children take turns being Godfather Drosselmeyer! For this, choose one child and give them the eye patch. Have them wait away from the group and only come out during the Godfather’s music and walk around the children as they all freeze!
What you need:
What they learn:
- Focused listening, personal space, musical form
Prep: Follow the directions on page 4 of the listening map
Want the entire bundle of Nutcracker activities? Get it here!👇
