Winter Piano Olympics 2010
This years Piano Olympic games are more exciting than ever. This year there is a ski lodge, ski lift, snowy mountain and a curling ice rink, too. (You might have to be Canadian to know what that is!)
Here is a newsletter I created to send to parents to share why I do what I do. I also include helpful ideas to make practicing more attractive to young students. View PDF here.
I selected some of the cutest pictures of winter olympic sports clipart the students can use as avatars as they move along the game board. The fun part is that the avatars are only known by me …..so that students who don’t like competing won’t feel pressure and those who love competing will still be able to see if someone is ahead of them or not. This way everyone can participate in their own way…and still have fun.
The best part is the ski lift! Students have to complete three tasks (Rhythm cards are great for this) before they can move up the ski slope. It takes three stars each to move higher up the mountain. I use 3×5 cards as the ski lift ticket and star stickers to show their success. I use a hole punch to indicate when they have used their lift ticket. The students love it so much they beg for more challenges! NOTE: I make them take the ski lift ticket home. They must return with it or they can’t play. A fun way to teach responsibility!
Winter Piano Olympics 2010: Badges
And to make it just a little official, I created Olympic Badges that the students could color their name on and decorate as they see fit.
I have a large collection of small prizes and a certificate to give each student as they complete the games.