Need a No-Prep Winter Movement Lesson for Elementary Music?
A movement-rich listening activity for elementary music classrooms
I’m excited to share a new YouTube scarf play-along designed especially for elementary music teachers. This video pairs expressive movement with “Winter: I. Allegro non molto” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by Anastasiya Petryshak.
▶️ Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/qbzFQlCaMmU
What students will experience
This play-along guides students through a clear, age-appropriate sequence of movement phrases while listening to Vivaldi’s dramatic winter soundscape. With scarves in hand, students explore:
Non-locomotor and locomotor movement
Short vs. long articulated motions
High and low levels
Circular and wavy pathways
A short freestyle section that encourages choice-making and musical expression
Personal space awareness throughout
To help students anticipate changes, a friendly penguin pops up to throw a snowball countdown before each new movement section—giving just enough time to reset, refocus, and get ready to move.
Learning objective (teacher-friendly)
Students will perform a short sequence of movement phrases to Vivaldi’s “Winter” using scarves, demonstrating varied movement types, levels, pathways, and articulation, while maintaining personal space and responding to musical cues.
How you can use this video
This scarf play-along is intentionally flexible and works well in many teaching situations:
✔️ Whole-group activity for guided listening and movement
✔️ Movement center during rotations
✔️ Sub-friendly lesson with minimal setup
✔️ Brain break with purpose that still reinforces musical concepts
Want to go deeper?
While the video works beautifully on its own, I’ve also created supporting lessons and manipulatives that help you explicitly teach, experience, and reinforce each movement concept before or after watching.
👉 Find the lesson materials here: https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech/extras
These resources are especially helpful if you want students to:
Name and identify movement types
Reflect on how the music influences motion
Build confidence before the freestyle section
Why Vivaldi’s Winter?
The Four Seasons remains one of the most accessible and vivid examples of programmatic music for children. “Winter” is full of contrast, drive, and imagery that naturally invites movement and listening focus.
About Vivaldi and The Four Seasons:
https://kids.kiddle.co/The_Four_Seasons_(Vivaldi)About Antonio Vivaldi:
https://kids.kiddle.co/Antonio_Vivaldi
If you’re looking for a musical, engaging, and low-prep movement activity that students genuinely enjoy, I hope this winter scarf play-along becomes a favorite in your classroom. ❄️
