Games based on Musical Chairs
One advantage of using a game that the children are already familiar is that they get into it straight away - you do not need to brief them too much. The other advantage is that they soon start coming out with their own variations and ideas - since they have played the standard game anyhow many times.
Lets look at Musical Chairs with respect to Multiple Intelligence - how can its variations help us develop the eight intelligences.
Interpersonal
This is our favourite - the collaborative musical chairs. Play the classical musical chairs with the difference that nobody gets out - as the chairs reduce - one after another - the left over children are accommodated within the same chairs - so any chair can seat any number of children. (In fact seated children are encouraged to beckon the unseated children - with a "come to me")
So in the final round all the children try to sit on ONE chair - everybody is the winner - amongst heaps of laughter. (Ensure chairs are sturdy ;-)
Math-Logic Intelligence
Chairs are numbered (not necessarily in any order). When the music stops - the conductor announces a rule - say "multiple of three," or "odd number", or "one more than multiples of four" - or any such rule - children try to grab a chair that satisfies the rule. All who get a chair - add one score to their score card (a tally mark) and then all start all over again. The rules can be based on the age of children.
Music
One variation is to play the tune of a familiar song - children have to guess the tune and then go and grab a chair. The scattered judges can check if the children actually got the song or not.
Another variation is when instead of music-player somebody sings "live". As he/she sings, the players have to listen carefully for the clue to "grab a chair". The clue can be - singer substitutes a word in the lyrics with the word "chair' or "grab" (of if the song is in Hindi or regional language - then respective word in that language; Or grab when the singer suddenly changes the tune - eg: singing old MacDonald for some time and then suddenly changing the tune to "twinkle twinkle", etc.
Intrapersonal
Each child get a picture of an expression (could be faces from advertisements cut from magazines). Chairs have different emotions pasted on them (both the name as well as emotion icon). Children have match the picture they got with the chair and grab it.
Body - Kinesthetic
Classical Musical Chairs played
- blind folded
- hopping on one leg
- In pairs with children tied back to back using dupattas
- In pairs with one leg tied to each other
- Blind folded with a partner giving directions (chairs instead of in a row, are scattered in the room)
- There are no chairs- when music stops each one has to become a human chair (by bending at right angle at the hips and knees) if you shake or move before the music starts again - you are out. Or any other funny rule.
Visual
As many children, as many chairs, as many pictures (from any old magazine). Pictures are cut in half - a la jigsaw style. One part of picture is kept face down on chair and another part given to children - when music stops - grab the right chair. (Top add more chaos, screeching and fun - cut pictures into 3-4 parts - put one part on chair and then the other parts are with any 2-3 children).
Naturalistic
Choose to walk like a animal, while the music plays. A slip is kept on chair with that animal's name. If when music stop your act and name of animal matches - you are out!
If playing outdoors - play musical chairs with trees / plants - children have to find and hug a "free" tree when music stops.
Linguistic
Labels of 'Verb', 'Noun' and 'Adjective' are put on equal number of chairs and then chairs randomly arranged. Loads of chits with words (mix of nouns, adjectives and verbs) are prepared in advance. Each round a child gets a chit - which he/she can open only when the music stops and then they scramble to find a suitable chair based on the type of word.
In this game you do not need to reduce the chairs - there will always be a mis-match between number of chairs of one kind and the numbers of chits of words of that kind.
Hopefully above would lead you to explore Musical Chairs for many forms of fun-learning. But apart from the examples above, there is a basic form of musical chairs you can play. This is applicable specially if your class has a fixed seating pattern (each child has a fixed daily seat).
First announce that – say after recess – or in your next class – a child can sit in any other child’s seat – a la musical chairs style - however with some restriction – not put some restriction for example you cannot sit in the same column of desks, or those in front four can only sit in back four or those in even rows can sit in odd rows, etc.
First announce that – say after recess – or in your next class – a child can sit in any other child’s seat – a la musical chairs style - however with some restriction – not put some restriction for example you cannot sit in the same column of desks, or those in front four can only sit in back four or those in even rows can sit in odd rows, etc.
This itself will create lot of excitement, but to add to that – make a second announcement:
Each child will leave a Special message for the child who comes and occupies your seat. The message can be a compliment, can be a quotation, can be a riddle, can be a joke, can be a ‘password’ that the other has to crack and so on. It can even be related to the subject / topic that the children are currently studying. The added anticipation – makes the whole affair so charged up. (Just ensure that there are no put down – I usually set this code before we start to play the game.
Lastly – laughter is an essential ingredient – more so with musical chairs – enjoy.
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