Jumpin’ JaKs Pre-K Curriculum
Looking for Jazz
Looking for Jazz is our first activity in every visit to a preschool classroom in the Jumpin’ JaKs program. During this activity, students learn to identify the sound of jazz. During this activity, students also learn to identify pictures, sounds, letters, colors and words, matching and listening skills, counting, and following directions. All of the materials you need for this activity are located on this page. If you are able, print out the firetruck, bird, and jazz pdfs on different colored paper.
How to Play:
Give each student one small firetruck card, one small bird card, and one small jazz card. After passing out the cards, ask the students to count how many cards are in their hands.
Show the students the large firetruck card, asking them what a firetruck sounds like. After they have identified the sound of the firetruck, place the large card down somewhere in the classroom where the students can safely reach the card later. Make sure all the students know where you put the firetruck card.
Repeat step two with the large bird card and then the large jazz card. Students should be able to identify that jazz sounds like music. Students may be able to compare the music a bird makes to the music that jazz sounds like, depending on their ability level.
Tell the students they need to listen for a sound that matches one of the cards in their hands. Then, play either the firetruck or the bird sound located on this page. When they hear the firetruck sound, they should move to place their firetruck card with the large firetruck card and then return to their seat. They will do the same thing with the bird card when they hear the bird sound, and the jazz card when they hear jazz.
Save the jazz song (When the Saints Go Marching In) for last as this is a great opportunity to move directly from this activity to the Jazz Parade.
Extra Tips:
As students are returning to their seats have them pretend to drive a firetruck, flap their arms like a bird, or dance like their in a jazz parade, depending on the sound they heard.
Find an extra sound that your students may identify (a dog barking, a bell ringing, etc.) and play it right before your last sound. Many students will get “tricked” into thinking they heard jazz just because it’s the last card in their hand!