Music activity
The Staff and the Notes
Draw a music staff and decorate it with colorful notes.
Materials and setup
- staff paper or blank paper
- pencil
- colored pencils
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Draw a music staff and decorate it with colorful notes.
Steps
- On paper, draw 5 straight parallel lines — that's a staff.
- Put a circle (a note) on a line. Put another in a space.
- Color the line-notes red and space-notes blue.
- Count: how many lines? How many spaces?
- Say: 'Notes live on lines and in spaces!'
Learning objectives
- Recognize a 5-line music staff
- Distinguish line-notes from space-notes
- Count lines and spaces
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Learn the treble clef line and space names.
Steps
- Look at a printed treble clef (a curly G-shape at the start of a staff).
- Line names bottom to top: E-G-B-D-F. Mnemonic: 'Every Good Boy Does Fine.'
- Space names bottom to top spell: F-A-C-E.
- Say each name 3 times while pointing.
- A grown-up points to notes; you name them. Do 10 in a row.
Learning objectives
- Name the 5 lines of the treble staff
- Name the 4 spaces of the treble staff
- Use a mnemonic to recall note names
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Read notes on both the treble and bass clefs.
Steps
- Learn bass clef line names bottom to top: G-B-D-F-A ('Good Boys Do Fine Always').
- Bass clef spaces: A-C-E-G ('All Cows Eat Grass').
- Practice with a printed worksheet of 20 notes — name each one.
- Middle C sits on one ledger line below the treble staff and one ledger line above the bass staff — the two clefs meet there.
- Write 4 notes of your own on each staff and name them.
Learning objectives
- Read notes on treble and bass clefs
- Locate middle C across both clefs
- Write notes from name to staff
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Sight-read a short melody aloud using note names.
Steps
- A grown-up writes 8 quarter notes on a treble staff using notes C, D, E, F, G.
- Name each note out loud in rhythm (4 beats per measure, 2 measures).
- Do 3 more 8-note exercises with increasing range.
- Try reading rhythm AND pitch together: say 'C-ta, D-ta' etc.
- Bonus: play the melody on a keyboard or app if you have one.
- Write your own 8-note melody on the staff and read it aloud.
Learning objectives
- Sight-read note names in rhythm
- Combine pitch and rhythm reading
- Compose and read an original melody
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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