Unlock the Nutcracker Vault: A Fun & Engaging Listening Activity Bundle

Help your students gain a greater understanding of The Nutcracker Suite with this set of listening sheets! The Nutcracker Classical Music Activity Packet provides 268 pages of different activities that will help build a classical music foundation for your students. Its goal is to increase knowledge of The Nutcracker Suite and comprehension of scenes and characters.

See What's Inside

Be sure to check out the preview file above for a closer look into what this activity pack includes. You'll find 17 pages of activity demos, descriptions, and teacher testimonials!

Learning Objectives

• increased knowledge of The Nutcracker Suite
• familiarity with the composer's works
• ability to recognize, and engage with, popular pieces of classical music
• identify different instrument sounds
• social-emotional exploration of feelings and moods within classical music
• creative expression by drawing and choosing colors related to a musical theme

Music Featured in Each Pack:

Overture • The Christmas Tree • March • Gallop And Dance Of The Parents • The Presents Of Drosselmeyer • Grandfather Dance • Clara And The Nutcracker • Battle with the Mouse King • In The Christmas Tree • Waltz Of The Snowflakes • The Magic Castle On The Mountain Of Sweets • Clara And Prince Charming • Chocolate (Spanish Dance) • Coffee (Arabian Dance) • Tea (Chinese Dance) • Trepak (Russian Dance) • Dance Of The Reed Pipes • Polichinelle (The Clown) • Waltz Of The Flowers • Pas De Deux (3rd Movement contains "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy") • Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy • Grand Finale

Nutcracker Listening Activity Sheets (Located in Bonus File Section)

Music Rating Guides - full color/black & white

Listening Sheet - There are no wrong answers! Students can note how they feel and what they imagine while listening to a selected piece of music. Choose from musical instruments, nature scenes, colors, and more.

Weather & Feelings - Weather is a recurring theme in classical music. Does a musical piece remind the listener of a snowy day or a pleasant sunny afternoon? Students can select the weather symbols that come to mind. Is the music happy or sad? A set of emotional characters allows your group to pick the feelings that best relate to a piece of music.

Nutcracker Listen and Color Activity Sheets (22 pages)

Pair art with music! Students color the characters while listening to featured music from The Nutcracker. There are four categories of keywords to circle/highlight that describe their listening experience. Blank lines are for writing in their own words. There are no wrong answers! Discuss and display for further engagement.

"This is a fabulous resource! The kids really enjoyed deciding how the music made them feel. It ties well with the curriculum and I will definitely be using it again!" - Stephen G.

The Nutcracker Checkbox Listening Sheets (24 pages)

Emoji Rating Guide (14 emojis to choose from, color and b&w)

Listening Sheets - there are no wrong answers! Students can use the checkboxes to note how they feel and what they imagine while listening to a selected piece of music. Choose from musical instruments, nature scenes, colors, and more!

The Nutcracker Tracker (1 page)

Students can track their listening progress by coloring a box for each piece! Select a few or listen to all twenty-two!

The Nutcracker Jazz Suite by Duke Ellington (14 pages)

These Nutcracker-themed printable listening sheets offer creative music appreciation! Most performances online of the full suite range from twenty to thirty minutes. Students will recognize some of the most familiar pieces! Great for incorporating jazz into this seasonal favorite.

Nutcracker Fairytale Story (45 pages)

Nutcracker Story listening sheets combine music appreciation with a fairy tale theme! Students compose their wondrous tales by choosing the setting, characters, and familiar fairy tale objects inspired by the music. There’s also a drawing box for students to capture a scene from their imaginations. Discuss and display for further engagement!

"I don't feel like I do a very good job of teaching dance/music in our Arts Ed strands, so this was a handy resource as a way of guiding my teaching. I was surprised just how into the Nutcracker my students got!" - Nadine

The Nutcracker Story Writing Packet (30 pages)

These story sheets feature The Nutcracker! Compose a Nutcracker-themed story or use these activity pages for seasonal handwriting practice.

The Nutcracker Word Search (1 page)

No Prep! Word search activities offer many benefits for students. They can help students learn new vocabulary, improve spelling skills, and develop problem-solving abilities. These word search activities are great for reviewing musical concepts in a fun and challenging way! Word search activities also make engaging brain breaks and bell-ringers.

"My students enjoy doing something different in Music Class. This is the first time I used a word find. The students were engaged right away. I needed something to use after our Christmas performance. It was perfect and saved me a lot of time." - Bonnie

The Nutcracker Performance Journal (1 page)

No Prep! Do you need engaging activities to accompany "The Nutcracker?" Students can note their favorite elements from "The Nutcracker" with this scrapbook-style journal/coloring page! Includes favorite dance, scene, costume, moment, character, and music.

"Great to use with our Nutcracker unit. Thanks." - Deborah

The Nutcracker Music Note Matching Game/Center (24 pages)

Learning to read music can have many benefits for students. These colorful music note-matching cards and posters are easy to set up and fun to use! Note-matching games are a great activity for both individual and group learning. They are easy to set up and can be adapted to different skill levels, making them suitable for learners of all ages.

"This was a fun match-up game for my students! They had a fun time with this for a last day soft start!" - Jean

The Nutcracker Handwriting/Tracing Pack (20 pages)

Do you need fun & engaging handwriting activities for December? These tracing and handwriting practice sheets feature The Nutcracker! Each page has a number to trace and write, with a coloring practice at the bottom. Blank pages (with pictures) are also included for additional practice or story writing.

"Love these!" - Conrady Creations

The Nutcracker Scene List Performance Handouts (3 pages)

No Prep! Do you need a scene list to accompany "The Nutcracker?" Performances will vary, but this easy-to-use guide includes the scenes found in most productions! The scene list can be used to follow along, given as student handouts, or used as a planning page for your Nutcracker activities/units.

"My students enjoyed learning about the music from Nutcracker." - Leslie

The Nutcracker Bingo Game (38 pages)

Add this Bingo game to your Nutcracker unit or winter sub plans! Students will enjoy racing to find Clara, the Mouse King, Godfather Drosselmeyer, and more! There are also a few festive objects like cupcakes and ornaments. Great for printing on Astrobrights paper!

"My students LOVED playing Nutcracker BINGO. It was a great activity to use after we learned about the history of and read a version of The Nutcracker. They were extremely engaged, and it was a great review of characters and dances from the ballet/story." - Rebecca M.

Easel Activity

Pair an engaging digital listening board with these musical selections! Students use the highlight tool to choose keyword lists describing their listening experience. An answer box at the bottom allows students to write a brief description of their thoughts and feelings. Using the pen or any design tool provided, students can decorate a scene or upload an image to the frame! Each board features colorful clipart related to the music. As always, there are no wrong answers. Students can choose any combination of descriptors.