Recommended performance ideas for elementary school (middle grades) cultural festivals and learning presentations
When children reach the middle grades of elementary school, they start looking forward to the performances at school arts festivals and learning presentations! It’s a great chance to create wonderful memories together through activities like chorus, theater, and dance.
Many teachers and students probably wonder, “What kind of performance should we do?” Here, we introduce recommended ideas for school arts festivals and learning presentations.
It’s important to come up with ideas that make the most of your class’s unique character.
Work together through discussion and create a presentation that everyone can enjoy while showcasing your class’s individuality!
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[Elementary School] Recommended Performance Ideas for Middle Grades at School Arts and Learning Presentations (21–30)
Minion dance
If you can gather a decent number of people, the “Minion Dance” is a very comical and fun routine.
Even without making full costumes for everyone, with overalls and a yellow shirt—and a few props—you can really become Minions.
The balance between dancing in sync and the comedic moments is just right.
Recorder Ensemble
Recorder ensembles are highly recommended for third- and fourth-graders who are just starting to learn the recorder.
Having everyone play the same notes is fine, but splitting into groups and adding harmony is even better! Just like with singing, it can be challenging at first because students may get pulled off by other parts until they get used to it.
But when the harmonies come together beautifully, the result is a wonderfully satisfying performance.
Not only will parents be impressed—thinking, “I can’t believe they can do this!”—but it also sets a great example for the younger grades.
[Elementary School] Recommended performance ideas for middle grades at school arts and learning presentations (31–40)
puppet show
One way to present a story is through puppetry.
While it’s similar to theater in that you perform roles, its distinctive feature is literally manipulating puppets while providing the voices.
Another highlight of puppetry is that you can enjoy the process of making the puppets.
Imagining the characters’ appearances from the story and creating the puppets stimulates your imagination.
It also brings out originality, which naturally fosters attachment and will likely make your performance more passionate.
Including the choice of which story to perform, have a lively discussion together.
chorus
The classic “chorus” for a school performance requires almost no materials, and with simple, steady practice you can achieve high quality.
It’s a presentation that clearly showcases the children’s efforts to audiences of all ages.
It’s also nice that there’s no limit on the number of participants.
If you think just singing isn’t interesting enough, why not add some originality by creating choreography for everyone or coordinating costumes?
ensemble
“Ensemble performances” are a staple at school arts festivals and the like.
Since these are cultural presentations, ensembles may be the most well-received attraction.
Students often handle keyboard harmonicas and recorders, but the other instruments in the music room are appealing too.
They can experience a wide range of sounds and learn playing techniques and the differences between tones.
It helps develop a sense of rhythm and pitch, and above all, it lets the students engage lively and enjoyably.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if going to the music room every day became something to look forward to?
reading drama
If you’re looking for an activity everyone can collaborate on, how about a radio-style reading play performed using only your voices? Choose a familiar picture book or novel as your material, and work together to bring the story to life.
A reading play involves more than just reading aloud, so it might be challenging—but that’s exactly why it’s rewarding.
If several people share the same role, each person’s burden is lighter and they can focus on their own lines.
Even though it’s a reading play, it could be fun to wear costumes that match the characters to help set the mood.
scientific experiment
While dances and ensemble performances are popular at school festivals, I’m sure some people still find academic presentations hard to give up.
If you want students to enjoy engaging with their studies, how about trying a science experiment? It certainly supports science learning, but more than anything, it lets them experience the fascinating wonders of science that are different from everyday life, and I think it will make their eyes light up.