Pumpkin Carols: A Fun Music Activity for Upper Elementary
- Savvy Music Teacher
- Oct 1
- 1 min read
Looking for a creative way to celebrate fall in your music classroom? Try Pumpkin Carols! This seasonal activity is perfect for 4th–6th graders and blends creativity, humor, and music literacy.
The idea is simple: students take a familiar tune—like Jingle Bells, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, or another class favorite—and rewrite the lyrics to be about Halloween or fall. Suddenly, Jingle Bells becomes Smashing Pumpkins or Trick-or-Treat Tonight!
Not only does this get students laughing and singing, but it also reinforces rhythm, rhyme, and the concept of fitting new words into an existing melody. Many classes love performing their Pumpkin Carols for each other at the end—it’s always a hit!
If you’d like to try Pumpkin Carols with your students, I’ve created a ready-to-use resource on Teachers Pay Teachers. It includes slides for introducing the activity, step-by-step directions, and student worksheets to guide the lyric-writing process. Everything you need for a successful (and spooky!) music lesson is right there.
👉 Check out the Pumpkin Carols Resource on TPT - make this fall your most musical yet! 🎃🎶
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