Teaching resources

10 minutes 43 seconds

Artis Specialist Kablam leads children through a series of creative activities with a focus on emotions, and feeling happy and proud. This video was created as part of Mental Health Awareness week.

2 minutes 45 seconds

Artis Specialist Arriba shares her classroom activity which uses music and movement to refocus groups and build upon their core skills. This can also be used as a warm up activity and is aimed at Key Stage 1.

4 minutes and 40 seconds

Artis Specialist Jangle shares with us her amusing warm up which uses movement to focus and stimulate primary children. This exercise is aimed at KS1 & KS2 but can be easily adapted to suit any age.

2 minutes and 34 seconds

Artis Specialist Raa-raa shares with us her entertaining call & response, warm up which uses movement to focus, stimulate and energise children. This exercise is aimed at KS2 but can be easily adapted to suit KS1.

3 minutes and 31 seconds

Artis Specialist Bling shares her entertaining warm up which uses music and movement to energise, encourage teamwork and strengthen confidence. This exercise is suitable for both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

4 minutes and 32 seconds

Artis Specialist, Sarah (Chick-a-dee) presents this simple warm up or refocus activity to encourage children to work as a team and develop their movement and concentration skills. This activity also introduces different dance styles and develops children’s spatial awareness.

3 minutes and 50 seconds

Artis Mentor, Stuart (Chime) presents this simple warm up, or refocus activity, to encourage children to work as a team and develop their pulse and rhythm skills. Numeracy skills are also encouraged with the counting of the rhythm and can be further developed to include adding and subtraction.

1 minute 49 seconds

Artis Specialist, Lucy (Murmur) presents this brilliant activity which is great for giving children the opportunity to devise together and create their own stories. This drama based activity also helps to develop children's imagination and excitement for storytelling.

8 minutes 20 seconds

Activities to bring the primary science curriculum to life for children. Some example activities focusing around forces that you can try in your classroom.

6 minutes 10 seconds

This Brazilian playground song is a great activity for KS2 and helps children to maintain a steady beat and build up simple body rhythms. Artis Specialist, Hoot, breaks down the song into stages to teach children. This could be built up over time with the children.

The lyrics are also below for you to use (Portuguese Version)

Quem te ensinou a nadar?
Quem te ensinou a nadar?

Foi, foi marinheiro,
Foi o peixinho do mar.

Foi, foi marinheiro,
Foi o peixinho do mar.

3 minutes 8 seconds

This fantastic song uses body percussion and builds up to two-part singing to try in your school.

The Concentration Song is suitable for KS1 & KS2 children and features Artis Specialist Laura Carter (Chirp), leading the activity.

3 minutes 50 seconds

A fantastic song suitable for KS2 children that works on pitch and rhythm, as well as spatial awareness and teamwork.

Children need to work together to learn the song in the initial phase and then advance to learning the actions which will assist their concentration skills.

A fun song to try in your schools.

2 minutes 30 seconds

This exciting and fun game is suitable for any age group and works on composition, rhythm and building improvisation skills. Children need to work together and listen carefully to make the activity work.

2 minutes 44 seconds

The Hello Song: an ideal introduction song perfect for EYFS and KS1. This fun warm up activity can be modified for any class, and is ideal for beginning a lesson. Children are required to repeat the words from this song as a good vocal introduction, using character, voice and movement. In this video Artis Specialist Helena Smith (Giggle) introduces the activity and explains this simple activity for you to try.

4 minutes 41 seconds

In this activity children learn the poem 'Remember, remember the fifth of November', concentrating on understanding the poem's rhythm and pulse. By later replacing some words with actions, children internalise the pulse and the words are consolidated further. This principle can be used with other poems of this type, and indeed songs as well, that are chosen to link with a topic. In this film Artis Specialist Russell Lucas (Gloop) demonstrates 'Replace the word' working with Year 3/4 children from Ponsbourne St Mary's CE Primary School in Hertfordshire.

3 minutes 35 seconds

Living postcards develops the traditional freeze frame idea by bringing it up to date with the touch screen technology. Still images created by the children come to life when any of the characters is gently touched: they then perform a simple gesture or say a line. This activity can be used to inspire KS2 children to engage more deeply with a subject and to move beyond freeze frames. In this film Artis Specialist Russell Lucas (Gloop) demonstrates 'living postcards' working with Year 5/6 children from Ponsbourne St Mary's CE Primary School in Hertfordshire.

3 minutes 11 seconds

In The Fish game the teacher will use one hand to represent the sea and the other to represent the fish; every time the fish jumps out of the sea children have to clap together. This activity can be used to re-focus children to get ready for work, they'll have to watch closely and concentrate to be able to clap exactly at the same time.
In this film Artis Specialist and Mentor Leader Stuart Barter (Chime) demonstrates this activity working with children from St Paul with St Luke Primary School in East London.

3 minutes 11 seconds

Using a hand drum, teacher plays a rhythm and children clap it back. Then the skin and rim of the drum can be used and the children are asked to clap when they hear the skin and click when they hear the rim. To make the activity more challenging these can be switched round so the skin is a click and the rim a clap.
In this film Artis Specialist and Mentor Leader Stuart Barter (Chime) demonstrates this activity working with children from St Paul with St Luke Primary School in East London.

5 minutes 5 seconds

First you make your fingers click is a cleverly written chant in which there is a click, a slap, a stamp and a clap, each on a different beat of the bar. It gets children thinking about rhythm and is really useful to improve their musicality. This activity can be extended by taking the words out and doing just the actions to develop pulse internalisation and children's overall musicianship.
In this film Artis Specialist and Mentor Leader Stuart Barter (Chime) demonstrates this activity working with children from St Paul with St Luke Primary School in East London.

3 minutes 27 seconds

Children sing better when they are relaxed and enjoying themselves, so this is an effective and fun warm up that will help improve the quality of their singing. In this activity children have to concentrate to follow the different stages involved in eating a buzzing flea. It allows them to explore the range of their voices, which will then equip them better to hit the pitch and right notes in a song.
In this film Artis Specialist and Mentor Leader Stuart Barter (Chime) demonstrates this activity working with children from St Paul with St Luke Primary School in East London.