Caitie shares tips on how to use the song “Mystery Box,” a preschool song, in the classroom or at home with children for fun and learning. She is full of wonderful ideas! She will lead us through the songs using gestures, which is a great way to introduce children to a piece. The music “Mystery Box,” which has a game built in, is great for engaging with children and introducing them to new things.
Try these ideas in the classroom or at home!
Mystery Boxes are a great way for students to learn new things or review old topics in an engaging and fun way.
You can use any container to place items inside a mystery box, including a bag. It can be decorated or left plain. You could have your students decorate the mystery box as a fun activity!
It is the way you sing and interact with the song that will create mystery and excitement. The more you enjoy the mystery box, the more your students will be interested!
Introduce the mystery box to your students by singing the song. Once they know the song, every time you pull out the box, they’ll be excited to see what’s inside. It’s fun to act surprised when you reveal something, regardless of what it is. Please take a quick peek inside the box before you tell it. Then, quickly close the lid and pretend to be surprised. It will keep your students engaged and make the display more fun. You can then tell the item while making silly noises and showing excitement.
Place the mystery box at the center of the circle. Have students clap on their legs in rhythm and then sing together “mystery Box, mystery box.” Before opening the box, ask students, “What’s in the mystery-box?”
You can shake the box and ask your students to guess what’s inside. After pretending to peek inside the box, you can give verbal clues. See if your students can think. Cut a small opening on the side of the box, and let your students think what’s inside by putting their hands in.
You can have your students reveal an item. Pick a student and have them open the box after singing the song. Please give them the box, or ask them to come to the front and take out the special item. Then show everyone.
You can introduce so many things with a mystery box. You can put anything in the box. You can either use real-life items or flashcards. Introduce new vocabulary, a theme for the day, or a topic you’ll learn. You can use different colored things for color review, reveal several things at once and count them, or reveal something related to a particular song to lead to a sing-along. This is a fun way to spice up a simple lesson.
The mystery box is a great way to engage little ones in something that they’re not too excited about. You can, for example, bring out the box and get excited about what’s inside. Then, ask them to guess what could be in it and take out a toothbrush so they can brush their teeth. This is a great way to make a chore or task that your child doesn’t enjoy more fun.