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7 Great Off-The-Bench Games To Teach Piano Key Names

If you find you have wiggly students, off the bench piano games are the answer! Sometimes my piano students need some movement or just sitting on the floor so they can wiggle around during their lessons, especially after a long day of school! I can tell you firsthand that this has saved several piano lessons when my students “are just not having it!” These are seven of my favorite off the bench piano games to learn piano key names!

If you are looking for other ways to teach piano key names, checkout this blog post!

Why use Off-the-bench piano lesson games?

Off-the-bench games can be valuable for engaging your students and keeping them motivated.

These activities are mostly done away from the piano bench, usually involving movement or some form of physical activity. Off-the-bench games are designed to provide a break from the more traditional piano exercises and help students refocus their attention.

In addition, off-the-bench games can help students develop their overall musicianship. Students can better understand music by incorporating games focusing on music theory, rhythm, note-reading, and listening skills.

Here are seven off-the-bench games that you can play with your students to learn piano key names this week!

1. Keyboard Treasure Hunt:

you place small objects, such as stickers, candy, or coins, on various piano keys
your student must then find the objects and say the name of the key they are on
your student can win the prizes that are on the piano keys (or if you are using fun erasers, your student can win one prize for naming all the keys).

3. Piano Key Name Race:

you call out a piano key name
your student must race to find the key on the piano and press it before the timer goes off (you can use your phone as the time or a fun countdown app!)

3. Piano Key Match:

you select a set of matching piano key flashcards and matching alphabet letter
spread them out on the floor
your student must then match the piano key flashcard to the correct alphabet letter
as this game goes on, your student can find out how fast they can complete the task by being timed! And hopefully, get faster each time!

4. Piano Key Twister:

A great off the bench game to get your student moving!

attach piano key flashcards to the circles of the Twister game board
a spinner with letters is needed, or a letter-generated app with A-G restrictions is great for this game!
Spin the spinner; your student must place a hand or foot on the corresponding piano key flashcard.

5. Clothespin Clip-It Games:

Students clip clothespins to the correct answer on a card. (If you don’t want to use clips you can laminate the cards and use a whiteboard marker for the student to answer the question.)

You can create these cards on your own or grab some from my TPT store!

6. Piano Key Bingo:

You create bingo cards with different piano keys on them
your student must mark off the piano keys as you call out the letter.

7. Piano Key Hopscotch:

Use masking tape or chalk (if outside) to create a hopscotch board on the floor with different piano keys instead of numbers (again, using flashcards would be great for this!)
your student must say the name of the piano key they land on with each hop.

Bonus!

8. Piano Key Simon Says:

call out commands like “Simon says play a C” or “Simon says play a D sharp”
your student must play the correct key on the piano

Overall, off-the-bench games are valuable for any piano teacher. By incorporating fun and engaging games, teachers can help their students stay motivated and develop essential music skills to help them become better musicians.

So, the next time you plan a piano lesson, don’t forget to include some off-the-bench games in your piano studio!