Tempo and dynamics word cards

Printed music uses Italian words to say how fast and how loud to play. Tempo words tell the speed. Dynamics words tell the volume. A child meets these words in the first year of lessons, and they show up on theory exams.

How to use them

Print both pages on card stock and cut along the dashed lines. Start with four cards: piano, forte, adagio, and allegro. Play a piece and ask the child to hold up the card that fits.

For a movement game, hold up a tempo card and have the child walk at that speed. Hold up a dynamics card and have the child clap at that volume. Add two new cards each week. Older children can sort the tempo cards from slowest to fastest and the dynamics cards from softest to loudest.