There are many ways to support a child’s ongoing development, but few are as fun as music activities. Engaging kids in music activities from a young age and as they grow older can teach them valuable skills that can be applied to all kinds of learning.
“Parents engage with their children through music, facilitating not just cognitive and musical development but also emotional bonding,” says Joseph Elworthy, CEO of the Vancouver Academy of Music (VAM), a non-profit institution dedicated to spreading a love of learning and musical excellence since 1969. “This interaction supports structured learning in class and extends it into the home environment, reinforcing the development of skills like memory, coordination and social abilities.”
According to Dr. Peter Simon, President and CEO of The Royal Conservatory of Music, “Music, as we know, is one of the most powerful means available to further human development and build great communities and societies. Neuroscience research also now shows us that music education is a very powerful tool for attaining a child’s full intellectual, social and creative potential.”
Skills kids can develop through music activities
Music activities stimulate many areas of child development and help children enhance critical skills needed for preschool and kindergarten readiness and beyond.
No matter when you start learning music, you’re building incredible life skills, such as:
- Emotional intelligence.
- Discipline.
- Self-awareness.
- Motor skills and dexterity.
- Spatial recognition.
- Reasoning and logic.
Check out this list of fun and beneficial movement and music activities for kids, all recommended by childhood development experts, children’s entertainers and music educators.
1. Repeat after me
Type of activity: Call and response
How to play: No supplies are needed for this one — a call-and-response game can be played anywhere you want.
Simply sing, clap or tap a short musical pattern for the child to imitate. Then, encourage them to create their own pattern.
2. Pass the ball
Type of activity: Movement and music
How to play: Use physical objects to incorporate movement into music activities. Pass balls or objects, or beat on rhythm sticks to rhymes or rhythmic songs.
One way you can put this idea into action is by letting the kids pick a song and then rolling a ball back and forth on beat with the song.
3. Have a parade
Type of activity: Interactive music
How to play: Grab the whole family or a group of friends and organize an at-home or backyard parade! It’s a great way to combine movement and music.
4. Sing the transitions
Type of activity: Transitional music
How to play: Use music throughout the day with little ones who are learning to transition between activities. For example, you can help direct kids using musical cues when cleaning up or getting ready for bedtime. Anyone who grew up watching the TV show Barney and Friends knows how well this works.
Some preschool classrooms use a bell to signal when playtime is over, which works the same way.
5. Freeze dance
Type of activity: Interactive dance
How to play: Put on a song and play freeze dance! With one person in charge of the music, everyone else can dance their hearts out until the music suddenly pauses — then the dancers must freeze until the music starts up again. Not only does freeze dance engage kids in music and get them moving, it also teaches them about cause and effect and following auditory cues.
6. Play musical chairs
Type of activity: Interactive game
How to play: Set up a circle of chairs and play musical chairs with family and friends! This activity is perfect for a group looking to engage with music together.
One tip to avoid upsetting little ones: find a seat on someone else’s lap when there are no more chairs — this way, nobody loses, and everybody giggles!
7. Try storytime with sound effects
Type of activity: Music in storytelling
How to play: Make your favourite story come to life by using instruments. You could drum on a kitchen bowl to imitate thunder, or use a whistle to sound like a steam train.
8. Go on a sound hunt
Type of activity: Outdoor sound exploration
How to play: Make a list of sounds you might hear on a neighbourhood walk and then walk around and listen for different sounds. Try to identify and mimic the sounds you hear.
9. Form a band
Type of activity: Instrument exploration
How to play: Put together a band using real instruments or making instruments with items you can find around the house. For example, a plastic bowl and wooden spoon can be your drums for the day!
10. Write a song
Type of activity: Rhythm and writing
How to play: You’re never too young to start writing songs! Help little ones come up with a song of their own and perform it for you.
11. Do song analysis
Type of activity: Music and literature
How to play: Kids can pick a favourite song and analyze the lyrics either by themselves or with help from a grown-up.
12. Put on a talent show
Type of activity: Group activity
How to play: Let your musical abilities shine in a talent show. You can sing, dance, play an instrument, team up for a duet — anything you want! The most important thing is to have fun and support each other in showing off your talents.
13. Dance with accessories
Type of activity: Movement and music
How to play: Try incorporating fun accessories, like scarves, into musical activities. Put on some music and use flowy scarves to make your dancing along even more exciting!
14. Perform karaoke
Type of activity: Singing activity
How to play: This classic musical activity is easy to recreate at home. Put on a sing-along YouTube video, like this “Frozen” sing-along, and let the kids take it away! If you have a microphone, that’s great, but if not, you can always use a toy, hairbrush or anything you have around the house.
15. Guess the sound
Type of activity: Guessing game
How to play: This is a fun game used in a preschool classroom to help kids learn spatial awareness. Kids cover their eyes while someone walks to different spots of the room with a bell. When the bell is rung, they point in the direction where the sound came from. You can also mix it up by using different kinds of bells or instruments and having kids guess which one made which sound.
16. Play hot potato
Type of activity: Music challenges
How to play: This game is a classic and it always ends in giggles. Grab a light object like a ball or a bean bag and toss it quickly around in a circle while playing a song — remember, it’s hot so no one can hold onto it long. When the song ends, whoever is holding the “hot potato” is out.
17. Play animal freeze dance
Type of activity: Movement and music
How to play: Put a fun twist on freeze dance by playing animal freeze dance! This works just like freeze dance, but you can pick an animal to pretend to be and move or dance like that animal.
