There are many ways to support a child’s ongoing development, but few are as fun as music activities. Engaging kids in musical activities from a young age and continuing as they grow older can teach them valuable skills that can be applied to all kinds of learning.
Children’s brains literally grow stronger, denser and more connected when we do this. The developing brain is “under construction” in the early years; in other words, the brain cells are proliferating and making connections. Certain tracts are then “pruned out” if they are underused, and other, more important connections are strengthened to increase the speed at which signals are passed along.
According to the Twinkl website, which suggests a whole range of musical activities, communication and language development are among the specific skills that are boosted by music, along with gross motor skills if movement is added to the experience.
Skills kids can develop through music activities
Musical activities not only stimulate many areas of child development, they also help kids enhance critical skills needed for nursery and school readiness and beyond.
No matter when you start learning music, you are still building incredible life skills. These include:
- Emotional intelligence.
- Discipline.
- Self-awareness.
- Motor skills and dexterity.
- Spatial recognition.
- Reasoning and logic.
Check out this list of fun and beneficial music activities for kids, all recommended by child development experts, children’s entertainers and music educators.
1. Repeat after me
Type of activity: Call and response
How to play: No materials are necessary for this one — a call and response game can be played anywhere you want.
Simply clap, sing or play a short rhythm or phrase, and get the child to repeat it. Then give them a chance to lead.
2. Pass the ball
Type of activity: Rhythm and movement
How to play: Music educators often recommend using physical objects to incorporate movement into music activities. Pass balls or objects, or beat on rhythm sticks to rhymes or rhythmic songs.
You can put this idea into action by letting the kids pick a song and then rolling a ball back and forth on the 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 organise a parade in your home or back garden!
Bring instruments to play, or move your bodies in varied ways — march, run, wiggle or stomp. Take turns at being the leader.
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. When tidying up or getting ready for bed, for example, you can direct children by singing or using musical tones.
You can also use a bell to signal when playtime is over, which works in the same way.
5. Musical statues
Type of activity: Interactive dance
How to play: Put on a song and play musical statues! 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 musical statues engage kids in music and get them moving, but it also teaches them about cause and effect and following auditory cues.
Musical statues is a fun way to engage with those Spotify playlists of music from around the world. After all, exercise releases happy endorphins/dopamine and serotonin. Happy kids are always a good result!
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 that can help in a group to avoid upsetting the little ones: run and sit 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: Musical storytelling
How to play: Make your favourite story come to life by using instruments. Read a story and use a percussion instrument to create sound effects for different parts of the story.
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 walk around your neighbourhood, and then walk around and listen out 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, either using real instruments or making them with items you can find around the house. For example, a plastic bowl and wooden spoon can be your drums for the day!
Play along to a song everybody knows, or make up your own. There are no wrong notes or answers here. Just listen to each other and see what sorts of music you create when you play together.
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.
This is a great opportunity to talk about rhymes and natural rhythms in language.
11. Do song analysis
Type of activity: Music and literature
How to play: Kids can pick a favourite song and analyse the lyrics either by themselves or with help from a grown-up.
Think about the meaning of the lyrics, the form of the song, and how the music supports the message.
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 only rule is that everyone should feel supported and appreciated, so applaud and cheer and have fun showing off your talents!
13. Dance with accessories
Type of activity: Music and movement
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 that can 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 that the sound came from. You can also mix it up by using different kinds of bells or instruments and getting kids to guess which one made which sound.
16. Play hot potato
Type of activity: Music challenges
How to play: This game 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 for long. When the song ends, whoever is holding the “hot potato” is out.
17. Play animal musical statues
Type of activity: Movement game
How to play: Put a fun twist on musical statues by playing the animal version! This works just like normal musical statues, but you can pick an animal to pretend to be and move or dance like that animal.