Musical activities for children: musical games and songs for kids

Musical activities to play with kids:

With music, we are able to teach children in a multitude of ways, such as listening skills, motor skills, building physical strength, and inspiring creativity. It’s also a great tool to teach them new subject matter in a musical way that they will retain and easily repeat. Here are four fun musical activities to try out.

Musical Chairs

Do you sometimes babysit multiple children? Sometimes it can be a challenge to keep multiple kids entertained. Musical chairs is the perfect musical game to keep children of different age groups entertained and also staying active. This gives everyone a chance to listen to their favourite music, dance, and be silly. It’s also a great idea for entertaining kids on a rainy day, or at a party.

Here’s how to play:

Set up enough so that there is one less chair than children playing the game. In a circle, place the chairs facing outwards. Ask the kids to pick a song they want to listen to, and play it for them as they dance or walk around the chairs. Everytime you pause the music the kids will have to rush to sit in a chair. The one who does not make it to a chair to sit down, is out of the game. Keep playing and pausing the music until there is a winner! This game can be played over and over, so that everyone has a chance to be the winner!

Rock Band

Rock Band will show your little ones that they can be rock stars! This is also a great game to play with multiple children, but you can still play this with one child. Rock Band is a wonderful opportunity for a musical activity that allows children to be creative, show off their artistic and musical abilities, and use their imaginations.

Here’s how to play:

First, decide whether the kids would like to create their own instruments, or if they already have any around the house. Making your own instruments is a fun way to teach them how musical instruments work, and also lets them be creative. You can use buckets or boxes as drums, make maracas from containers with beads inside, or even make your own cardboard guitar with string! The possibilities are endless.

Once you have the instruments, let the kids dress up in their most funky and craziest costumes. If you don’t have access to any dress up material, get the kids to dress up in their favourite colours, or dress in matching colours! This is a fun way to role play and get them in the spirit of the game.

Lastly, time to put on a show! Get the kids to find an area and get them to perform to their favourite songs! With parental permission, you can even make a music video!

Hot Potato

Hot Potato is an easy game to play, especially with younger children. This game allows for kids to understand rhythm and how songs have a beginning and end. This is a great game to work on a child’s listening skills and rhythm from a young age.

Here’s how to play:

Ask the kids to sit in a circle. As you sing, the hot potato (use whichever object is easy to hold) will be passed from person to person. The one who is holding the potato at the end of the song, is out! Hot potato, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on. Hot potato, pass it on, you…are…OUT! If you would like to teach your kids the song, sing it beforehand with them so they can learn, try playing it for them on your phone. Similar to musical chairs, you can play this game over, and over, and over again!

Freeze Dance

Freeze Dance is great for kids with lots of energy, and who love to dance and be active. With this game, children are able to move their bodies and gain confidence. This fun dancing activity for kids is a physical activity that improves the listening skills and motor skills of the child.

Here’s how to play:

Put some music on, a song the child already knows and enjoys, and encourage them to dance. After a while, stop the music and act as if you were frozen. Kids at this age tend to imitate others when they’re not sure what to do. Repeat this a couple of times, and freeze in different poses, until they understand the game. And there you go, you’ll spend hours seeing your little one play and enjoy music!

Songs for kids:

Songs for kids are proven to help them retain information at a high rate, and allows them to learn in a fun, creative, and active way.

The wheels on the bus

Are your kids sometimes running late for the bus? This is a great song when you’re trying to get the kids ready for school in the morning, and make them aware that the bus is on the way! Not only does this help kids wake up their minds early in the morning, but allows you to remind them to get ready for school in a fun way!

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes

This song is perfect for teaching little ones about the body in a fun way. Perfect for small children, this song for kids and musical activity is a great way for kids to become aware of all of their body parts and be able to identify them. This is great for teaching kids about ownership over their own bodies, and how all of our body parts work to help us move!

The ants go marching

Do your little ones have a love of nature and animals? Then this is the perfect song to teach them about the natural world. This song is a great way to teach kids about how nature works in a fun and interactive way, and allows them to understand animal behaviour. While singing, get the kids to march around to show them how ants behave. Not only does this keep them active, but allows them to be musical and learn about nature!

We hope that you will try some of these musical activities and songs for kids! All of these activities are not only fun and easy ways to keep the kids entertained, but also provide opportunities for learning and building new skills.

If you would like more information about activities for children and their developmental benefits, check out our ultimate guide to kids activities per age group.

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