Fun Music Activities for Children

You and your child can have fun with music at home as well without taking any lessons.  Store bought instruments or musical instruments you make at home can create all sorts of fun and educational musical experiences at home.  Expose your child to a variety of musical styles and sing and listen to music together often.  Have a parade with your instruments or write a new song and perform it as a family band. 

Dancing is a great way to express musical beats using movement.  Dancing is also a lot of fun and terrific exercise.  Dance to many different types of music, alternating between fast and slow tunes with a variety of beats.  Another unique way to express the sounds and emotions in a musical piece is through art.  Play music while your child draws or paints to the rhythm of the song.  To make this activity more interesting, wear a blindfold while drawing or create different pictures for different songs and discuss why the pictures may look different.

Karaoke is a fun way for children to learn about music and take an active part in performing.  Encouraging your child to sing along with a prerecorded song is a great way for children to explore musical selections, learning about instrumental preludes, beats, and rests.  You can find recordings of all sorts of musical selections made especially for karaoke, meaning the voice track is lower than normal or completely left out.  Regular recordings can also be used.  Sing along cassette players, karaoke machines, microphones, or a tape player and make-believe microphone can make this a well loved activity.  Try having a karaoke party with your child’s friends or other family members for even more fun.

Introducing your child to the special sounds of various musical instruments is also a fun way to explore music.  Baby Einstein’s Meet the Orchestra CD showcases a variety of instruments, including the violin, cello, clarinet, and French horn.  Play other classical or symphonic selections and listen for different instruments.  There are a number of online games that teach the sounds of different instruments as well.

Other fun ways to explore sounds and rhythms include playing musical glasses and turning your kitchen into a musical playground.  From the whirs of appliances to the clangs of pots, your kitchen is full of sounds and pitches that can make music.  Allow your child to explore all the various sounds.  Cabinet doors make wonderful drums, while spoons and glasses may be the perfect piano.  From pot lid cymbals to salt shaker maracas, your child is sure to find a musical adventure in the kitchen.

There are opportunities everyday to discover the wonders of music and sound.  Be creative and use fun games to expose your child to a variety of music from many genres.  Encourage your child to make her own music as well.