Music games for kids are a great way to teach them about the different genres of music. Listening to or playing music is a relaxing technique, and many consider music to be food for the soul. Teaching your child a variety of musical genres, including rock, classical, hip-hop, and pop may encourage them to pursue music as a hobby and even a career.
According to a study, music has a positive impact on children’s brains. In fact, music training may accelerate the brain development of a child. Additionally, it might make the daily games they play much more fun and joyful.
The study by USC, which was carried out over 5 years, finds significant differences between kids who learned to play instruments and those who didn’t.
Below is a collection of some interesting kids-friendly musical activities that will keep them engaged and inspire them to explore their musical interests.
Easy and Entertaining Music Games For Children
The idea of fun with music usually involves dancing. But is that the only choice? Well, no. Keep reading to find out.
#1. Musical Masterpiece
This musical game is best to be played in classrooms or groups. This game brings the best of both worlds – art or drawing and music – to bring out whatever talent the child has.
You will need:
- Colour pencils and pens
- A computer or music player
- A lot of paper
How to play:
- Give each child a sheet of paper and color pencils.
- Students should be instructed to draw as the music starts and stop drawing when the music stops.
- Leaving the paper and pens at the desk, shift to another desk and continue drawing and coloring in that sheet until the music stops again.
- Continue to do so till you tell them to stop.
- Finally, ask the children to go back to their desks and see the final drawing.
Note – you can put these playing instructions on a big chart paper for kids to see and play the game.
#2. Make Your Own Music
This cool idea can be introduced in music classes. This game encourages children to pursue music in an entertaining and fun way.
You will need:
- Colour Pens
- Sheets of paper
How to play:
- Create symbols and denote the sounds they mean. For example, a star symbol means ‘clap’, a circle means ‘stomp your foot’, a triangle means ‘hit the desk’, and a square means ‘snap your fingers’.
- Put these instructions on the board and get the children to compose their own music, using only the symbols.
- Then let the children display their music on the board while the others follow the ‘notes’ to create the music.
The children will clap, they will snap, and clap again before stomping their feet and hitting the desks…! And all of this will be music to their ears!
#3. Musical Hide And Seek
This musical hide-and-seek game can be played with objects and is a good tool to help a child enhance his/her listening skills.
You will need:
- Hiding places
- A musical device or toy
How to play:
- The child needs to find the toy by listening to its music.
- Turn the toy’s music on and hide it somewhere the child can find.
- Keep hiding the toy and make it a little complicated each time.
As the child plays more, he/ she will get better in listening skills.
#4. Musical Chair Reading
This musical game is another version of the usual regular musical chairs game and is played in a class to encourage children in recitation or reading.
You will need:
- Chairs
- Music
- Space
How to Play:
- Choose an activity that you want each kid to take turns and do. You could try solving a math problem on the blackboard or reading from a book.
- Arrange the chairs in a circular fashion and play the music.
- The kids should walk as long as the music continues and sit in the closest chair as soon as the music stops.
- The kid who is left standing when the music stops has to read a para from the book or solve the math problem on the board.
This can be a fun activity to enable children to be active and attentive and also develop reading and problem-solving skills with fun.
#5. Yes / No Game
This musical game is a warm-up game that works with choir groups or just a group of music students at a school.
You will need:
- Space to play
How to play:
- The parent or teacher is the game conductor who will say a few musical or rhythmic phrases to begin with and the children will have to repeat them.
- Then replace the notes with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. The children will have to say the opposite of what you say, in the same rhythmic fashion.
- For example, if you sing, “No, no, no, yes, no, yes, no, no”, then the kids will have to sing “yes, yes, yes, no, yes, no, yes, yes”.
Note – you can use either one or two words to make it confusing yet fun.
#6. The Passing Game
This musical game is a popular party activity that can engage children for a long period.
You will need:
- Chocolates or small toys
- A gift or a package
- Wrapping paper
How to play:
- Wrap the gift with many layers as you can. The more, the better.
- Between each layer, put a toffee or a small toy.
- Let the children sit in a circle. As the music starts, they pass the parcel. And when it stops, they stop passing.
- The kid who is holding the parcel when the music stops should unwrap one layer of the parcel to see if he gets a gift.
- The child moves out, and the rest of them continue the game.
The game continues as long as the layers are unwrapped. Or you can include many parcels till there is only a single kid left.
#7. Spin The Microphone
Similar to spin the bottle, spin the microphone is a flexible game where you can change it to the way you want, such as making it a truth or dare, a quiz game, or a karaoke event.
You will need:
- List of activities or dares you to want the kids to do
- A working microphone, preferably wireless
How to play:
- Children should sit in a circle with a mic in the middle.
- Get one child to spin the mic.
- As it stops spinning, whoever the mic points at should perform the activity or dare.
You could make this an elimination game where the kid gets to move out of the circle after the activity and a new kid can join in to replace them.
#8. What’s That Sound?
How does the guitar sound? What is the sound of the cello? Children can try out this game in order to learn and identify how each musical instrument sounds.
You will need:
- Different instrumental music
- Music player
How to play:
- Play the sounds of different instruments first.
- Then play a simple song with distinct sounds of the instruments and ask the children to identify the instruments.
As you progress, you can ensure each level to be complicated than the last by adding not-so-distinct sounds.
#9. Karaoke Competitions
Simple but pure fun, karaoke is one thing you can enjoy with kids and family.
You will need:
- Karaoke songs – make sure you pick songs that your child knows and enjoys singing
- A microphone and sound system
How to play:
- List out the songs on small pieces of paper and put them in a box.
- Divide the participants into teams.
- Your child, along with the partner, has to sing along the song correctly.
You could score them on tune and tone but avoid judging their singing voice. To make the competition challenging, throw in a few songs that they are not familiar with. That way, they’ll have to use whatever music knowledge they have to try and guess the right tune!
#10. Musical Quiz
A quiz about music? Yes, why not! If you want an activity for a music class, have trivia questions relating to musical notes or tunes. Otherwise, it could just be about your kid’s favorite bands or singers and their songs!
You will need:
- Set of questions
- Gifts
How to play:
- You could make this an individual event or a team event.
- When playing this at parties or school, divide the kids into groups. Give them cool team names – you could use the names of composers.
- You could also use this for revising music lessons and giving away gifts to kids who get the correct answers.
#11. Antakshari
A popular local game played in India and the Middle East, Antakshari is a parlor game played in teams. It usually involves singing of Bollywood or regional movie songs, but you can change the rules to sing any songs you like.
You will need:
- Place to play
- Microphone (optional)
How to play:
- Establish rules which are needed to play without glitches.
- To start the game, the moderator will pick a letter of the alphabet. The first team has to sing a song (no more than a para or two) starting with that letter.
- The next team has to sing a song starting with the letter (consonant) that the first team’s song concludes with.
- And so on, each team has to sing a song starting with the consonant that the previous team’s song ends with.
- Any team that fails to do so within the stipulated time, will lose points.
The team with the highest number of points wins. You can make variations of this game to make it interesting. For instance, you can have different rounds or levels in the game where the kids have to sing songs only from a particular genre or a particular generation or by a particular type of band or singer.
Now, how about singing and dancing together and making it more fun for the kids?
Games That Make You Dance To The Music
#12. Tissue Dance
A tissue dance is more like a balancing act and less of a dance form. But, it is fun!
You will need:
- Space to dance
- Music player
- A box of tissues
How to play:
- Give each child a tissue and ask them to put it on their head.
- When the music starts, they should start dancing and moving on the dance floor, without letting the tissue fall.
- If the tissue falls off the child’s head and he or she catches it before it touches the ground, they can put it back on their head and continue dancing.
- But if the tissue falls on the ground, the kid is out.
- The last one to stand dancing with the tissue is the winner.
#13. Dance With Props
A simple and silly music game for all ages, dance with props allows you to get creative too.
You will need:
- Props such as hats, balloons, ribbons, pom-poms, wigs, teddy bears, flowers, etc.
- Music player
- Space to dance
How to play:
- Use the area as a child-friendly dance floor.
- Put the props on a table to one side of the room.
- As soon as you play the music, the kids will have to run to the table and pick a prop. You can also ask them to pick any other accessory from the room (as long as it is safe) to dance with.
- Then dance any way they want while using the prop as an accessory.
- Once the music ends, they put the prop back on the table.
- As the music starts again, kids can select another prop and continue dancing.
This way, they can dance for as long as they want!
#14. Mood Music
This is an excellent way to introduce the kids to different genres of music and the many emotions linked to them. This will help children connect actions with emotions.
You will need:
- The song collection shows different emotions such as sadness, anger, happiness, and silliness
- Music player
- Space to dance
How to play:
- Choose songs that are suitable for the child’s age.
- Then explain the game to the kids and ask them how they would act when they are either happy, sad, etc.
- Then tell them that they have to dance according to the mood of the song, which you will mention before playing it.
- So for a happy song, you want the kids jumping and moving energetically, while for a sad song they might simply sway.
- They could dance silly or aggressively (not violently) when they are angry.
In short, whatever is the mood of the song, the kids have to act it when they dance.
#15. Party Island
The game is highly popular at teen parties and is usually for couples. But, it can be modified a bit to suit children of all ages.
You will need:
- Music player
- Newspapers
- A lot of space for dancing
How to play:
- This is a challenging game in which the child has to use his spatial intelligence and his ability to balance to win.
- Give each child a sheet of newspaper and enough space between them to dance comfortably.
- When the music starts, the children will put the paper on the floor and dance on it. They cannot step on the floor while the music is on.
- After some time, stop the music and ask the kids to fold the sheet precisely in half and place it back on the floor.
- When the music starts, the kids have to dance on the folded paper and not step on the folder.
After every few minutes, the kids have to fold the paper in half and dance on it. The smaller the paper gets, the more difficult it would be for the kids to stay on it. The child who manages to dance only on the last folded piece of paper wins!
#16. Dance Like an Animal
That’s right. This game will make the kids dance like an animal, literally! Read on to know how.
You will need:
- A chart of animals/birds/reptiles
- Songs of different genres
- Space to dance
- Music player
How to play:
- Put the chart of animals in a place where all the kids can see it.
- If the kids are too young, you might want to explain the traits of each animal on the chart before you start the game. You need to tell them how the animal moves, how fast or slow it moves, the sounds it makes, and any other unique traits it has.
- For example, a kid who picks a dog has to be on all fours and bark in between while dancing or swaying. A snake has to crawl on the floor and a bird will flap its wings when dancing.
- If need be, you could show them a few moves and get a few giggles in return.
- Play the music, and keep shuffling between genres, from slow to fast and vice versa.
#17. Musical Statues
Musical statues can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. This game is for one or more people.
You will need:
- Space to dance
- Music player
How to play:
- Play the music and let the kids dance.
- When the music stops, the children should freeze like statues.
- The kids have to stand like that for a minute or so, and anyone who moves, giggles, or even wobbles when the music is not playing is out.
- When the music is back on, they continue dancing.
The last kid who continues dancing till the end is the champion statue!
#18. Strictly Come Dancing
This can be a musical group event for children of all ages. Just provide kids with props, ask them to choose their favorite choice, and practice a dance routine.
You will need:
- Space to dance
- Music player
- Props and costumes
How to play:
- Divide the children into groups. Provide them with props.
- Let them choose their favorite songs and practice a dance routine using the props.
- Have a competition between the groups and the team that performs best wins.
#19. Musical Limbo
Limbo is a game that checks how flexible the body is. Add music, and it becomes all the more fun. In musical limbo, you don’t just walk under the beam. You have to go dancing from under it!
You will need:
- Music player
- Space to play
- A beam or long stick
How to play:
- Requires two adults that can hold the stick at a height where kids can move underneath it with ease.
- There are two simple rules only: (i) the kids have to dance to move, and (ii) they should not touch the beam.
- Play the music and have the children move from under the beam, one after the other.
- Whoever touches the pole or fails to dance while under it is out of the game.
- After one round, lower the beam a little and repeat the routine.
- Repeat until there is only one child remaining. The kid who manages to last till the end wins!
Final Words
Music gives life a spark and has healing properties that benefit the body and mind. These musical activities for kids—from creating your own music to antakshari and karaoke—are a fun way to let your youngster move to the music and have fun.
Depending on your child’s age and interests, you can choose an appropriate musical game. Use these games to broaden your child’s understanding of music by exposing them to various genres. They can combine their favorite music with common games like hopscotch or add music to their regular chores to make them more enjoyable.
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