I’ve always loved music games for kids. From the earliest days of toddlerhood to late elementary school, my kids have always enjoyed playing them. And to be honest I always have a blast too!
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good board game or craft activity, but music just makes everything more fun!
Without fail, when I’m feeling overwhelmed these music games always save the day. They keep my kids entertained and put us all in the best mood!
Why Musics Games are Important
Here’s why I think music games are a great thing to have in your back pocket. Music is a great expression! It’s an artistic way to share a feeling or story and I love sharing that with my kids. But these music games aren’t just about the beauty of music!
These games also teach so many important skills. Your kids will learn to follow the rules, listen carefully, understand emotions, and even work on things like body movement and imagination.
My favorite thing, though, is that kids learn about different sounds, tones, and patterns, which is great for speech and communication development!
8 Music Games for Kids
Over the years I’ve collected quite a few music games for kids. Here’s some of my favorites and how to play them!
1. Copycat Drummer
If you’re looking for a simple game, try copycat drummer!
All you need to do is grab a drum and think of a short rhythmic beat. If you don’t have a kids drum at home, an empty box, toy buck, pot, or food container all work great! Then all you have to do is play a short set of beats on your drum.
The goal is that your kids will try to copy the rhythm of your drumming! It’s a lot of fun and really requires them to focus and listen.
If they are old enough, you can pass on the leader role and have your kids come up with beats of their own to have the group copy.
2. Songs & Emotions
This is a great activity if you are working on teaching emotions!
Pick a few songs that have different speeds, vibes, and instruments. As you play each song, have the kids pinpoint what emotion that it makes them feel.
You can do this really simply by having a discussion or make it a little more fun with some emotional flash cards that they can hold up as they feel different things during the songs.
Not only does this help them learn the name of different feelings, but also connecting those names to inner emotions they are experiencing!
3. Loud & Soft Hunt
Have you ever played warmer and colder to help someone find something? This game is really similar!
First, you’ll want to choose a kid to be the “seeker” and have them close their eyes or go to another room. Hide an item in the room or area that you are in and begin singing a song that all the kids know.
As the seeker starts looking for the item, sing louder if they get closer and softer if they get further away. Cheer and finish the song when they find the item!
This is a great game for learning to take turns because everyone will be so excited to be the seeker!
4. Freeze Dance
Is it even possible to have a list of music games without including freeze dance? This timeless classic is always a huge hit in my house!
If you haven’t played before, don’t worry because it’s the most low-maintenance game ever!
Just pick a song, press play, and have the kids start dancing. When you hit pause, everyone has to freeze! Whoever is still moving is out and the last person standing is the winner.
5. Animal Dancing
Another great dancing music game for kids is the animal dancing game. Either pick animals yourself or have some animals written on paper for your child to pick.
When you pick an animal, choose a song and dance how you think the animal would dance.
This game is sure to boost your kids’ imaginations. Let them get creative and think about how they would dance with a long neck like a giraffe, a huge mane like a lion, or on all fours like a cat!
Animal noises encouraged!
6. Hot Potato
To play hot potato, grab any item that can be safely tossed from child to child. A soft ball, scarves, or sock works really well.
Start playing some music and have everyone sit in a circle and begin passing the “potato” around the circle. When the music stops, whoever has the “potato” is out. Keep playing until there is only one person left.
If you have older kids or want to make the game go quicker, you could use more than one item like a potato and have multiple kids get out each round. It makes the game pretty intense!
7. Secret Code
Secret code is a family favorite for sure. Pick a song that everyone knows pretty well and choose a secret code word.
When the song is playing and you hear the word, pick an action item to do. For example, if you are listening to Old Mc Donald, you could choose the code word “farm” and the action could be jumping. Whenever you hear the word “farm” everyone has to jump.
This game is pretty silly, but if you are working on listening skills with your kids, this is a great choice. Everyone will have to listen closely to make sure that they don’t miss the secret code word!
8. Guess the Instrument
This game is played just like the name explains: have your kids guess what instrument sound is playing!
This game would be great for older kids who know more instruments. Find videos or sounds of various instruments like piano, tuba, violin, etc., and play them one at a time.
See who the first person is to be able to guess the instrument. The great thing about this game is it can be played just about anywhere, including in the car, waiting in line, etc.
What music games for kids do you love? Share in the comments!
Check out these other great posts!
9 Fun Educational Games for Kids
30 Fun Games to Play With Your Friends