20+ Music Activities for Early Childhood Development

As a parent or preschool teacher, you already know how crucial it is to engage your kid or children in fun and stimulating activities that help them develop beneficial abilities.

Incorporating Music into your child’s playtime routine is an excellent way to entertain them and help them develop specific skills and a lifelong love of Music.

Why do Kids need Music for childhood development?

We want our children to be at their best and always look for ways to help them grow and develop. One powerful tool that often gets overlooked is Music.

From lullabies to sing-alongs, Music can impact young children in many ways. Here are some methods in Music to enhance some latent skills within children.

Auditory perception

Auditory perception, the ability to understand what we hear through our ears, is crucial for reading. Children must learn to recognize different sounds, distinguish between them, and manipulate them to read and spell words.

Learning classic songs and rhymes is a fun way to develop auditory perceptual skills. Nonsense rhymes are especially helpful for getting children attuned to sound and rhyming patterns.

Brain Development Quality

Studies have shown that Music significantly impacts the development of a child’s brain.

Listening to Music, singing, and playing musical instruments can all stimulate different brain areas responsible for language, memory, and spatial reasoning.

These skills are essential not only for Music but also for other academic areas like math and science.

Enhanced Language Skills

Have you ever noticed how children love to sing and dance to Music? That’s because Music and language are closely related. Musical experiences can help children learn the rhythm and melody of speech.

In fact, studies have shown that children who are exposed to Music at a young age have an easier time developing language skills.

Singing songs, learning nursery rhymes, and playing with musical instruments can all help young children develop their language skills.

Social and Emotional Growth

Music has the power to connect people, and this is especially true for young children. Singing and playing music with others can help young children develop crucial social and emotional skills, such as empathy, cooperation, and communication.

Children can learn to take turns, share, and work together to create a musical experience. In addition, Music can help promote a sense of self-confidence and self-expression in young children.

Music is Therapy

Music can also be a therapy for children who have experienced trauma or have special needs. Music therapy can help children with autism, ADHD, or speech delays to improve their communication and social skills.

It can also be used to help children who are experiencing emotional or physical pain. Music can help them feel more relaxed and calm, aiding healing.

How to Bring Music into a Child’s Life?

Incorporating Music into your child’s life doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some simple ways you can introduce music into your child’s routine:

• Play Music during playtime or bathtime
•  Sing lullabies or songs before bedtime
•  Attend a music class or concert with your child
•  Encourage your child to play with musical instruments like drums, shakers, and xylophones
•  Use Music to teach your child about different cultures and traditions

TOP 15 Music Activities that you can explore with Kids

Music is everywhere, not just limited to songs and dance. There are various ways a child can learn about Music, and one of the best ways is jumping right into the activities that explore Music differently.

So, below is a list of activities that you can enjoy with your little ones-

Freeze!

Playing Freeze with a music twist is a fun and exciting game that keeps your preschooler entertained. Begin with playing the Music and cheerfully ask the kids to dance or move around.

Suddenly stop the Music, and your child has to freeze in their current position. You can make it even more challenging by having them strike a pose or make a silly face.

Singing Songs

Singing songs is one of the most enjoyable ways to introduce your preschooler to Music, as it is the first thing that comes to mind.

Whether it’s a catchy nursery rhyme or a more complex song, singing with the kids can help them improve their language and communication skills.

As you sing along, encourage the kids to join in, add their own words, or even create their melodies and make the activity fun.

Sound Hunt

Playing a good hunting game is a creative way to help preschoolers develop listening and attention skills.

Hide different sound-making objects around the house, like a bell, a whistle, or a set of keys, and have the kids find them by following the sound.

You can also create a different game by hiding other musical instruments or toys that make noise.

Musical Chairs

Playing musical chairs is a classic game that never gets old. Set up chairs in a circle, one fewer than the number of children, and play music while they walk around the chairs. The game is simple: the children must sit on a chair when the Music stops.

The child who is left standing is out, and one chair is removed each round. The last child remaining in their seat is declared the winner.

Dancing

With Music, there shall be dancing, and Dancing is another fun and exciting way to get your preschoolers moving and grooving to the rhythm of the Music.

Get ready to play lively Music and watch the kids shake their legs and body while wiggling to the beats. You can also incorporate dance moves from popular children’s songs to make them fun, relatable, and interactive.

Musical Instruments

Introducing your preschooler to different musical instruments is a fun and educational experience that a child will never forget.

Let your children experiment with different sounds and textures by playing simple percussion instruments like tambourines, maracas, or rhythm sticks.

Once they are accustomed to the given tools, you can introduce more complex devices like xylophones, keyboards, or even a child-sized drum set.

It’s Storytime!

Music and stories are two of the best things humans could have invented in the name of art. So, Incorporating Music into storytime is a fun and interactive way to make reading and listening more engaging for preschoolers.

Singing songs that relate to the story, like animal songs, counting songs, or lullabies, can help your child remember the account better and associate it with it through positive emotions.

Body Percussion

Inspiringly asking the kids to use their bodies as percussion instruments is one of the most fun and engaging ways to introduce them to Music.

Clapping, snapping, stomping, or tapping their feet to the beat of the Music are ways the kids can create Music through body percussion. By doing this activity, it can help them develop their coordination, rhythm, and motor skills.

Memorizing Musically

Playing a memory game involving Music is an enjoyable and challenging way to help children improve their memory and concentration skills while listening to Music.

Play a short melody or rhythm on an instrument, and have your child try to repeat it back to you. You can also make it more difficult by adding more notes or changing the tempo.

Scavenger Hunt

What’s more creative than constructing a musical scavenger hunt to help the children develop their listening skills and attention to detail?

Hide different objects around the house or a playground that make a sound when touched or moved, and ask the children to find them by listening carefully to the sound.

You can also create a list of musical items, like a guitar pick, a music book, or a CD, and make the kids search for them.

Musical Yoga

Combining Music with yoga is a unique and ancient way to help preschoolers improve their balance, flexibility, listening, and relaxation skills.

Play calming Music and guide your child through different yoga poses, like downward dog, tree pose, or child’s pose, while incorporating various music-related movements, such as swaying or stretching like a guitar.

Karaoke

Setting up a mini karaoke machine or just playing music and having your preschooler sing along with the lyrics will bring the room together.

Moreover, kids singing in karaoke can be an effective way to build their confidence and encourage their creativity.

Singing can also help them improve their language and pronunciation skills, as well as their memory and attention span.

Musical Drawing

Combining Music with art is only a suitable way to help children express their creativity and imagination. Initiate the activity by putting on some calming music and ask the kids to draw or paint the rhythm of the Music they are listening to.

You can also give them a free hand and ask them to remove what the Music makes them feel or what they see in their mind’s eye.

Musical Hopscotch

Playing Hopscotch is a fun game within itself, and by mixing it with Music, you’ll get musical Hopscotch. Just ask the kids, and they’ll agree that this activity is a fun and active way to help preschoolers develop their gross motor skills and coordination.

Firstly, you must draw a hopscotch pattern on the ground and play music while your child jumps from square to square with the beats.

You can add different musical challenges to make the game more challenging, like clapping their hands or spinning around while hopping.

Musical Parachute

Musical parachute is an exciting and interactive activity that has aged quite well, but the catch is you’ll need a miniature parachute for it. This activity has evolved to help the children develop their social skills and teamwork abilities.

All you need is some lively music, and ask the children to hold onto the edges of the parachute while you move it up and down, side to side, or in a circle according to the Music. You can also add different objects or toys onto the parachute to make it even more exciting.