19 Sense of Hearing Activities for Preschool  (3-5 Years Old)

The world is an exciting place full of new sights, sounds, and experiences for preschoolers. One of the most important senses a preschooler can develop is their sense of hearing.

From learning to distinguish between different sounds to identifying the source of noise, developing a strong sense of hearing can aid in a child’s language development, social skills, and overall cognitive growth.

Here are 19 fun and interactive activities that can help preschoolers develop their sense of hearing while having a blast!

Sense of hearing activities

Talk with Paper Cup Phone

For this activity, you’ll need two paper cups, some string, and scissors. Start by making a small hole in the bottom of each cup. Thread the string through the holes and tie knots to secure it in place.

To use the paper cup phone, have one person speak into one cup while the other listens with the second cup. Try different string lengths to see how it affects the sound.

Homemade Tambourine Time

For this fun musical activity, you’ll need a paper plate, markers or paint, small bells, glue, and string. Start by letting your child decorate the paper plate with markers or paint, using bright colors and patterns. Once it’s dry, fold the plate in half.

Next, punch holes around the edge of the plate. Thread small bells onto pieces of string and tie them through the holes.

Glue the plate edges together, ensuring the bells are evenly spaced. Show your child how to shake and tap their tambourine to make different sounds, fostering creativity and musical enjoyment.

Quite & loud

Gather paper cups, markers, small items like pom-poms, buttons, cotton balls, stones, chickpeas, and a chart for this sound exploration activity. First, let your child decorate the cups with markers.

Then, fill each cup with different materials like pom-poms, buttons, paper, stones, cotton balls, or chickpeas, ensuring each cup has only one type of material.

Shake each cup to explore the sounds they make. Use the chart to help your child categorize the sounds as “quiet” or “loud.” This activity is fun and helps develop sorting and categorization skills.

Play with Music Sensory Bin

Gather a large bin, colored rice, musical instruments like bells, shakers, sticks, and other sensory items. Fill the bin with colored rice, then mix in the musical instruments and other sensory items like textured balls or small toys.

Encourage your child to explore by sifting through the rice to find the instruments. They can make sounds by shaking, tapping, and rubbing the instruments together.

This activity stimulates the senses, introduces basic musical concepts, and encourages creativity and fine motor skills.

Diy Rubber Band Banjos

For this musical craft, you’ll need rubber bands, plastic lids or small containers, and straws or popsicle sticks. Stretch the rubber bands around the lids to create different “strings,” then attach the straws or sticks to the back as handles using tape or glue.

Once assembled, your child can pluck the rubber bands to hear different sounds. They can experiment with making simple tunes and rhythms, which helps develop their musical skills, fine motor abilities, and creativity.

DIY Rainsticks

For this fun and calming activity, start by collecting empty paper towel rolls, aluminum foil, small beads or rice, and some decorating supplies like paint, markers, and stickers. Let your child decorate the paper towel rolls with their chosen materials, creating colorful designs to personalize their rainsticks.

Next, crumple and twist a long piece of aluminum foil into a spiral, then place it inside the roll. This spiral will produce a rain-like sound. Add beads or rice into the roll and seal both ends with paper and tape.

When your child tilts the rainstick, they’ll hear the soothing sound of rain. This activity is a great way to explore sound and enhance fine motor skills while being creative.

Exploring sound with Diy Shaker

Start by helping your child fill a small plastic bottle with beads or rice. Secure the lid tightly with tape to make sure it stays on.

Then, let your child decorate the bottle with colorful tape, stickers, and markers. Once decorated, they can shake the bottle to explore different sounds.

This activity is a fun way to learn about sound while also boosting creativity and fine motor skills.

Play with Diy Drums

Start by gathering some empty cans or containers, colorful tape or paint, and wooden sticks or pencils to use as drumsticks. Help your child decorate the cans with the tape or paint, letting them create vibrant patterns and designs.

Once the decorations are dry, show them how to use the wooden sticks or pencils as drumsticks.

Encourage your child to tap on the tops of the cans and experiment with different rhythms, such as fast and slow, loud and soft. This activity introduces basic musical concepts and helps develop hand-eye coordination and creativity.

Musical Bumps Activity

In this fun activity, set up a circle with various musical instruments like drums, tambourines, and maracas. Start playing some lively music and let your child move around and play any instrument they like. When the music stops, they should quickly sit down with the instrument they were using.

This game helps your child explore music and movement while improving their listening skills, coordination, and quick reflexes. It’s a playful way to enjoy music and develop important skills at the same time.

Storytelling Fun Activity

Gather some storybooks, puppets, or picture cards for this imaginative activity. Choose a storybook or create a simple story, then read it aloud with your child in a cozy spot.

Use different voices for characters and involve your child by asking questions and making predictions about the story.

To make it more interactive, use puppets or picture cards to act out parts of the story. Encourage your child to play different roles and use their imagination to bring the story to life.

This activity boosts language skills, creativity, and a love for reading while providing a special bonding time.

Animal Sound Safari

For this fun activity, collect animal sound clips, pictures of animals, and a device to play the sounds. Create a playlist of different animal noises from online sources or apps. Print out pictures of these animals and place them around your play area.

Play a sound from the playlist and have your child guess which animal is making the noise. After they guess, they should find the matching picture. This activity helps kids learn about animals, improves their listening skills, and makes learning fun.

Simon Says Activity

To play Simon Says, gather a group of children and make sure you have some space to move around. One child will be “Simon,” and the others will follow their commands.

If Simon says “Simon says” before the command, the players should do it. If Simon gives a command without saying “Simon says,” the players should not follow it. Anyone who does follow the incorrect command is out of the game.

Start with easy commands like “Simon says touch your nose” and then try more complex ones. This game is fun and helps kids improve their listening skills, focus, and ability to follow instructions. It also encourages social interaction and teamwork.

Rockin’ Rhythm Band

In this activity, gather a selection of kid-friendly musical instruments like drums, guitars, maracas, and tambourines. Explain to the children that they will be forming their own rock band. Let each child choose an instrument and experiment with the sounds it makes.

Introduce basic rhythm patterns and show them how to play.Play some upbeat music in the background and let the children create their own rock band experience.

Encourage them to take turns as the lead player or work together to create a simple song. This activity helps develop rhythm, coordination, and teamwork while fostering creativity and self-expression through music.

Singing Activity

For this fun activity, gather a microphone (real or toy), some children’s songs, and a music player. Start by choosing a few favorite songs and creating a playlist that’s easy for kids to sing along with. Let your child pick their favorite song to begin.

Hand the microphone to your child and encourage them to sing along with the music. They can also use expressive gestures and dance if they like. Join in the fun and sing together to create a lively performance.

This activity helps build language skills, confidence, and creativity while offering a great bonding experience.

Musical Chairs Activity

Set up enough chairs for each child minus one and play some lively music. Arrange the chairs in a circle or line, and tell the children they need to walk or dance around the chairs when the music plays.

When the music stops, they must quickly find a chair to sit on. The child left standing is out, and one chair is removed each round. Continue until only one child remains.

This game is fun and exciting, helping kids develop listening skills, coordination, and quick reflexes. It’s also a great way for them to stay active and interact with each other.

Name That Tunes Time

In this fun musical game, you’ll need a music player and some props like 3D glasses or funny hats. Play short clips of well-known children’s songs and ask the kids to guess the song title as quickly as they can.

Let them shout out their answers, and offer hints if needed, such as singing a part of the song or giving a clue.

To make it even more entertaining, let the kids wear the props while they guess. This activity helps improve their listening and memory skills and introduces them to different types of music. It’s a lively and educational game that the kids will enjoy.

Draw What You Hear

In this fun activity, you’ll need drawing paper, crayons or markers, and a music player. Start by explaining to the children that they will draw pictures inspired by the music they listen to. Play a piece of music and have them draw what they imagine or feel from the sound shapes, colors, scenes, or characters.

Encourage them to use their creativity and let the music guide their drawings. Try different types of music, like classical, jazz, or pop, and watch how their drawings change with each style.

This activity helps kids improve listening skills and express their emotions through art.

Telephone Game

In the Telephone Game, children sit in a circle, and one person whispers a simple message to the next person. This continues around the circle until the last person says the message out loud.

Start with a short, easy message. The game is fun and helps kids practice listening and memory skills. It also shows how messages can change as they are passed along.

Going on A Sound Hunt

Take your child outdoors to a park, garden, or backyard for a fun sound hunt. Explain that they will be looking for different sounds, like birds chirping, leaves rustling, or dogs barking. You can give them a checklist to mark off each sound they find.

As you walk around, encourage your child to listen carefully and describe the sounds they hear. You can also do this activity indoors by listening for sounds like a ticking clock or running water.

This activity helps improve listening skills and makes children more aware of their surroundings.

Conclusion

Sense of hearing activities for preschoolers should be simple and engaging, helping them explore and understand different sounds. Activities like listening to nature sounds, identifying various musical instruments, or participating in sound-matching games can make learning fun. These activities not only enhance their auditory skills but also encourage focus and attention.