25 Fun Music Activities for Little Kids

Dance With Me

It doesn't get any easier than this. Clear a large space and crank up the music. Bring out an assortment of fun toys—hula hoops, bean bags, rubber balls, scarves—and start dancing!

The more musical options you have to enjoy, the better. Sample a variety of songs to discover which genre your child likes best: pop, rock, country, folk, jazz, or classical. Share your own favorite tunes, too.

Freeze Dance

It's as simple as it sounds. Blast some of your kid's beloved tunes and dance to your heart's content. Then, when they least expect it, yell "freeze!" and stop the music. See what funny positions you both wind up in. How long can you hold them?

Strike Up the Band

Gather up all the music-making instruments you can find. Don't have a piano or a drum at the ready? No worries, homemade is always more fun anyway. Pull out pots, pans, bowls, empty milk cartons—whatever you have on hand—and let your little one go to town on them with a wooden or plastic spoon. Fill closed containers like sealable bowls with buttons or pebbles and give them a shake.

Draw What You Hear

Cue up different types of music. Give your child some paper and different colored markers or crayons. Start the music and ask them to draw what they are hearing. If they are having trouble, demonstrate.

For example, with slower music, you might draw long, loping lines in a dark color. With a faster tune, shorter, sharper angles using a brighter shade. There's no wrong answer here, just create what you feel.

Name That Tune

Clap or tap out your child's favorite nursery rhyme or song. See if they can figure out what it is. Once they've mastered that game, make it a little more challenging and try to do it in less time or with fewer beats.

Music Fast and Slow

Bring out a variety of songs with a variety of tempos. Ask your kid to dance accordingly, encouraging them to speed up if the music is fast and take it easy when the beat slows down.

Join in the fun, setting an example of how your child should follow. For instance, slowly slide on your belly during a ballad or do jumping jacks while a dance song plays. See who can come up with the most interesting move.

Make-Your-Own Xylophone

Fill an assortment of glasses or jugs (or both) with varying levels of water. Line them up in order from least to most full. Give your child a mallet (a wooden spoon works well) and have them experiment with different sounds by gently tapping on the rims of the glasses.

Follow the Musical Leader

Take turns being the leader and creating dance steps or arm movements to go along with the music you hear.

Singing in the Shower

At bath time, encourage your little one to experiment with the acoustics in the bathroom. What happens when you open or close the shower curtain or door? Can they sing louder than the running water? 

Animal Dance

Did you know the animal kingdom is full of its own fancy trots? Challenge your youngster to dance like an animal. Ask them to be creative and demo how a cat dances. What about an elephant? A kangaroo?

Musical Chairs

Grab a few chairs and arrange them back to back for this fun movement game. You need one less chair than the number of people playing. Switch the music on and everyone moves in a circle around the chairs. When it stops, everyone has to find a chair.

Whoever doesn't find a spot is "out," and another chair is removed for the next round. But you can making being "out" fun by having these kids dance around or be in charge of stopping the music. Alternatively, you don't have to remove a chair each time--young kids will have just as much fun stopping and finding a seat and then starting again.

Composition for Preschool

You might not believe that preschoolers can compose music, but they absolutely can if set them up for success. Give your kids symbols to draw that represent different ways they can create rhythm. For example, an X might be a handclap and a circle might be a food stomp. You can also use instruments like a triangle or a drum.

The kids can come up with their own sequence of sounds and write them down using the symbols.

Limbo

All you need is a rope to hold up while everyone tries to "go low" enough to walk under it. Any type of fun music works with the limbo.

Kitchen Drum Set

Grab some pots and pans and wooden spoons and you have a drum set! Make your own music or play the rhythm along with some tunes.

Hot Potato

Everyone sits in a circle and passes an object like a beanbag from person to person. As the music plays, pass it quickly, as if it were a hot potato. When the music stops, whoever is holding the object moves to the outside of the circle. Have these kids dance so they don't feel left out.

What Instrument Do You Hear?

Play classical music and practice listening for the different instruments, such as pianos or violins. To teach your little one the sounds each instrument makes by either playing it for them in real life or looking up clips online.

Pass the Parcel

Choose a small treat and wrap it in mutiple boxes, bags, or layers of wrapping paper. Pass the package around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, whoever is holding it gets to unwrap a layer. Continue until the treat is revealed.

Family Karaoke

Belt out your favorite tunes together, taking turns performing for the group. Don't have a microphone? A hairbrush will do just fine.

Family Sing-a-Long

If your preschooler has a favorite movie that they love to watch over and over (Frozen, anyone?), have some fun singing along as loud as you can to the songs. Getting up to dance is allowed too!

Dancing With Props

Give your preschooler some simple props, such as colorful scarves, flowers, or ribbons to dance with. These objects let your little one tap into their imagination and direct their play as they dance.

Rhythm Sticks

Give your kid some rhythm sticks and teach them to tap them together to the beat of music.

Rhythm Shakers

Give everyone a shaker or two, whether it's an egg shaker, maracas, or even a salt shaker from the kitchen. Shake and sing along to your favorite tunes.

The Hokey Pokey

Do you remember this one? It goes like this:

"You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out

You put your right hand in and you shake it all about

You do the hokey pokey and your turn yourself around

That's what it's all about!"

After the right hand comes the left hand, the right foot, the left food, and then any other body parts you want.

Bear Hunt

Bear Hunt is a favorite of many preschoolers. Get a recording of the song "We're Going on a Bear Hunt". Kids can walk in a circle as the song play and follow the song's movement directions, such as jumping or running.

Family Band

This one works best if you have a variety of kid-size instruments at home, such as a drum, harmonica, or ukulele. Everyone gets an instrument and the jam begins! This can be done with music playing in the background or without.