Research has shown that even the youngest of children can recognize music and rhythm, so nurturing this natural inclination towards music is one of the best things you can do for a class of children.
And one of the best ways to implement music into the classroom is to play some music-themed games that will help the children to become more musical, which can help with their creativity, and even help with their memory retention.
It’s a great idea to implement music games into the classroom due to their educational benefits. After all, the way most children learn the alphabet is through a rhythmic song!
Want to know some of the best musical games to play with your class?
Then make sure to read on down below, because today we have put together a list of our very favorites that will help to keep kids engaged for hours at a time!
Musical Statues
‘Musical Statues’ is easily one of the best games to get young children to play, thanks to its numerous benefits, and the fact that it is simply a lot of fun for them to play.
The game itself is very simple. Simply gather up the children in a room with plenty of space, and play some fun and energetic music.
Tell the children that while the music is playing they should be moving and dancing, but that once the music stops, they need to ‘Freeze’, and hold the last position they were in.
This creates a very funny situation in which the children might be stuck in some humorous positions which they must hold on to.
Encourage the children to look around them to see some of the funny poses. It will surely generate laughter in no time.
You can add a competitive element by eliminating children from the game if they move after the music has stopped. The last child standing is the ‘Winner’!
This is still engaging for the children that are eliminated because they can still laugh along at the poses of the other children.
This game is great because it teaches the children some essential things.
First off, it teaches the children some audio recognition, as they need to be able to recognize when the music has stopped, and what they need to do.
Secondly, the game also teaches the children some greater finer motor control, as holding the poses can be challenging!
Pass The Parcel
This is a childhood favorite that is still a great game to play with groups of children in the classroom.
Setting up the game requires a bit of preparation, but it leads to a great fun game for the children to play that is incredibly rewarding.
To prepare for this game, grab a bunch of small prizes, such as small candy bars, or other small gifts, and some wrapping paper or other scrap paper.
Start by wrapping one of the small prizes into a small parcel. Wrap another layer of paper over that parcel with another prize between the two layers.
Repeat this until you have a decently sized parcel that isn’t too heavy for the children.
In order to play the game, have the children sit in a circle, and play some music.
Tell the children that while the music is playing, they need to keep passing the parcel to one another in a clockwise direction.
Tell them that whenever the music stops, the child currently holding the parcel should unwrap one layer and reveal the prize!
This game helps to keep the children engaged the whole time, as the excitement of passing the parcel onward is incredibly enticing.
It also helps them to work on their cognitive abilities, as they will need to keep their ears ready to notice when the music stops!
This game is also great because it allows the children some instant gratification, as every time they open a layer they get a prize!
You can control when the music pauses so that no child has to feel left out!
Listen And Describe
This is a simple game that is great for children of all ages, though it is particularly great for children that have some existing musical knowledge.
Play a piece of music for the children in the classroom, and encourage them to pay attention to the music.
Once the music has finished, invite each of the children to head to the front of the class and write on the board a word that describes what is going on in the song.
This can be anything from what instruments are played, what the lyrics say, the tempo of the song, or simply how the song makes them feel.
This can be a great way to help children not only to recognize musical patterns but also to appreciate music on a deeper level.
Overall, this helps the children to work on their descriptive abilities and their vocabularies as they see the words that the other children have chosen.
Animal Dancing
This is a simple game that can help the children in the class to work on their memories. Play some fun music for the children that they can easily dance to.
Allow the children to dance for a while before shouting out the name of a specific animal.
Once the children hear the name of the animal, they must imitate the animal as they dance.
This game not only allows the children to work on their memory and their animal knowledge, but also helps them to use up some excess energy.
The children will be able to use their imaginations to come up with creative ways to impersonate each animal, and when they see the ways other kids are impersonating the animals it will likely send them into fits of laughter!
Musical Drawing
Music is renowned for its ability to spark the imagination and to get the mind going. As such, it can be a great prompt for children to express themselves visually.
To play this game with your class, give each of the children some blank paper, and some art implements, such as paints, pencils, and pens.
From there, play some music of different types for the children and encourage them to draw what comes to mind when they listen to the music.
This activity helps the children to better appreciate the music they are listening to and tune into some of its deeper elements.
This activity also helps the children to develop their imaginations even more, to gain inspiration from other sources.
Musical Chairs
‘Musical Chairs’ is almost similar to musical statues, but it implements a much more competitive element that helps to keep the kids on their toes, and helps them to use up their excess energy.
In order to play the game, set up some chairs in a small circle in the center of an open space so that there is plenty of room for the children to move about.
Once the chairs are set up, have the children each take one seat, and then play some music.
When the music is playing, encourage the children to get up from the chairs and circle them in a clockwise direction.
When the music stops, the children have to quickly sit in the nearest chair.
To create a competitive element, take away one of the chairs from the circle each round so that one child will not be able to sit when the music stops.
The children must compete to sit down quicker in order to keep from being eliminated from the game.
This is a great game to play because not only does it allow the kids to use up their energy by having fun dancing, but it also helps them to improve their cognitive abilities and their reaction times.
The kids will have to ensure they react quickly enough to grab a chair and stay in the game. This will help to hone their reaction times.
Their fine motor skills will also be improved, because the children will have to quickly come to a stop and grab a chair as soon as the music stops.
This can be a great game to play with the class as it is energetic, competitive, and fun. Just keep in mind they’ll likely want to play it again as soon as it’s over!
To Wrap Up
These are just a few of the great games that make use of music that you can play with your class.
Each of them offers a different experience, so you can easily choose the perfect one for the right situation.
Regardless of which game you choose, they are all a great way to teach the children to appreciate music and to help them to use up their energy.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
