Ideas for Musical Games

Write down the names of some well-known songs on slips of paper and put them into a container. When it’s their turn, each person pulls a piece of paper and acts out the song so others can guess what it is. Try different groups of songs: Christmas carols, patriotic songs, Music Together tunes. This game is great for older children and mixed-age groups.

Tip: Print out the Drum Collection song cards to use in this game.

Dance in a Conga line to a favorite song. Try the Music Together song “Everybody Loves Saturday Night” or a popular song like “Shake Señora” (Harry Belafonte). After each refrain, choose a new leader and ask them to share a new way to dance during the verse.

Tip: Visit the Family Music Zone for some ideas for new words to try as you dance to “Everybody Loves Saturday Night.”

For this game, use scarves or shaker eggs if you have them—or pass balls, tissues, or small stuffed toys or figurines. Sit in a circle, put on some music (or start singing!), and pass the object around the circle on the beat. Start with the song’s “big beat” (macrobeat), then try to divide it into the “small beat” (microbeat) and pass twice as many times per song measure. Changing directions is a fun development!

A variation, especially for older children? Try to throw and catch a ball on the beat! If the music you're playing speeds up, it's a lot of fun—so choose wisely.

Enjoy a game of "Freeze Dance" with one of the songs from your collection. Invite children to dance as the music plays. You can press the pause button at any time, and once the music stops, the children get to freeze in dancing positions! Up-tempo songs present different challenges than smooth and slow songs, so use a variety of songs whenever you play!

Tip: "Freezing" also builds inhibitory control, one of a set of important skills known as executive functions that develop rapidly throughout early childhood. (Learn more about how music supports executive function.)