Musical activities for kids: Easy ways to get musical at home with young children

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You may not realise it, but your home is bursting with exciting musical adventures for your little one.

And you don’t need instruments, nor do you even need to be able to sing in tune, explains Music Therapist Ray Travasso. “You will often hear people say 'I’m not musical, I can’t sing'. That’s actually irrelevant. Everyone responds to music. And there are loads of different ways you can enjoy musical experiences at home.”

Make noise with household objects

It doesn’t matter what it is, if it makes a noise, it’s an instrument says Ray. “You can’t beat a good old pot and pan bash and the whole family can get involved – all the big music stars probably started out playing them too.”

“And you can use water to make noise and play with rhythms too,” recommends Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Alys Mathers. “Fill up different containers and pour water in and out of them, or blow across the top.”

A baby girl playing pots and pans like drums with her older brother. — Image caption,
It doesn’t matter what it is, if it makes a noise, it’s an instrument as far as your child is concerned.

Listen and boogie to your favourite hits

“Cranking up your music on the radio or your phone will get you dancing and singing, so it’s an easy feel-good activity and also great exercise,” says Ray. Games like musical statues or musical bumps will also help your little one's coordination and listening skills.

You can even play music and sing to baby in the womb, as they start to hear sounds from the outside world at around 15 weeks.

Sing nursery rhymes – and do the actions too

Young children love nursery rhymes – the repetition is great for their language learning and the actions help build their physical skills too. Play around with lyrics and actions for maximum laughs with your little one.

A young boy singing an action song with his dad. — Image caption,
Play around with songs' lyrics and actions for maximum laughs with your little one.

Build DIY instruments

Not only will you have a brilliant sound maker but the creative process of making it together can also spark your child’s imagination. Try a simple rice shaker, a tissue box guitar or even a jam jar xylophone.

Annie Price and her son Sonny playing with a cardboard guitar. — Image caption,
Building DIY instruments is a fun creative process too.

Soundtrack daily chores

Yes, you read that right. Even everyday tasks can be opportunities to bond with your little one when add music. Try making up your own songs and rhymes to make routines more fun and get the most out of your one-to-one time. Feeds, nappy changes and bedtimes are all fabulous times to sing.

A mum singing to her baby while doing the dishes. — Image caption,
Even everyday tasks like the washing up can be a chance to sing.

Use everyday sounds

Build your child’s listening and concentration skills by talking about sounds at home or outdoors. See what grabs their attention and try using your vocal skills (yes, you do have them!) and objects around the house to copy them.

How to make the most of your home jam sessions

Sit face to face

“Make sure you have lots of eye contact when you sing or make music and it’s a really good idea to dip down to your child’s eye level,” says Alys.

Follow your child’s lead

“If they bang three times on a drum, you should bang three times on a drum. If they want to empty a container of water and say ‘splash’, then you do the same – and make it into a splashing song. If they don’t want to ping the strings of their cardboard guitar, but bang on it, follow their lead and copy them,” recommends Alys. “The more you can mirror and copy them, the more they get out of the activity because they can participate and will really listen and focus their attention.”

Try syllable marking

“This means taking time to define each syllable in a word like um-brel-la,” says Alys. “Using a musical object to tap out the syllables of words can help your child build their vocab because it helps them hear the sounds in the words.”

Get the whole family involved

A rousing singalong or instrument jam are brilliant activities for everyone at home – and over video calls – and can take the pressure off you to be chief entertainer.

Slow things down

“Slow down songs and rhymes so your child has more time to process them and join in,” says Alys. “This is much more fun for them than simply watching and listening.”

Take turns

Singing alternate verses or swapping who has an instrument is great for your child’s language learning. “This means there’s an element of turn taking just like verbal conversations and you can stretch your child’s attention span by having slightly longer turns each time,” says Alys.