Music is full of hope and joy. This is the reason why it’s one of the children’s favorites, even for the youngest ones. However, music can be complex as well. It can vary a lot from one part of the world to another. Music can have several different instruments depending on the culture. These activities to learn about musical instruments will help your little one learn this topic as he or she has fun playing, singing and dancing.
1. Musical chairs (with instruments!). Give this classic game a twist to make it more fun and exciting! Apart from the usual elements to play this game (like a radio with music, several chairs, and lots of happy players), you will need a few sounds of different musical instruments. The game itself is similar to the classic one. You will need as many chairs as players are in the game, and the main rule will be to sit down as soon as they hear a particular musical instrument chosen for the game. Let’s say that you choose a piano. The chairs will go in a circle, with the seats on the outside of the circle. As soon as the music starts, the players will start hopping and dancing around the chairs. Unlike in the classic game, as soon as the music stops, there will be a sound of a musical instrument. If the instrument is a piano, then everyone has to sit down. If not, then everyone has to keep hopping around the chairs. Those players who sit when listening to the correct musical instruments will get a point. At the end of ten rounds, those players with most points will have won the game.
2. Follow the rhythm. This game is so much fun when played in a group! You will need several clips of sounds of different instruments, you can also play the instruments if you have it at home. The objective of the game is to follow the rhythm of each sound made by an instrument. For this, you will need to set a movement that will belong to each sound. Then, as you play the instruments, the players will change their movements according to what they hear. The player that gets fewer mistakes will be the winner of the game. Besides being really fun, this game is perfect to boost children’s motor skills and will come in handy when learning the names of the musical instruments in English.
3. Guess which! This game is a great option to know more about the sounds of the musical instruments, how they work, and how they are made. All you’ll need are some cards with some pictures of musical instruments. Then, the same number of cards with the names of these. The first part of the game consists of matching the instruments to their correct name in English. Make sure to say all the names aloud so your little one can practice his or her English pronunciation. Then, for the second part, you will need four small baskets. Tag each one with the different types of musical instruments: string, percussion, wind, or electronic. Then, you can play with your little one as you sort out the cards into the correct baskets. This is a great way to improve your child’s reading skills and also to boost their cognitive skills as well.
