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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nMusical games are an easy, screen-free way to get everyone moving, laughing, and connecting. There\u2019s a lot happening while you play, too. Musical play is naturally multisensory, engaging children through listening, movement, sight, and touch. And it can support their physical, cognitive, social-emotional, language, and music development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For over 40 years, Music Together\u00ae<\/sup> teachers have been sharing music activities with young children and their families in class\u2014and giving parents ideas for keeping the fun going at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are five favorites to try with your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Freeze Dance Did you know?<\/em><\/strong> \u201cFreezing\u201d when the music stops gives your child a chance to practice inhibitory control\u2014the ability to stop an action they\u2019ve already started. It\u2019s 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<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mirror Game Did you know?<\/em><\/strong> Following another person\u2019s movements takes concentration! Your child is also practicing skills like taking turns, spatial awareness, and understanding personal space. And when it\u2019s their turn to lead, having their ideas followed can help build leadership skills and confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n Pass the Beat Did you know?<\/strong> Keeping a steady beat is an important part of musical development. Moving an object in time with the music lets your child experience the beat with their whole body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musical Hot \u2019n\u2019 Cold Have the \u201cseeker\u201d leave the room while someone hides a stuffed animal or other object. When the seeker returns, everyone else sings a song and taps the beat: more softly when the seeker is far from the hidden object and louder as they get closer. Once the object is found, switch roles!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you know?<\/strong> <\/em>Around ages four to eight, children become increasingly interested in games with agreed-upon rules. Adding music gives them another layer to think about as they listen, respond, and play within those rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musical Drawing Try this:<\/em><\/strong> Include music with and without lyrics. Without words to follow, children can focus on the song\u2019s musical elements. Translating what they hear into something they can see and create adds another dimension to the multisensory experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bring More Musical Play into Your Week Want more?<\/em><\/strong> Find a Music Together class in your neighborhood with our Class Locator<\/a>. Each semester, you\u2019ll discover dozens of ways to sing, move, and play with your child, plus a new collection of songs to enjoy together at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Your toddler or preschooler looks up at you and says (or, let\u2019s face it, demands), \u201cPlay with me!\u201d Whether it\u2019s after school, during a playdate, or just an afternoon at home, sometimes you need a new activity that everyone will actually want to do together. Try adding some music. Musical games are an easy, screen-free… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2284,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[87,56,153,30,40],"class_list":["post-3084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mt-at-home","tag-child-development","tag-music-at-home","tag-music-learning-supports-all-learning","tag-music-together","tag-music-making"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3084"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3090,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3084\/revisions\/3090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/strong>Turn on some music and invite everyone to dance. Then, pause the music at any time\u2026and freeze! Start it again and keep dancing. Try it with different kinds of music, too. An up-tempo song creates a very different movement experience from one that\u2019s slow and smooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Sit across from your child and ask them to be the \u201cmirror\u201d while you\u2019re the \u201cleader.\u201d As you sing a call-and-response song like \u201cStick Tune\u201d (available to stream as part of the Family Favorites<\/em> collection), make a simple movement and invite your child to imitate you. Then switch roles and let your child lead. With older children, experiment with more complex movements, like moving several body parts at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.musictogether.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MT-ClassroomPhoto-46-web-1024x731.jpg\")
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<\/strong>Grab an object that\u2019s easy to pass: an egg shaker, ball, small stuffed animal, or favorite figurine all work. Sit in a circle, put on some music (or start singing!), and pass the object around the circle to the beat. Start by passing on the song\u2019s \u201cbig beat\u201d (macrobeat). Then try the faster \u201csmall beat\u201d (microbeat). You can also change direction or, with older children, try tossing a ball back and forth to the beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Game with Rules for Older Children<\/em><\/strong>
Here\u2019s a musical twist on the classic \u201cHot \u2019n\u2019 Cold\u201d game. This one works especially well with older preschoolers and early elementary-age children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Cue up a favorite playlist and bring out paper, crayons, markers, stickers, or whatever art supplies you have on hand. Invite your child to draw whatever the music makes them imagine. Make your own picture alongside them, too. Then change the music. What happens when you go from something fast and bouncy to something slow and smooth? Does the picture change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>These games are just a few of the ways we use musical play to support children\u2019s learning and development in Music Together classes\u2014and the fun doesn\u2019t stop when class ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n