Music and Movement Games for Kids ~ Learn Play Imagine

We love to rock out. Some days when one (or more) of us is in a mood all I have to do is turn on some upbeat music, and suddenly the three of us are bopping, twirling, clapping and singing. Music moves the soul, and it can be therapeutic. We like to stay active even when the weather doesn't permit outdoor play. Music games provide a great tool for building gross motor skills, and they are so much fun!

Another fun thing we do involving music is pull out some mats and play games to the music. I printed these color mats from Confessions of a Homeschooler. You can use anything as markers. Dish towels, stickers, pillows, solid paper, place mats, or anything else that is flat that you can stand on would do the trick. We use the mats mainly because I printed them and laminated them and haven't used them for anything else. Now anytime we start marching around JZ (4) insists that we go get our color mats.

The pictures aren't the best, because it's hard to take great shots while actively participating.

There are many variations of this. The first is freeze dance. We march, walk, dance, hop, etc. around in a circle on the mats and freeze when the music stops.

J-Bug (2) loves telling me what to do. "Mom, you need to go. Mom, you need to freeze. Mom, stand like this." LOL

The boys call out what they landed on when they freeze. "I'm on the green frog!"

Recently JZ took over this game. He likes to control the remote and press pause and play.

More suggestions for movement games with music:

While walking in a circle on our mats I call out (and demonstrate!) how to move:

walking
hopping
marching
jumping on one foot
switch feet
skipping (to teach a young child say "step-hop, step-hop")
twirling
side stepping
switch sides
crawling
crab walking
walking on tip toes
tiny steps
long strides
lunges
step-touch the ground, step-touch the ground
step clap, step clap
gallop
backwards walking

Any kind of movement you can think of. Be creative. We go around a few times before calling out a new movement. In our house the best place is around the couch and pack and play that are pushed together in the family room. You don't need a giant space for this. We make a path around the furniture and get on our feet! This is the perfect way to burn energy inside when the weather isn't ideal for outdoor play.

Another spin on this activity is to walk and call out hand motions:

clapping
reaching to the sky
reaching for your toes
spinning your outstretched arms
bicep curls
reach one arm, then the other
hands on your hips
hands on your shoulders
punching in front of you
hands on your knees then criss cross them

The possibilities go on and on. We do this for several songs until we are about to drop. It's a surprisingly good low impact workout, and best of all it's FUN. The more you get into it the more your kids will love it. When we "March!" I say it in a deep, booming voice. When we walk backwards I tell the boys to "Move like Mater!" (Tow Mater from Cars who is known for his backwards driving.)

Take turns calling out instructions. JZ has a tendency to take over games. I let him for a bit, but I also make sure J-Bug gets a turn. I also make sure he follows instructions when someone else gives them, so he learns he isn't always the boss. (He comes by it naturally. I did the same thing when I was a kid.)

For more ideas for getting kids moving visit my Motor Development board on Pinterest.