Many dance and movement activities involve music. For instance, dances like the "Hokey Pokey" or the freeze dance are popular movement activities for children. Songs like the "Hokey Pokey" teach good listening skills and the difference between left and right. Encouraging children to keep the beat during a song or practicing slow and fast are also simple and fun activities. Another enjoyable game involves splitting a group of children into groups of two, and each person faces their palms to their partner's palms and while the music is playing, the team leader moves to the music while their teammate mirrors their actions. Build a music machine in which each child makes a sound and does a movement; each child joins the group to build a "machine."
Many musical games can be played with instruments. Instead of doing the traditional "Old MacDonald's Farm," sing about "Old MacDonald's Band" with a variety of instruments. March around in a circle with hand drums to a song with a good beat. Older children will be able to play instruments like hand bells in an organized manner, so they could play a simple tune as a group. The freeze dance can also be done while playing instruments. If you do not know how to play an instrument or do not own instruments, there are many online games that simulate instrument sounds and teach children about instruments.
Many children learn how to read music, and using games to teach these music fundamentals is an enjoyable experience. Make flash cards and either quiz children by themselves or in teams. Do a tic-tac-toe game that involves listening, so aural skills can be improved; each team, X or O, can earn a mark on the board by finding the appropriate rhythm they hear or by clapping or counting a rhythm on the board. Scramble notes on the board and have teams arrange the rhythms into a specific pattern.
Many games involve memory and matching. Younger children will enjoy memory games with pictures of musical instruments or musical symbols. Practice aural skills with older children by having them match the notation of a rhythm to the rhythm they are hearing. Practice instrument differentiation by seeing who can guess the instrument from the sounds they hear. Learning new songs or familiar songs by rote uses memory.