5 More Ways to do Preschool Music at Home

A while back I wrote a guest post about 5 Easy Ways to Do Music at Home with Your Preschooler. Today, I’m expanding on the topic and giving you 5 More Ways to do Preschool Music at Home!

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The previous post mentioned playing simple musical rhythm instruments, using a scarf to encourage dancing and moving, making your own homemade instruments, singing songs together, and listening to music of various styles.

Here are 5 More Ways to do Preschool Music at Home:

• Picture Books

One of my all-time favorite ways to introduce music to young children is to read picture books about music. It could be about instruments, composers, or a musical style like jazz. Or, you can read a book that is a song! Here are some great options:

• Yankee Doodle by Patti Goodnow
• There Once Was a Man Named Michael Finnegan by Mary Ann Hoberman
• There’s a Hole in the Bucket by John M. Feierabend 
• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Iza Trapani
• The Itsy, Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
• The Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats
• Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long

• Explore Sounds of Animals 

Did you know that playing animal sounds and helping your preschooler identify what they hear is a great way to train their ears for music? I love doing this with my preschool music classes. Find some animal picture cards and then search the the sound on YouTube.

Suggestions:

• Birds such as chickadee, pigeon, robin, and crow
• Insects such as cricket, katydid, cicada, and bee
• Mammals such as squirrel, fox, raccoon, and bear

• Explore high versus low

Another activity to help kids train their ears for music is to play high and low sounds. You could do this on a piano or another instrument. Play two pitches and teach the child which is higher and which is lower. Then, play a game — higher, lower, or same!

• Explore loud versus soft

Now, find some items that made loud sounds (airplane) and some items that make soft sounds (kitten mewing) to help your kids learn about loud versus soft. Then, switch to music. Play a loud Sousa march and compare it to a soft Chopin piano piece.

• Learn about instruments with Peter and the Wolf

And, finally preschool is a great time for kids to start learning the names and sounds of instruments! Start with a fun piece such as Peter and the Wolf!

Related Posts:

• Top 10 Reasons to Use Encompass Preschool Curriculum to Homeschool Preschool
• How to Use Picture Books to Teach Music in Your Homeschool
• 5 More Ways to do Music at Home with your Preschooler