A Favorite Preschool Music Game: Red Light, Green Light

Preschoolers love to make music. Let's face it. They just love to make noise. Music gives them an opportunity to make beautiful noise and there are so many educational, physical and social-emotional benefits of making music. This music game has been a big hit at the preschool where I lead a music program. It is the kids' favorite music game. It uses the stop and go game, "Red Light, Green Light" that they are already familiar with.

This game can be played at home with one or more children or in a classroom with a small or large group.

Benefits and Objectives of the Red Light, Green Light Music Game:

-Vocabulary building including color words red, green and yellow

-Listening skills and following directions

-Opposites and math concepts of fast, slow and stop

-Gross motor skills and movement

Supplies needed:

You will need one instrument for each child. Store bought or home made drums, shakers, bells or any hand held instruments will be great. A pie pan and a wooden spoon will work just as well too.

Directions:

Organize children in a circle and explain the concept of the game before handing out the instruments.

Explain and model each of these:

Green will mean to play your instrument fast and loud.

Yellow will mean to play your instrument soft and slow.

Red will mean to stop and hold your instrument still.

You will be amazed at how well children will listen and respond. They are willing to "stop" because they know "go" is coming again.

After a few rounds you may want to have children exchange instruments and play again with everyone trying a new instrument.

Variations:

Color recognition and Visual Cues:

For color recognition and watching skills instead of listening skills, you can use red, green and yellow paper circles and hold them up without saying a word to allow children to respond to visual cues.

More Movement:

Besides being played seated in a circle this game can also be played moving in a line like a parade. Children will both walk and play on green, walk and play very slowly on yellow and stop walking and playing on red.

Teaching Tip:

Don't use all of your good ideas in one day! Play the game as a listening game one day and then another day review and add another version. This allows them to master and then build and prevents boredom as a new challenge is added.

Take the Show on the Road:

This game doesn't have to been played inside. It is a fun change to take the show outside to add fresh air and sunshine and even more room to put on a parade.

This game is guaranteed to bring smiles and laughter to your preschoolers' day. Elementary age children also enjoy this game.