Fun and Free Music and Dance Games for Children

Using music movement at the home or classroom is an excellent way to encourage students to appreciate music, explore dance, and become involved in healthy physical activity. Music movement can be done in the classroom, outside, in the gym, at a preschool, or even your home.

What you will need for music and dance games

You will need a space that allows for physical movement. The space does not need to be a gym, but children should be able to reach out the full length of their arms around them without touching anther student. If you are extremely limited in space, try to go outdoors, the gym, splitting the children into groups, or only engaging in small dance movement.

It will also be ideal to have scarfs or strips of fabric available. For schools with small budgets, you may look into having a local fabric shop or parents donate long strips of fabric. Basic streamers can be handmade by tying long strips of light fabric to large tongue depressors. For temporary streamers, using paper streamers taped to straws can work well, especially for the toddler set. Just have extras available in case the paper streamers rip while the children dance.

You also will need a CD player and music albums to play. The music can range from age appropriate urban dance to classical music to silly animal songs. Choose the music based on the music game, the level of physical activity the children will engage in, and personal taste.

Scarf Dance

Dancing with fabric and scarves is a fun dance activity that children of any age can enjoy. You can enjoy dancing to the music, too! Play music that is flowing and encourages natural dance movement. Soothing world music tracks, ambient tracks, and classical music easily encourage slow, fluid dance movement to the music. Have the children mimic each other or mimic your dance moves. Also encourage freedom in their dance moves. Change the music and describe the music in terms of tempo and style. You might want to incorporate easy yoga moves into the dance.

Follow the Leader

For more uptempo tracks, have the children dance to a simple game of follow the leader. You can begin as the primary dance leader. Engage in simple dance and aerobic moves, like waving arms, stomping, moving the entire body, stepping, jumping, and other simple movements. Once a rhythm has been attained, choose a child to become the leader. You may need to give some children basic rules, like no running or touching others during the dance.

Free Dance

Using scarves or streamers, play music of a medium or slow tempo. Have the children dance to the music in a free dance style. Keep basic rules, like no running or touching other children, but encourage other movements like jumping, using sweeping motions to move the scarves through the air, or even dropping gently to the ground.

Freeze Dance

A music dance favorite, Freeze Dance is a fun game to play. The children free dance until the music stops. When the music stops, the children must freeze in place. If they move, they are out until the next round or next song.