6 Songs That Will Teach Preschoolers and Toddlers How To Play Instruments

by Sep 24, 2019Music, Parents, Teachers

Kids love tools! Kids love making noise! Teaching preschoolers and toddlers how to play simple instruments during songs gives them a chance to learn many fine and gross motor skills. The children will also have a great chance to be loud and proud without making anyone mad at them. Just make sure kids don’t start hitting each other when they first get new instruments. Their curiosity will surely make them act in strange ways!

These six songs are sure to get your children swinging, crashing, and tapping away at every opportunity. Enjoy!

1. Tap Your Sticks

Tap Your Sticks is a slow-paced song designed to help children learn prepositions (in and out), opposites (right and left), and body parts (knees). You may like this song if you need to help motivate your kids and want them to use their listening skills to learn what comes next. My students frequently ask for this song because they like using the sticks.

Instruments Children Use

Children will be using two sticks. One stick in their right hand and one stick in their left hand. The song will tell the kids what to tap their sticks together and when to move their sticks up and down. Sometimes the children will need to tap the left stick onto the right stick, and vice versa. It’s important they listen and keep up!

Modifications

If you don’t have sticks, you can use almost anything laying around that are suitable for your students, such as rulers, markers, crayons, etc.

2. Shake Your Shaker Eggs

Kids love having a shaker prop along with this song. We us plastic Easter eggs with rice, beans, or any other noise maker inside, then we securely tape up the eggs. Kids will shake these eggs through the whole song and be happy about it the entire time. Be careful, though. Kids will start to annoy their peers by shaking their eggs in each other’s faces.

Instruments Children Use

Children will be using shaker eggs that you can find on Amazon. Children will be given one egg and choose whichever hand they prefer to hold their shaker eggs. This song teaches the children to be attentive and follow along to the song so they know what to do with their shaker egg and do it correctly. They will be learning opposites, prepositions, and body parts. It also allows them to use their imagination. For example, shaking it like the sound of a train. This song also allows the children to be engaged, have fun and practice their large motor skills.

Modifications

Use any device that makes noise when children shake them. Try using rattles, bells, tambourines, etc for some extra noise!

Don’t forget to play this on the day you craft an egg with your kids!

3. Shake Your Scarves

It is time to take the scarves out of the closet and shake it to the song. Okay, maybe not. However, children enjoy having scarves to use for this song. My children wait patiently for their turn to pick out the scarves as they are ready to follow along to the lyrics.

Instruments Children Use​

Use colorful scarves for this song. Children enjoy picking their color and shaking their scarves to the rhythm of the song. Moving the scarves up, down, and all around brings a smile to their faces. Not only that, they are learning prepositions and using both their fine and large motor skills to move the scarves according to the songs. The children are adorable when they are extra attentive and are listening to the song to make sure they are shaking their scarves accordingly.

Modifications

You can always use ribbons, strings, or cut up some fabric into squares to call it scarves. Just remind the children that they are pretending the items are “scarves”.

4. Twirl Those Ribbons

Children love choosing their color ribbons and twirling it around in the classroom to the song. Twirling the ribbons up, down, and all around allows children freedom to move it gently to the song. It teaches the children prepositions as they are using both their fine motor and large motor skills to not only move, but twirl the ribbons. The children are carefully listening to the song to make sure they are moving it correctly without any mistakes. You will find children who will shake or twirl those ribbons fast because it is so hard not to!

Instruments Children Use​

Use colorful ribbons for this song. You can add more than one ribbon if you make your own.

Modifications

You can use scarves, strings or cut up long 2-3 inches wide fabric to your desired length to make ribbons. I made my own ribbons by using fabrics that are appealing to the children’s eyes and tied 2-3 on a stick to make fun.

5. Ribbons in the Air

Children like to sing to this easy follow along song and wave their long ribbon in the air. There are not a whole lot of prepositions in this song, however they enjoy waving their ribbons up, down, right, and left to the lyrics of the song. Watch your children’s facial expression and see how careful they are gently moving their ribbons. You’ll be surprise.

Instruments Children Use​

Use colorful ribbons.

Modifications

You can use scarves, strings, or cut up some fabric to make your own ribbons.

6. ABC Rock

When I ask the children it is time to sing our ABCs, they all yell and ask for ”ABC Rock”. Children are excited to pretend to be guitarists whether they are standing or sitting during this song. They are using their hands and fingers to hold their guitar and moving them up and down as if they are strumming the guitar strings which allows for improvement in fine motor skills. They truly love singing and using their decorated guitar to play this song loud and proud.

Instruments Children Use​

Have children decorate a pre-cut paper guitar. They can decorate according to their liking using a variety of materials. Just don’t forget to use yarn or some type of string to make the line for the guitar’s strings. This “guitar” will be their guitar to use to this song or any other songs you like. You can also use children’s guitar as prop if you can afford it for your students.

Modifications

Create one guitar and choose one student to be the guitarist to play during the song, while all the other students sing and dance to the music.

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