ESL games about music for kids

Here are 10 fun and engaging ESL games about music for kids:

1. Musical Chairs with Vocabulary
Objective: Teach musical vocabulary (e.g., instruments, sounds, rhythm).
How to Play: Place chairs in a circle, each with a picture of a different musical instrument or sound (e.g., guitar, drum, trumpet). Play music, and when it stops, the children must find a chair and say the word on their chair aloud. If they can’t say it, they’re out.

2. Music Bingo
Objective: Reinforce music vocabulary through listening.
How to Play: Create bingo cards with pictures or names of musical instruments. Play short clips of different instruments or music genres. Children mark off the instruments they hear. The first to get five in a row wins.

3. Guess the Instrument
Objective: Teach the names of musical instruments.
How to Play: Play a sound clip of a musical instrument or use real-life instruments. The children must guess which instrument is being played. You can increase the difficulty by describing the sound or playing multiple instruments at once.

4. Rhythm Clapping Challenge
Objective: Teach rhythm and improve listening skills.
How to Play: Clap a simple rhythm and have the children repeat it. Gradually increase the difficulty with faster rhythms or adding sounds like stomping or snapping. The child who gets the rhythm correct wins the round.

5. Musical Word Hunt
Objective: Teach music-related words.
How to Play: Prepare a set of word cards with different music vocabulary (instruments, music styles, etc.). Scatter the cards around the room. Play music and when the music stops, children must find a card and say the word aloud.

6. Sing and Act
Objective: Practice vocabulary and action verbs related to music.
How to Play: Teach a simple song (e.g., "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"). After the children are familiar with the song, have them sing it while acting out the motions. Then, switch to other songs and actions for variety.

7. Musical Pass the Object
Objective: Teach musical terms in a fun, active way.
How to Play: Play music while the children pass around a small object (e.g., a toy microphone). When the music stops, the child holding the object has to answer a question related to music (e.g., “What is your favorite instrument?” or “Can you name a genre of music?”).

8. Musical Story Time
Objective: Improve listening and comprehension with music.
How to Play: Read a short story with some music-related vocabulary (e.g., instruments, sounds, etc.). Afterward, ask the kids to recall the instruments or music elements mentioned in the story. You can even have them act out parts of the story with rhythm instruments.

9. Musical Pictionary
Objective: Teach music vocabulary through drawing.
How to Play: Write music-related words (e.g., guitar, piano, opera) on slips of paper. Children take turns drawing one word while the others guess it. The child who guesses correctly gets to draw the next word.

10. Freeze Dance with Music Genres
Objective: Teach different music genres and improve movement skills.
How to Play: Play songs from different genres (e.g., pop, rock, classical, jazz). When the music plays, children dance. When it stops, they must freeze in place.

Each time the music stops, ask the children to name the genre or describe the type of music they heard.
These games incorporate music while helping kids improve their English vocabulary and listening skills in a fun, interactive way!

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