Activity: Enjoying Music

Learn to enjoy different types of music.

Listen to hymns, Primary songs, classical music, children’s songs, or other appropriate music. Invite the children to talk about how they feel when they hear each type of music. Invite them to clap, tap, or stomp the beat with you.

Let the children sing while you clap the beat for them. Ask them to speed up or slow down, and change the speed of your clapping to match their singing. Then ask them to try to keep up with you while you change the speed of your clapping.

Turn music on and play with the dynamics by changing how loud or soft the music is. When the music is soft, make quiet movements such as walking on tiptoe. When it gets louder, take more exaggerated steps. When the music is at its loudest, jump up and down.

Please adapt activities as necessary to ensure all individuals are able to participate, belong, and contribute.

• Show pictures of various musical instruments, such as string instruments, horns, and reed instruments. Talk about how the instruments work. Ask the children to guess what kind of sound each instrument will make by observing its type and size. Then play a brief recording of that instrument. After the children have heard the sound of the instruments, play different recordings of those same instruments, and ask the children to guess the instruments.
• Look online or at your local library for a video recording of a ballet performance of a classic children’s tale (such as Peter and the Wolf, The Nutcracker, or Cinderella). Watch the ballet with the children and invite them to dance and move to the music. If they need encouragement, show them some possible movements.
• Service idea: Help the children learn a verse or two from a favorite Primary song. You could also teach them any corresponding hand motions that go with the song. Then encourage them to share the song with a friend or family member.

Encourage children to talk about how what they are learning can help them and others grow closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity and should last just a few minutes. You could ask questions like the following:

• How do different types of music affect how we feel?
• How do hymns and Primary songs invite the Spirit?

• Book of Mormon Stories
• How Plants Grow
• Scripture Games
• Learning about Music
• Building or Handcrafting
• Discovering and Appreciating Animals
• Playing Sports
• Learning about Stars
• Learning Is Fun
• Exploring Science
• Creating Art
• Outdoor Games
• Taking Care of My Body through Physical Activity
• Let’s Tell a Story
• Understanding Clouds
• Mapping the Solar System