4 rock stars during the 1-week long rock star camp in Ottawa, Ontario. Looking great in their cowboy hats and big smiles

Musical Games for Kids

Musical Chairs

  1. Arrange chairs in a circle facing outwards. Make sure there is one less chair than participants.
  2. Play music while everyone dances around the chairs, moving in a circle.
  3. When the music stops, everyone rushes to find a seat. Whoever doesn’t find a seat is eliminated and gets to choose the next song!
  4. Remove one chair and continue until only one chair remains and two finalists compete for the last chair!

Copy Cat

  1. Use any instrument, noise maker or just clapping and body sounds.
  2. One leader makes a sound or a pattern of sounds and all participants try to copy that sound. (Ex. Stomp four times on the floor or clap 10 times very fast)
  3. There isn’t really a winner or looser just take turns with who gets to be the leader.

Marching Band

  1. Use any instrument, noisemaker or just clapping and body sounds.
  2. Form a long, single-file line.
  3. One leader yells “MARCH” and everyone follows along making noises with every step. The leader can count “Left, right, left, right”.
  4. When the leader yells “ATTENTION”, everyone freezes and waits for further instruction.
  5. The leader gives instructions like “Clap 5 times”. Everyone claps 5 times.
  6. The leader yells “MARCH” and the game repeats.
  7. Alternate who gets to be the leader, switch directions of the marching, try marching backwards or side-stepping. Be creative and have fun!

If You’re Happy & You Know it Game

  1. Play and sing the song “If you’re happy and you know it” like normal (clap our hands, stomp your feet, shout hurray)
  2. Take turns asking each kid what they like to do when they’re happy. If they say “jump up and down” work that into the lyrics of the song and all kids will do that thing. ex: If you’re happy and you know it: jump up and down!
  3. Try other fun things like imitating animals. ex: “if you’re happy and you know it, act like a monkey”.
  4. This really hypes the kids up and also tuckers them out so be warned!

Fun & Easy Musical Crafts for Kids

Popsicle Stick Piano

  1. Cut a rectangular piece of paper (about 4″x6″) (to be the keys)and another smaller one about (4″x3″) to be the music.
  2. Decorate 5 popsicle sticks as desired
  3. Fold all sides of a piece of construction paper in by about 1.5″. Make diagonal folds in the corners. Do not glue together yet!
  4. Make a fold .75″ up the long side of the 4×3 piece of paper. Decorate the large side with a drawing or music notes.
  5. Draw 6 even lines on the 4×6 piece of paper and glue the popsicle sticks on the lines. Make sure to leave one space blank to replicate the pattern of a real piano. Glue everything to the folded piece of construction paper.
  6. Glue the folds together to make a 3D box. Let dry and play songs together!

Elastic Band Guitar / Ukulele / Banjo

  1. Decorate the paper plate and the paint stir stick. Recommended drawing about 10 vertical frets on the stick.
  2. Cut a small slit in one side of the plate. (Recommended thick paper plates rather than really thin ones)
  3. Slide the paint stir stick through the hole and glue the stick to the plate. Let dry overnight for best results.
  4. Cut slits in the end of the paper plate and in the tip of the paint stick for the strings to sit in. (Help smaller kids with this step and be careful not to split the stick)
  5. Stretch out between 3 and 6 elastic bands and fit them into the slits. One side of elastic goes on the front and the other on the back of the plate.


  1. Paint a large (2″) styrofoam ball
  2. Punch a pair of wooden chopsticks into the ball (tip: don’t break the chopsticks apart but spread them open a little before you punch both pointy tips into the balls.) Fill the holes with white glue
  3. Glue a long paper streamer to the end (this makes it really fun to wave around while singing!)
  4. Decorate the chopsticks with pipcleaners, markers or paint

Paper Plate Tambourine

  1. Decorate the bottom of 2 paper plates with paint or markers.
  2. Place bells, buttons, beads, rocks inside one plate and glue the two rims together
  3. Use a single hole punch to make about 10 evenly spaced holes around the rim of the plates.
  4. Feed yarn through the holes like thread for decoration. You can attach more bells to the outside if desired.
  5. Let dry and rock out!

Water Bottle Shaker

  1. Rinse and dry and empty water bottle
  2. Paint the outside as desired.
  3. Decorate the outside with feathers, pipcleaners, stick on eye balls etc.
  4. Fill the inside with beans, buttons, beans, bells, rocks, eyeballs, jewels and anything else that is special to you!
  5. Put the lid on and start to make some music!