10 Fun Musical Party Games

Our kids love music and they love to shake their bottoms, they were born thinking they are rock stars!  They probably get that from their Latin American booty shaking roots but heritage aside most children really enjoy music, movement and creating their own music.

Here are some our kids favorites music games that we regular use at our parties and just for fun in our home. Most of the following activities can be adjusted for different ages but there are a few that may not work for all ages.

1. Musical Balloons- What you need to do is play your music and have each child grab a balloon when the music starts have kids bounce their balloons in the air and  move to the music. When the music stops they have to freeze and whoever is holding a balloon “wins.”  This is especially great for children who are a bit shy or reserved, the balloon gives them something to do and before they know it they are moving to the music.
2. Statues- Have children move to the music and when it stops they have to be still like a statue. You can add a twist to this game by telling them to freeze like: a rock star, a monkey, a ballerina….
3. I’m a Rock Star- Have your child put on their own show and video tape them or record them so they can watch themselves later and send it to friends and family. You can even have a station for this where they can use props and dress up. If you do video tape them you can submit your video to Leapfrog for a chance to win $500(info. below).
4. We All Fall Down - Play music and have kids move around when the music stops they all fall down.
5. The Word Dance- Have kids write a word on a slip of paper and then make up a dance to go with that. Great dance moves have been made up from this activity: the sprinkler, shopping cart, karate chop….
6. Limbo- You can play the classic song “Limbo Rock” by Chubby Checker or any other song and have two children holding each end of a stick. While the music is playing children will try to go under it limbo style.
7. Battle of the Bands- Have the teams split into groups and tell them you have 5 songs that they can choose from to “play” along with. Each group comes up with a name for their band and the song they are going to share. They can use their imagination to come up with instruments and hit play and watch them have their very own jam session. You can give them points based on creativity or you can just have a show without points. If you want this to be the main activity start the kids out by making their own instruments.
8. Ring around the Rosie- Form a circle and hold hands while you sing: Ring around the rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes, Ashes, We all fall down.
9. If you’re happy and you know it- Play “If You’re Happy and You Know it” and change around the words to end with shake your bottom, do the twist, dance like a ballerina, hop on one foot….
10. Song Charades- Make a list ahead of time of popular songs that are relevant to their age. So if it’s younger ones you probably should go with nursery rhymes or other classic songs like Pop Goes the Weasel, The Wheels on the Bus, You’re a Rock Star… and whisper the names in their ear if they don’t read yet.

The Rockin’ Guitar has 10 built in songs (Pop Goes the Weasel, If You’re Happy and you Know it, Itsy Bitsy Spider…)  so we were able to play a lot of the games mentioned above by simply pressing the music symbol function on the guitar.   Our son loves to be orignal so he added his own musical touches to those classic songs with the acoustic, percussion and special effects sounds function,  it even has applause.  I especially loved that it’s so light my 2 year old can hang it over his neck without a problem and play it easily with the touch feature. Most importantly we are a traveling family and when people give us gifts the first thing I look at is how light and easy it is to pack the gift.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and was given free product by LeapFrog.  The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. http://touchmagic.leapfrog.com