Music Play at Home: How to Make Music with Your Child
What happens when you give a young child a drum, shaker, xylophone or another simple instrument and let them explore?
You might hear a lot of sounds. You might even think they are simply banging, shaking or experimenting without any particular purpose.
But listen a little more closely.
Young children’s musical play can be much more organised and meaningful than it first appears. Research by early childhood music educator Susan Young shows that children naturally explore repetition, rhythm, movement, sound qualities, sequences, songs and stories through their instrumental play. What may sound random to an adult can contain musical ideas that the child is developing and transforming.
Your child doesn't need to play an instrument "correctly"
When we think about music education, we often imagine teaching children how to hold an instrument, follow a rhythm or play a song.
With very young children, however, music can begin somewhere else:
with exploration.
A child may discover that hitting a drum softly produces one kind of sound, while hitting it strongly produces another. They may repeat a rhythm they have invented, change the speed, make it louder, add another sound or move around while playing.
These repetitions and transformations are part of how young children develop their own musical ideas.
So instead of immediately showing your child what to do, try giving them time to discover what the instrument can do.
The most important thing you can do? Listen.
You don't need to be a musician.
You don't need to know how to read music.
And you don't need to teach your child a particular song.
Simply sit beside them and listen.
If your child plays:
tap – tap – pause
try:
tap – tap – pause
Then wait.
Your child may repeat it. They may change it. They may respond with something completely different.
And suddenly, you have a musical conversation.
Susan Young's research found that when a familiar adult joined children's instrumental play by listening, copying and responding to their ideas, children tended to play for longer and in more varied ways. Interestingly, being familiar with the children and experienced in playing with them was more important than having formal musical training.
Try "your turn, my turn"
Turn-taking is one of the simplest ways to begin making music together.
Let your child create a sound or rhythm.
Then copy it.
Wait.
Let them have another turn.
You can gradually introduce small variations: perhaps you copy exactly, or perhaps you change one little thing.
This simple musical exchange can develop into a surprisingly rich structure. Young's observations describe children's instrumental play as containing repeated ideas, variations and sequences rather than simply random sound-making.
Explore contrasts
You can also play with musical opposites:
Loud / quietFast / slowHigh / lowLong / shortSound / silence
For example:
"Can we make a very big sound?"
And then:
"Can we make the tiniest sound?"
Don't worry about whether your child follows exactly what you suggest. The important part is listening and exploring.
Add movement
Music doesn't have to happen sitting down.
Encourage your child to walk, jump, turn, stretch or dance while playing.
Young describes children's instrumental music-making as closely connected to bodily movement. Children often explore musical ideas through the physical actions involved in playing.
Try making:
big movements + big sounds
then:
small movements + tiny sounds
and finally…
STOP!
Silence is part of the music too.
Let imagination lead
A drum can become dinosaur footsteps.
A shaker can become rain.
A xylophone can become a magical staircase.
Children naturally combine instrumental play with pretend play, movement, stories and songs.
Instead of deciding what the instrument should represent, ask:
"What does your music sound like?"
Let your child's imagination lead the way.
Why is this valuable?
Through instrumental play, young children have opportunities to:
listen carefully to different sounds
explore different ways of producing sound
develop a sense of steady beat
create and repeat rhythmic patterns
experiment with tempo and dynamics
remember and develop musical ideas
link ideas into sequences
play alongside another person
take turns and respond to another person's musical ideas.
But there is something beyond these musical skills.
When you listen to your child's musical idea and respond to it, you are communicating:
"I hear you."
"Your idea matters."
"I want to join you."
Music becomes a way of connecting.
A little invitation for this week
Choose one instrument.
Put away the others.
Give your child a few minutes simply to explore.
Don't correct.
Don't ask them to perform.
Don't worry about whether it sounds "musical" to you.
Just listen.
And when the moment feels right, join them.
You might be surprised by how much music is already there.
Come and make music with us
At Music Time with Laura, we explore music and movement in English with babies and young children from 2 months to 4 years old.
Our sessions are playful, interactive and designed to give children and their grown-ups the opportunity to sing, move, listen, explore sounds, play instruments and make music together.
📍 Arganzuela & Chamberí, Madrid
🎶 Music & Movement in English
👶 Babies and children from 2 months to 4 years
We would love to welcome you and your little musician to Music Time with Laura
