With the COVID pandemic stubbornly continuing, it’s a challenging time for businesses, schools, and families. Countless children have been forced to stay home, and one of the biggest and most common concerns parents have is what to do with their children once the at-home school projects are finished.
As fear and uncertainly surround us during these trying times, one area that’s critically important to pay attention to is mental health. Over the years many studies have shown the power music therapy has to help reduce anxiety, depression, fear, and worry. A powerful benefit we could all use a little of right now.
With that in mind, we’ve collected some fun, musical activities for you to enjoy with your family during this time. Keep it fun, make it educational, and make it meaningful and memorable!
Let’s dive in!
Family Jam Session
Many music therapists use music improvisation, or “jam sessions,” as a means of connection, communication, and to help people redirect their energy and focus. What’s more, you don’t even need to be a musician to reap the benefits! You can use instruments you’ve already got around your home, or simply use objects as instruments, like pots, pans, buckets, keys, or anything you can think of to make sounds. Try turning the hunt for improvised instruments into a game -see how many things your family can turn into musical instruments!
Enjoy the sounds and rhythms you make together. Solos can be fun too!
Make Your Own Instruments
Improvising instruments is always a family favourite! Make the hunt fun as you encourage your kids to find things around the house to make music with. Empty pill bottles filled with rice or beans make an instant musical shaker. Plastic containers combined with a ribber band create a stringed instrument in a flash. And of course, the old favourite, pots and pans as stand-ins for drum kits! See you can make the most interesting instrument from household objects!
Playlists
Another effective tip to help keep your kids musical from the world of music therapy comes in the form of curated playlists. Music therapists often help their clients compile songs and create playlists to match their emotional state, or to help create memories of important occasions.
Choose the emotions you want to build playlists for, and then search for songs that match. Kids can even do this on their own if you help with directions and access to a service like YouTube or Spotify.
Try categories like “Music that:
- motivates me.”
- makes me happy.”
- is from my favourite movies.”
- calms me down.”
- is for the whole family.
Relax with Music
As you’re probably already aware, music helps us relax, practice mindfulness, focus on positivity, and allow us to let go of negative thoughts or feelings. Go through a list of your family’s favourite songs and choose some that will help everyone feel calm. Choose whichever music you like, but music without lyrics can often help listeners focus on images or thoughts as they sit back and listen.
Dance Parties
One of the most effective ways to regulate emotion and help release tension is through music and movement: in a word, “dance.”
When music plays, our whole body receives the therapeutic benefits. Music encourages us to move and dance, so why not get together as a family and move together to one of your playlists?
Karaoke
For centuries, human beings have used singing to help decrease feelings of anxiety and depression, as well as a means to convey what we are feeling. Find some family favourites (perhaps from one of your playlists) and sing along together. You might even check YouTube for karaoke versions of your favourite tunes!
Rewrite Your Favourite Hits
Another fun musical activity to do with your kids is rewriting their favourite songs. Music therapists use this activity to help their clients connect with their feelings and express themselves more fully. If it seems too daunting at first, make it like an “ad-lib;” take a bunch of words out of a familiar song so your family can fill in the blanks and make a song all their own!
Music & Art
Music and art are a powerful one-two punch for helping us to express, focus, and share our thoughts and feelings, practice mindfulness, and explore our innate creativity. Encourage your children to try to paint, draw, or collage something to match the music that is playing, or to match their own emotional state.
Music Trivia
This suggestion might take a little more effort, but it can be a fun way for the whole family to learn about music, lyrics, and artists. Get online and research musical topics to create a trivia game for all the ages of your family. You might include questions like:
- Name as many songs with the word “happy” as you can.
- List 3 songs by Beyonce.
- Who sang…?
Teach with Music
Do you remember how you learned your ABCs? If you’re like most people, you sang it! Many music therapists use music in this way to help children learn new subjects they may be struggling with, and you can too! By creating a simple melody, you can make math, reading, science, and social studies easier and more fun.
Learn a New Instrument
Whether or not you’ve already got an instrument at home, now may be the perfect time to sit down and learn some of the basics. Not only does YouTube have countless instructional videos for basically every instrument out there, music schools like The Music Studio are currently offering a wide selection of online lessons! You and your child can pick up a new instrument together and learn at your own pace -there’s no time like the present!
If online lessons or classes seem like the ideal solution to keep your student up to date while also giving them the freedom to have some fun during this time, look no further than The Music Studio! And be sure to check out our Music Resource for Parents for more fun, musical activities!