Why we love it
Research shows that listening to music can reduce anxiety, stress and depression and increase our happiness.
This activity helps kids to connect music and their emotions, and discover how music can lift our moods and help us feel good.
What to do
Use our Musical Adventures worksheet as a guide, simply recreate the 10 boxes.
Let your children know that listening to music can change our moods and it's an easy way to get a quick pick-me-up, relax and feel good.
You may want to spend some time thinking of some emotions that they often feel when listening to music, this will also help to extend their emotional vocab!
- When we listen to music we like we often feel - Happy, calm, creative, thoughtful, tired, moved, sleepy, energised, motivated etc.
- What about music we don’t enjoy? Distracted, stressed, sad, anxious, on edge, angry, overwhelmed etc.
Grab your phone or laptop - but a wee heads up that this activity uses YouTube clips, so to avoid ads, you may like to open them in separate tabs before beginning and pausing each clip at the start of the track.
Get your kids to copy out the 10 boxes from our worksheet, and explain that you’ll play some music and as they listen you’d like them to write down how it makes them feel.
Play each song for 30 seconds to 1 minute – ideally so your kids can hear the music, but not see the YouTube clip - just because it's distracting.
Song ideas – but you may like to use others:
- Four Seasons, Vivaldi
- Shake It Off, Taylor Swift
- Happy, Pharrell Williams
- Tarakihi, Kiri Te Kanawa
- Gangnam Style, PSY
- Wonky Donkey, Craig Smith
- Closer to the Edge, 30 Seconds To Mars
- Don’t Dream It’s Over, Crowded House
- 20, Voltaj
- River Flows In You, Yiruma
Debrief after each song and check in on the emotions being evoked. This can be really interesting.
Don't worry about getting through all the songs - you can revisit this.
Ways to use Musical Adventures everyday
While at home together, especially on 'inside days' when it's wet outside, we’d suggest using music that is calming in the background.
When things get 'stressy' encourage your kids to seek out songs that make them feel happy and relaxed.
