Music Pre-K

A parent-led year of music play for a 4-year-old: singing nursery songs and finger-plays, keeping a steady beat, making and playing simple instruments, moving to the music, and listening to music from around the world. No music experience is needed.

Music K →

180 lessons

One a day for a school year

7 units

Each opens to its lessons

10 homemade instruments

Parent-led, no music skills needed

Standards

Head Start ELOF & Texas Pre-K Guidelines

What's taught, unit by unit

1
Songs and finger-playsDays 1–30
Singing familiar songs together: Twinkle Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Your Boat, Old MacDonald, Wheels on the Bus and more, with hand motions, echo singing and humming games. The month ends with choosing favorites and a sing-along.
- 1 · Meet Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
- 2 · Itsy Bitsy Spider Climbs Again
- 3 · Singing Twinkle, Slow and Fast
- 4 · Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- 5 · Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake
- 6 · Old MacDonald's Noisy Farm
- 7 · Favorite Songs Revisited
- 8 · The Wheels on the Bus Go Round
- 9 · If You're Happy and You Know It
- 10 · Checking In: Our First Week of Songs
- 11 · Five Little Ducks Went Out One Day
- 12 · More Verses for Old MacDonald
- 13 · Echo Singing with Row Your Boat
- 14 · A Song With Your Child's Name In It
- 15 · Humming and La-La Warm-Up Games
- 16 · Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
- 17 · Five Little Monkeys Join the Fun
- 18 · More Wheels on the Bus Verses
- 19 · Echo Games with La-La-La
- 20 · Two Hands for Pat-a-Cake
- 21 · This Old Man Comes Rolling Home
- 22 · Hush Little Baby, a Quiet Song
- 23 · Revisiting This Old Man and Hush Little Baby
- 24 · Open Shut Them
- 25 · A Whole Session of Warm-Up Games
- 26 · The Muffin Man
- 27 · Choosing Our Favorite Songs
- 28 · Where Is Thumbkin?
- 29 · A Sing-Along Medley of Favorites
- 30 · One Month of Songs Together
2
Keeping a steady beatDays 31–60
Feeling the beat by clapping, patting knees, stomping, tapping and marching. Includes echo-clap games, simple clap-pat patterns, walking to a beat, taking turns leading, and a family beat circle.
- 31 · Clapping Along to a Favorite Rhyme
- 32 · Patting Knees to a Silly Chant
- 33 · Stomping Feet in Time
- 34 · Echo My Clap: Our First Copy Game
- 35 · Tapping the Beat on the Table
- 36 · Clap, Pat, Clap: A Simple Combo
- 37 · Marching in Place to a Beat
- 38 · Beat-Keeping to Mama or Papa's Singing
- 39 · Echo the Beat: Clap... Pause... Clap
- 40 · Stomp and Clap Together
- 41 · Walking to the Beat Around the Room
- 42 · Family Beat Circle: Everyone Claps Together
- 43 · Pat-Pat-Clap: A New Pattern
- 44 · Echo Game: Four Claps in a Row
- 45 · Snap If You Can: Adding a New Sound
- 46 · Clapping to a Bouncy Nursery Rhyme
- 47 · Marching to a Marching Chant
- 48 · Take Turns Leading the Beat
- 49 · Mixing It Up: Clap, Stomp, Pat in a Row
- 50 · Beat-Keeping While Walking Outside
- 51 · Echo the Beat: Silly Voices Edition
- 52 · Tap Along to a Counting Chant
- 53 · Everybody's Turn: Group Leading Game
- 54 · Clap-Stomp-Pat-Snap: Our Body Band
- 55 · Marching Band Beat Walk
- 56 · Echo My Pattern: Four in a Row, Take Two
- 57 · Beat Buddies: Partner Clapping
- 58 · Stomping to a Stormy Chant
- 59 · Beat-Keeping Grand Review: Our Favorite Games
- 60 · Our Family Beat Circle Celebration
3
Making and playing rhythm instrumentsDays 61–90
Building simple instruments from household things (bottle shakers, pot drums, a comb kazoo, a rubber-band guitar, jar xylophone) and playing them. Children compare loud and quiet, guess instruments by sound, and play in a family rhythm band.
- 61 · Meet the Shaker
- 62 · Build a Bottle Shaker
- 63 · Rice Shaker vs. Bean Shaker
- 64 · Drum Day: Pots and Pans
- 65 · Soft Taps, Big Bangs
- 66 · Meet the Bells
- 67 · Shaker, Drum, or Bell?
- 68 · Make a Comb Kazoo
- 69 · Pot-Lid Cymbal Crash
- 70 · Rubber Band Guitar
- 71 · Instrument Museum Day
- 72 · The Loudest and the Quietest
- 73 · Toy Drum Exploration
- 74 · Shaker Relay
- 75 · Guess That Instrument
- 76 · Make a Second Kind of Drum
- 77 · Bells on a Ribbon
- 78 · Rhythm Instrument Basket
- 79 · Make a Rhythm Band
- 80 · Marching Band Parade
- 81 · Which One Is Missing?
- 82 · Egg Shaker Painting Craft
- 83 · Water Bottle Xylophone Peek
- 84 · Copy My Sound
- 85 · Outdoor Nature Instruments
- 86 · Instrument Sorting by Sound
- 87 · Family Rhythm Band Concert
- 88 · My Favorite Instrument
- 89 · Instrument Care and Cleanup
- 90 · Rhythm Instrument Celebration
4
Moving to musicDays 91–120
Moving the whole body to show fast and slow, loud and soft, and high and low. Games include freeze dance, animal movements, follow the leader and a family parade. Done with the parent's own singing and clapping, no recordings needed.
- 91 · Welcome to Move-to-the-Music Month: Fast and Slow Walking
- 92 · Marching versus Tip-Toeing: A Speed Game
- 93 · Running in Place: Fast Feet, Slow Feet
- 94 · The Speed-Change Game: Surprise Switches
- 95 · Slow-Motion Statue Walk
- 96 · Fast/Slow Review and Family Speed Parade
- 97 · Introducing Loud and Soft Movement: Big Stomps, Tiny Tiptoes
- 98 · Loud Voice, Big Moves; Soft Voice, Small Moves
- 99 · The Volume Dial Game
- 100 · Stomp Like a Giant, Creep Like a Fairy
- 101 · Loud and Soft Freeze Combo
- 102 · Loud/Soft Review: The Volume Walk Parade
- 103 · Introducing Freeze Dance: Wiggle and Freeze!
- 104 · Freeze Dance with Silly Poses
- 105 · Freeze Dance: Fast Wiggles, Instant Freezes
- 106 · The Statue Museum Freeze Game
- 107 · Freeze Dance Challenge: How Long Can You Hold It?
- 108 · Freeze Dance Review and Family Freeze-Off
- 109 · Animal Movement Day: Stomping Like an Elephant
- 110 · Animal Movement Day: Scurrying Like a Mouse
- 111 · Elephant or Mouse? A Guessing Movement Game
- 112 · Animal Movement Mix: Bear, Bunny, and Bird
- 113 · Animal Parade: Moving Like Different Animals in a Row
- 114 · Animal Movement Review and Family Animal Charades
- 115 · Follow the Leader: A Clapping Movement Game
- 116 · Marching in a Family Parade
- 117 · Follow the Leader Take Two: Copying Movement Patterns
- 118 · Family Movement Routine Day
- 119 · Reaching High, Crouching Low: Stretch and Shrink
- 120 · Movement Month Grand Finale: Fast, Slow, Loud, Soft, High, and Low
5
Listening and exploring voicesDays 121–150
Playing with high, low, whisper and shout voices, then listening to music from Mexico, India, Ireland, West Africa, jazz and a full orchestra. Children say whether music feels happy, calm or exciting, and look at a page of printed music.
- 121 · New Music Day: Introducing Something You've Never Heard
- 122 · The Tiny Mouse Voice Game
- 123 · The Big Bear Voice Game
- 124 · High Voice or Low Voice? A Silly Guessing Game
- 125 · Does the Music Feel Happy or Calm?
- 126 · Humming Time: Making Music with a Closed Mouth
- 127 · Listening to Music from Mexico: Mariachi Sounds
- 128 · Whisper Voices, Shout Voices
- 129 · Looking at Real Printed Music
- 130 · The Voice Siren: Sliding Your Voice Up and Down
- 131 · Music from India: Sitar and Tabla Sounds
- 132 · Talking Like a Squeaky Mouse, Growling Like a Bear
- 133 · A Song That Makes You Feel Like Dancing
- 134 · Whisper Secrets in a Tiny Voice
- 135 · Jazz Music: Trumpets and Surprises
- 136 · Sliding Siren Sounds: Up to the Sky, Down to the Ground
- 137 · Does This Music Feel Happy, Calm, or Silly?
- 138 · Shout It Out! A Loud Voice Game
- 139 · Music from Ireland: Fiddles and Jigs
- 140 · Humming a Tune Together
- 141 · A Closer Look at Beethoven's Famous Music
- 142 · The Mouse-and-Bear Story: Voices That Go High and Low
- 143 · Music from West Africa: Drums and Rhythm
- 144 · Whisper, Talk, or Shout? A Voice Volume Game
- 145 · Does This Music Feel Exciting or Peaceful?
- 146 · Siren Voices in the Car
- 147 · Classical Music: A Whole Orchestra Playing Together
- 148 · High and Low Animal Voices: A Backyard Concert
- 149 · Your Favorite Kind of Music
- 150 · A Whole Month of Musical Ears and Voices!
6
Call-and-response and family songsDays 151–173
Echo and call-and-response singing, then making up the family's own hello and goodbye songs. Also gentle turn-taking music games, and daily songs for bedtime, waking up and clean-up time.
- 151 · Starting Call-and-Response Singing
- 152 · Echo Games with Silly Sounds
- 153 · Call-and-Response with Animal Voices
- 154 · Building a Longer Echo Chain
- 155 · Call-and-Response at the Table
- 156 · Whisper-to-Shout Echoes
- 157 · Our Echo Songs, All Together
- 158 · Making Up Our Family Hello Song
- 159 · A Hello Song for Everyone by Name
- 160 · Practicing Our Hello Song Every Day
- 161 · Making Up Our Family Goodbye Song
- 162 · A Goodbye Song for Naptime or Bedtime
- 163 · Hello and Goodbye Songs as Bookends
- 164 · Passing the Shaker Game
- 165 · Freeze and Do a Silly Action
- 166 · Whose Turn Is It? A Singing Game
- 167 · Passing a Stuffed Friend Around the Circle
- 168 · Gentle Musical Chairs (No One Loses)
- 169 · Inventing Our Own Turn-Taking Game
- 170 · A Bedtime Lullaby Routine
- 171 · A Morning Wake-Up Song
- 172 · A Clean-Up Time Song
- 173 · Choosing Our Family's Special Music Times
7
Looking back and a family music showDays 174–180
A week of remembering favorite songs and instruments, then planning and putting on a small family concert. The last day is a celebration of the year.
- 174 · Remembering Our Favorite Music Days
- 175 · Shakers or Singing? Telling What You Like
- 176 · Sing, Clap, and Shake All Together
- 177 · Getting Ready for Our Family Music Show
- 178 · Picking Songs for Our Family Concert
- 179 · Our Family Music Show Day
- 180 · A Whole Year of Music Together: Celebration Day

By the end of the year, your child can

Sing a handful of familiar songs and finger-plays with the motions
Keep a steady beat by clapping, patting, stomping or tapping
Play simple homemade instruments such as shakers, drums and bells
Move to show fast and slow, loud and soft, and high and low
Tell whether a piece of music sounds happy, calm or exciting
Take turns leading and following in simple music games

Try the first 10 days free

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