Music helps us keep calm and carry on. It helps us focus and daydream, sleep and dance! Especially it helps us make art! Have you ever tried drawing to music? You can pick any music in particular that inspires your children.
In this article, we’ll give you some ideas how you could set up a stage for your kids and “guide” them to draw while they are listening to music or natural sounds such as running water and particularly bird song that have a calming, relaxing effect.
Before you start the music listening activity, set out some simple drawing or painting materials on a nearby work surface. Paper + markers, colored pencils, crayons, pastels, watercolor paints; whatever you have on hand will do.
What did you notice?
Most children will dive right into drawing or painting to music without needing any instruction from you, but there is always a possibility that some kids seem more hesitant. In that case you might ask them what they noticed. “What did you notice?”. What colors the music made them think of, whether it seemed smooth and flowing or short and choppy, loud or soft.
After they finish their artwork you can ask them to tell a little about what they were thinking about or noticing while they were listening.
All in all, this is a nice way to get the kids drawing and really listening to music at the same time, and introducing them to the idea of the interplay of the senses.
From The Virtual Kids Gallery “music to drawing” suggestion list of music, we picked this great Disney music video! Enjoy it!
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