Engaging Sound Games and Activities for Children Aged 5–12: For Winter, Summer, & Easter Holidays (2025 Update)
Educational and Fun Activities
Written by Greg Payne
10 June 2024
🕓 10 min
Sound Science for Every Season
Looking for exciting, educational ways to keep your child engaged during the holidays? Whether it’s winter, summer, or Easter break, sound-based games offer a brilliant mix of fun and learning. From active games that get children moving to calm, crafty activities they can enjoy indoors, sound is a sensory-rich way to explore the world—and sneak in some science, too!
At The Science of Sound, we believe that every child deserves hands-on learning experiences that are joyful, inclusive, and curiosity-driven. That’s why we’ve curated a selection of our favourite seasonal sound activities that can be done at home, in the garden, or even during a family trip. These games support everything from listening skills to rhythm, teamwork, and creative thinking.
You’ll also see how these ideas link naturally to the kinds of explorations we deliver in our holiday camps, after-school clubs, and school workshops—making science playful, physical, and memorable.
➡️ Want even more seasonal sound ideas? Read: Fun Sound Activities for Kids Aged 5–12
➡️ Explore our latest Science Holiday Camps for a truly immersive experience.
Let’s dive into the wonderful world of sound—whatever the weather!
1. Guess That Sound
This classic listening game turns everyday sounds into a science-powered guessing challenge! Perfect for small groups or cosy one-on-one play, it sharpens children’s auditory skills and teaches them to listen with purpose.
✅ What You’ll Need:
- A variety of household items that make distinct sounds (e.g. keys jingling, paper tearing, water pouring, a spoon tapping a glass)
- A blindfold (optional) or simply ask your child to close their eyes
- Optional: a phone or tablet to play recorded sounds
✅ How to Play:
- One person makes a sound using an object, while the child listens without peeking.
- The child guesses what made the sound. Start with easier sounds, then build up to more challenging ones.
- Keep score or turn it into a sound mystery game—can they guess five in a row?
✅ Why It’s Fun:
It boosts focus, memory, and observation skills—while keeping kids laughing. You can also flip roles and let children create the sounds to stump adults!
In our STEM workshops, we take this a step further by letting children record and categorise their own sounds using tablets. It’s a brilliant way to explore how the brain processes audio—and it all starts with a simple game.
2. Musical Statues
A party favourite with a science twist! Musical Statues is more than just a fun movement game—it’s a brilliant way to help children develop rhythm, timing, and self-regulation through sound.
✅ What You’ll Need:
- A music player, Bluetooth speaker, or phone with your child’s favourite playlist
- A safe, open space to move around (indoors or outdoors)
✅ How to Play:
- Start the music and let the children dance, hop, wiggle, or groove freely.
- Pause the music at random moments. When the sound stops, everyone must freeze like a statue.
- Anyone who moves is out (or just reset for the next round in friendly games).
✅ Make it educational:
Call out music vocabulary between rounds—“freeze on the beat!”, “next round: only low-pitch moves!”, or “freeze in a triangle shape!” to introduce geometry and sound concepts.
✅ Why It’s Fun:
Children love the physical freedom and sudden surprise of pausing. It’s great for developing auditory response, impulse control, and musical awareness.
In our holiday camps, we remix this into "Sound Freeze Challenges," combining themes, moods, and science facts between rounds. A perfect way to keep the energy high and the learning subtle.
For more music-based activities, check out our post Creating Musical Instruments with Everyday Materials.
3. DIY Rainstick Craft
When the holidays call for calm, creative indoor time, this rainstick activity is the perfect blend of craft and sound science. Children create their own instrument while learning how different materials produce sound.
✅ What You’ll Need:
- 1 cardboard tube (from kitchen roll or wrapping paper)
- Aluminium foil (for internal spiral)
- Rice, lentils, or small beads (for the rainfall effect)
- Tape or glue to seal the ends
- Decorative supplies: stickers, markers, wrapping paper, or ribbon
✅ How to Make It:
- Seal one end of the tube securely.
- Roll a long piece of foil into a coil or spiral, then gently place it inside the tube.
- Add a few tablespoons of rice or beads.
- Seal the other end of the tube and test the sound by gently tipping it back and forth.
- Decorate the outside however your child likes!
✅ Why It’s Fun:
It encourages creativity, patience, and sensory exploration. Children can experiment with materials and compare sounds between rainsticks.
We love using this in our Easter and winter workshops, where children explore the sound of weather and vibration by crafting and playing. It’s a soothing, sensory-rich experience that doubles as a take-home treasure.
4. Sound Scavenger Hunt
Looking for a way to combine outdoor fun with critical listening skills? A Sound Scavenger Hunt turns your home, garden, or park into a vibrant soundscape just waiting to be explored.
✅ What You’ll Need:
- A printed or handwritten list of sounds (e.g. birds chirping, footsteps, a car engine, someone laughing, a door creaking)
- Pencil or phone to tick off sounds or record them
- Optional: timer or stopwatch for added challenge
✅ How to Play:
- Give your child the list and head outside—or play inside on a rainy day.
- Listen carefully for each sound. When your child hears one, they can tick it off or record it.
- Bonus challenge: Ask them to describe how the sound made them feel or what might be making it.
✅ Why It’s Fun:
It’s sensory, simple, and always different. Whether played solo, with siblings, or as a race, it builds environmental awareness and auditory discrimination.
In our Science of Sound holiday camps, we take this further by mapping sound zones and comparing urban vs. natural soundscapes. At home, it’s a free and flexible way to teach kids that science starts with simply paying attention.
5. Water Xylophone
This vibrant, musical science experiment is always a hit with kids—and it’s surprisingly easy to set up. The Water Xylophone helps children explore pitch, vibration, and sound waves in a hands-on, multisensory way.
✅ What You’ll Need:
- 4 to 6 clear glass or plastic cups or jars
- Water
- A spoon (metal or wooden)
- Food colouring (optional, but fun for visual effect)
✅ How to Set It Up:
- Fill each cup with a different amount of water. More water = lower pitch, less water = higher pitch.
- (Optional) Add a drop of food colouring to each cup to help distinguish them visually.
- Use the spoon to gently tap each cup and observe the sound it makes.
- Let children explore how the pitch changes as they adjust the water levels.
✅ Why It’s Fun:
It’s music, art, and physics all in one. Children love playing mini tunes and comparing pitches, and they’re learning that sound is made by vibrating materials—in this case, the cup and the water inside.
We expand this in our after-school clubs with “Tune Challenges” and “Name That Note” games. At home, it’s a wonderful way to blend curiosity with creativity using just a spoon and some water!
Final Thoughts
Sound games are more than just entertainment—they’re gateways to science, creativity, and skill-building. Whether your child is dancing in Musical Statues, identifying hidden noises in a scavenger hunt, or composing their own water xylophone symphony, they’re exploring the physics of sound in a playful, hands-on way.
These activities require little setup but offer big rewards. They support listening skills, motor coordination, emotional regulation, and cognitive development. Most importantly, they make science joyful—something to experience, not just study.
At The Science of Sound, we bring this philosophy to life in our holiday camps, after-school enrichment clubs, and STEM workshops. We use sound as a lens to explore the world, helping children connect with science through fun, movement, and exploration.
Because when science sounds this good, kids can’t help but listen—and learn.
