If you want to help your children learn music, but don’t have the skills yourself, one of the best ways to teach them is through music-teaching games. And there’s good news: you can find tons of them online – for free! We’ve broken down the best music games out there to help your children learn to play and understand music, so you can choose the one that’s right for you.
This article can also help you if you’re a music teacher looking for fun, creative, interactive, online games to help your students learn music. All of these resources can be accessed with a computer or tablet in the classroom, and some can even be taken home and worked on further by your students. Be sure to check them all out to see which games would fit in best in your musical classroom.
7 music learning games websites for beginners and kids
1. Common Sense Media
This website is an amazing online resource for how to keep children safe on the Internet and in relation to child-targeted marketing. But we’ve also put it at the top of our list because they’ve created their own list of the best music apps for children on the market right now. You can find anything from sing-along music toys to music-based quizzes to piano practice apps and more. The apps are also sorted by age and their user star-rating, so you’re bound to find one of out their 50+ suggestions that suits your child’s interests and abilities.
Why it’s great: Includes games that can be played by children 2-3 years old.
Recommended Ages: 3-14
2. PBS Kids
Brought to you by PBS Kids, this website has over 50 music-related games that can help your child learn music – and have fun doing it! They can learn different instrument sounds, how to create music in different styles, and the music and lyrics to their favorite PBS shows (like Arthur or Sesame Street). Children can choose from learning in genres such as country, jazz, rock, salsa, reggae, classical, and many more, as well as specific instruments, as there are some wonderful games to learn instruments. The games are also very visual and well-produced, occasionally containing characters that your child would recognize (such as Grover from Sesame Street or Curious George).
Why it’s great: Gives children the opportunity to make their own music in various styles.
Recommended Ages: 3-8
3. Tonic Tutor
Tonic Tutor has 40 simple online music games, each geared towards a different learning outcome but all directed towards helping your child learn music. Your child can choose to learn how to play chords, read music, recognize melodies, and much more. It’s especially useful if you’re a music teacher, as you can even set up an account and add students to track their progress.
Why it’s great: Each game is different and uniquely presented, with themes including magnets, boxing, finger puppets, and ice cream.
Recommended Ages: 5-12
4. Teoria
Teoria is a great website if you’re interested in having your child or students learn music theory. This site has great music theory tutorials, references, articles, and – its best feature – music theory and ear training exercises. While many online music activities for children are aimed at very young children, this website is more formal, and so it’s better suited for older children and beginner music students. The activities are still very visual and have a lot of sound components, so they are still great for younger learners.
Why it’s great: Appropriate for older audiences, as the activities are more sophisticated.
Recommended Ages: 6-15
5. And Next Comes L
This website is a great teaching resource, known for helping teachers come up with ideas for instructing those with hyperlexia and autism. Now, it doesn’t have online games for children, but instead has more than 50 ideas for musical games you can play with children – which makes this a great option if you’re a music teacher. You can find great ideas for music theory games, outdoor games, constructing activities, games that help improve music sensory skills, and much more! Many of the games are simple and require very little equipment or supplies, but they make learning so much more interactive and fun!
Why it’s great: Best teaching resource for in-person musical game ideas that can be played with children.
Recommended Ages: 3-15
6. Sphinx Kids
This site has numerous games you can play online that are great for teaching basic (but important) elements of music. You can choose from 10 different games, each with different goals and themes, but all focused on classical music traditions. This website is run by the Sphinx Organization’s Classical Connections Program, in partnership with the New York Philharmonic, which helps to bring classical music into schools that are underprivileged. Children can learn the sounds of instruments, match composers to their music, create their own music, and even learn about popular minority composers and their music.
Why it’s great: Helps children recognize classical music and composers.
Recommended Ages: 3-8
7. MusicLearningCommunity
This website has lessons, games, and quizzes for all different levels of musical experience, and can really help a child gain various types of music-related skills. You can easily sort resources based on the category you’re interested in, as well as by the difficulty level. This means that you can start with easy lessons, and then progress to more complex ones over time. Topics this site teaches include:
- Keyboard elements
- Aural and visual pitch and melody
- Aural and visual rhythm
- Scales and key signatures
- Aural and visual intervals
- Chords
- Harmony
- Music terms and symbols
- Tonal memory and playback
Why it’s great: Easily organized into categories, with options to learn, play a game, or take a quiz.
Recommended Ages: 3-10
We hope that helps you in your quest to help bring music into a child’s life. If you need some lessons that are a bit more advanced, be sure to check out our article on the best online music theory lessons. If you’re looking for a teacher for your child, we have an article on the best online music teachers, as well.
