How to go on a sound hunt! Have fun with this listening and recording activity and see how many sounds you hear and recognize.
Updated April 2024
Do you have a child who loves to make noise? Consider going on a sound hunt! Helping kids learn how to listen with intent (try this with music, too!) and experiment with their own sound making is really engaging for all ages.
Here’s a simple activity to help kids appreciate sound in a new way and encourage them to find interesting sounds out in the world.
You can go on a sound hunt anywhere—in the backyard, out in nature somewhere, or inside on a rainy day. This activity works well if you happen to be at a big gathering with cousins and friends or if you’re having a quiet afternoon at home.
Ready? Let’s go on a Sound Hunt!
How to Go on a Sound Hunt with Kids
MATERIALS
- optional: a way to record sound (you can download an app on your phone or use a cassette recorder)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Talk about sound
I like to begin a sound hunt by asking a few questions:
You can ask kids what some of their favorite sounds are.
Ask them to do some quiet listening for a moment and see what they notice.
And then ask, “What sounds do you think you can find?” - Go on a sound hunt!
Time to get hunting! We recorded splashing in the creek, stomping on piles of leaves, banging on a log with sticks, climbing a tree, and a whole host of other sounds.
If you don’t have a recording device, there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had in the process of hunting for sounds without doing any recording.
- Share what you found
The kids wandered around the house and yard, giggling, banging, riling up our backyard chickens, and finding various sounds and recording them.
Each time, as they finished recording a few sounds, they would rewind and play back the recording. It’s so fun to have others try to guess what made each sound.
- Follow up with a sound challenge!
For the next few days after these sound hunts, whenever my kids seemed restless, I invited them to do a sound challenge. One of them would find and record an interesting sound and the other would have 3 guesses to figure out what it was. They loved it!
No matter how you choose to try this, outside or inside, with or without a recorder, I hope you can encourage your kids to notice the sounds that are all around them. Happy exploring!
More Nature Activities for Kids
- 13 Nature Walk Ideas (+ FREE Nature Scavenger Hunt)
- 11 Ways to Have a Creative Summer with Kids
- 10 DIY Outdoor Games for Kids
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