This page has free charts to print, worksheet tasks with answer keys, and games for learning the instruments of the orchestra. Start with the four families: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The tasks suit ages 5 to 11.
Pages to print
- Instrument families listening chart: the four families, with a box to tick each time a child hears an instrument
- Orchestra seating chart: where each family sits, plus a blank copy to label
- Peter and the Wolf character cards: seven character cards and seven instrument cards to match
Tools on a screen
- Orchestra seating map: tap a section to see who sits there, and then play a game to find each one
- Listening bingo maker: choose “Instruments” for cards with instrument names
- Instrument picker quiz: seven questions to suggest an instrument for your child
Worksheet 1: sort the families
Write these 18 instruments on slips of paper, or read them aloud. Your child sorts them into four families.
Violin, trumpet, flute, timpani, cello, oboe, tuba, harp, clarinet, snare drum, trombone, viola, bassoon, cymbals, French horn, double bass, piccolo, and xylophone.
Answers
| Family | Instruments |
|---|---|
| Strings | Violin, viola, cello, double bass, and harp |
| Woodwinds | Flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon |
| Brass | Trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba |
| Percussion | Timpani, snare drum, cymbals, and xylophone |
Worksheet 2: how does it make sound?
Match each family to the way it makes sound.
| Family | How the sound starts |
|---|---|
| Strings | A string is bowed or plucked |
| Woodwinds | Air is blown across a hole or against a reed |
| Brass | The player’s lips buzz in a cup-shaped mouthpiece |
| Percussion | Something is struck, shaken, or scraped |
Cover the right-hand column, and ask your child to fill it in.
Worksheet 3: odd one out
One instrument in each row belongs to a different family. Which one, and why?
- Violin, cello, trumpet, harp
- Flute, oboe, clarinet, tuba
- Timpani, xylophone, bassoon, triangle
- Trumpet, trombone, French horn, saxophone
Answers: 1. The trumpet is brass. 2. The tuba is brass. 3. The bassoon is a woodwind. 4. The saxophone is a woodwind, since it has a reed.
Worksheet 4: who am I?
Read each riddle aloud.
- I am the smallest string instrument, and I rest under the chin.
- I am as tall as my player, and I play the lowest string notes.
- I have 47 strings and seven pedals.
- I am a metal tube held out to the side, and I have no reed.
- Before the concert, I play the note that the whole orchestra tunes to.
- I am a long wooden tube folded in two, with a double reed.
- My tube is wound in a circle, and my player’s hand rests inside my bell.
- I change notes with a slide.
- I am the largest brass instrument, and I play the lowest brass notes.
- I am a set of large drums shaped like bowls, and I can be tuned to notes.
- I am half the size of a flute, and I play the highest notes in the orchestra.
- I am a metal bar bent into three corners.
Answers: 1. Violin. 2. Double bass. 3. Harp. 4. Flute. 5. Oboe. 6. Bassoon. 7. French horn. 8. Trombone. 9. Tuba. 10. Timpani. 11. Piccolo. 12. Triangle.
Worksheet 5: label the orchestra
Print the blank copy of the orchestra seating chart. Your child writes the name of each section in its place, and colors each family a different color. Read orchestra seating chart for kids.
Worksheet 6: draw and label
Your child picks one instrument, draws it, and labels three parts. A violin has strings, a bridge, and a scroll. A trumpet has a mouthpiece, valves, and a bell.
Games
Instrument charades. One person mimes playing an instrument. The others guess it and name its family.
Name that sound. Play short clips of single instruments. Your child names each one, or points to it on the listening chart.
Twenty questions. One person thinks of an instrument. The others ask yes-or-no questions. “Is it blown?” “Does it have strings?” “Is it bigger than a chair?”
Instrument bingo. Print cards with the bingo maker. Play The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, and cover each instrument as it plays. Read musical bingo for kids.
Family corners. Name one corner of the room for each family. Call out an instrument, and everyone runs to its corner.
Memory match. Write instrument names on one set of cards and families on another. A pair is an instrument and its family.
Make an instrument
- Strings: stretch rubber bands around an open box, and pluck them.
- Woodwinds: flatten one end of a straw, snip the corners to a point, and blow until it buzzes.
- Brass: buzz your lips into a funnel pushed into a length of hose.
- Percussion: fill jars with different amounts of water, and tap them with a spoon.
Pieces that teach the instruments
- The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, by Britten
- Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev
- The Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saëns
Guides to each family
- String instruments for kids
- Woodwind instruments for kids
- Brass instruments for kids
- Percussion instruments for kids
- Keyboard instruments for kids
- Instruments of the orchestra for kids: the four families
More pages to print
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.