Summer classical music listening challenge for kids: 30 pieces in 30 days

This challenge is 30 short pieces in 30 days. Your child listens to one piece a day, colors one box on a chart, and earns bonus points for small tasks, such as listening outside or drawing the music. The pieces come in six themes of five, so the music changes every five days. Most pieces are under five minutes.

How it works

1. Print a 30-day practice chart and write “Listening challenge” at the top.
2. Play one piece from the list each day.
3. Color one box.
4. Try a bonus task when you have time.
5. On day 30, hold a family vote for the best piece of the summer.

Miss a day? Play two the next day, or keep going and finish a day late.

Theme 1: water

Day	Piece
1	“Hornpipe” from Water Music, by Handel. See the Water Music guide.
2	“Aquarium” from The Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saëns
3	The Blue Danube, by Johann Strauss Jr., the first four minutes
4	The Moldau, by Smetana, the first four minutes
5	“Trout” Quintet, fourth movement, by Schubert, the first three minutes

Theme 2: animals

Day	Piece
6	Flight of the Bumblebee, by Rimsky-Korsakov. See the Flight of the Bumblebee guide.
7	“The Swan,” by Saint-Saëns
8	“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks,” by Mussorgsky
9	“The Cat and the Mouse,” by Copland
10	The Lark Ascending, by Vaughan Williams, the first four minutes

Theme 3: weather

Day	Piece
11	“Summer,” third movement, from The Four Seasons, by Vivaldi. See the Four Seasons guide.
12	The storm from Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” by Beethoven
13	Thunder and Lightning Polka, by Johann Strauss Jr.
14	“Raindrop” Prelude, by Chopin
15	“Morning Mood,” by Grieg

Theme 4: dances

Day	Piece
16	Hungarian Dance No. 5, by Brahms
17	Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8, by Dvořák
18	“Hoe-Down” from Rodeo, by Copland. See the Copland guide.
19	Sabre Dance, by Khachaturian
20	“Waltz of the Flowers,” by Tchaikovsky

Theme 5: stories

Day	Piece
21	“In the Hall of the Mountain King,” by Grieg
22	Finale of the William Tell Overture, by Rossini
23	“The Hut on Hen’s Legs,” by Mussorgsky
24	Danse macabre, by Saint-Saëns
25	The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, by Dukas

Theme 6: night and sky

Day	Piece
26	“Clair de lune,” by Debussy
27	Eine kleine Nachtmusik, first movement, by Mozart
28	“Moonlight” Sonata, first movement, by Beethoven
29	Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2, by Chopin
30	“Jupiter” from The Planets, by Holst

Ten bonus tasks

Each task is worth one bonus point. A child can earn each one once.

1. Listen outside
2. Listen with your eyes closed
3. Draw what the music sounds like
4. Dance to a piece from start to finish
5. Name three instruments in one piece
6. Play a piece for a friend or a grandparent
7. Listen to one piece three days in a row
8. Find the composer’s country on a map
9. Hum the tune from memory the next day
10. Watch a video of an orchestra playing one of the pieces

Ten bonus points earn the right to choose the music on the next family drive.

Make it a family challenge

Give each person a chart. Parents listen too. Hold a five-minute “piece of the day” at breakfast or in the car. See classical music for car rides with kids.

At the end of each theme, vote for the week’s favorite. Write the five winners on the fridge. On day 30, vote among the winners.

For younger and older children

Ages 3 to 5. Play two minutes of each piece. Skip the chart and put a sticker on a page each day.

Ages 6 to 9. Use the chart and the bonus tasks as written.

Ages 10 and up. Add a listening journal page for one piece in each theme. For the longer works, listen to the whole piece.

Play bingo with it

Make a card for each theme with the listening bingo maker. Squares such as “harp,” “gets louder,” and “tune comes back” fit most of the pieces.

After the challenge

For the holiday itself, read classical music for the Fourth of July. Keep the favorites in a family playlist. Then carry on with one piece a week. See how to build a family listening habit in five minutes. If your child takes lessons, pair the challenge with a summer practice plan.