9 Quick and Easy Vocal Warm-Ups for Kids

Singing is one of the best social music activities for kids. It promotes language development, engages their emotions, and builds self-esteem. 

But singing is as much a physical activity as running or swimming — it engages your throat, diaphragm, lungs, and core muscles. Just like you would stretch before a run, it's important to encourage kids to warm up before singing to prevent unnecessary strain on their vocal cords. 

One of the best things about vocal warm-ups is that they're not only beneficial but also easy and fun for young singers. Here, we look at some of the best exercises to introduce into singing sessions. 

What are the benefits of vocal warm-ups?

Vocal warm-ups are essentially voice exercises. They're important because they:

• Reduce the risk of vocal strain: Warm-ups loosen up the inner muscles of the larynx and vocal cords, reducing the likelihood of injury. 
• Improve breath control: Warm-ups often include breathing exercises, which help kids learn how to carry their voices through long phrases, promoting sustained singing. 
• Enhance vocal quality: They can improve pitch, tone, and clarity, prepping young music enthusiasts to be better singers. 
• Expand vocal range: Warm-ups can help singers hit higher and lower notes with minimal to no strain. 
• Improve articulation: Many warm-ups teach kids how to enunciate better, which can also enhance their speech. 
• Support ear training: Some exercises, like those involving solfège, help young singers familiarize themselves with the sounds of different notes, improving their musical ear. 
• Boost focus: Warm-ups can help kids concentrate and make the transition from other activities to singing, resulting in more engaging sessions. 

When and how often to do vocal warm-ups

Ideally, kids should do vocal warm-ups before any singing. This could be before in-person or online music lessons, practice sessions, or performances. 

Teach young singers how to warm up correctly to make sure they can perform the exercises independently. Always ask how the warm-ups feel to ensure they aren't straining — vocal exercises should be comfortable, easy, and fun. 

When they master how to do them correctly, you can then encourage them to do their own warm-ups at these times:

Before singing practice

Singing practice can cause a lot of strain on kids' vocal cords, as they’ll more than likely need to repeat passages and songs multiple times. After all, that's how you improve. 

Doing vocal warm-ups beforehand can make practice sessions more productive. They help vocal cords transition from a state of rest or minimal use to active use, which can reduce the risk of injury, even when you repeat songs multiple times. 

These warm-ups can also promote practice efficiency by allowing kids to focus on the music itself instead of vocal discomfort. 

Schedule a 5–10 minute warm-up session before practice for adequate preparation. Incorporate a mix of both vocal warm-ups and gentle physical warm-ups, like light stretching and breathing exercises.  

Before performances

Performances can be scary, even for adults. To effectively prepare your child or student for a performance, be it a school recital or concert, do vocal exercises with them beforehand. This ensures vocal readiness and can increase their likelihood of successful performances. 

Vocal warm-ups are also one of the best ways to overcome stage fright. They calm nerves and help kids focus less on the crowds they're about to perform for and more on the singing. 

The warm-ups need to be slightly longer for performances. Set aside 15–20 minutes and focus on vocal and light breathing exercises. 

In daily routines

Encourage kids to integrate vocal exercises into their daily routines. They can do them when getting ready for school in the morning, during recess and lunch breaks, or after school when doing their homework. This promotes ongoing vocal health. 

Again, before you encourage them to do the exercises independently, confirm they know how to do them correctly to prevent strain and injury. Also, stress the importance of staying hydrated — water thins out the mucus around the vocal cords, limiting the risk of vocal fatigue. 

9 vocal warm-up exercises for children

Now that you know the value of vocal warm-up exercises, let’s look at which ones you should incorporate into your sessions. Here are some quick, easy, and fun exercises for various age groups to enhance their singing experiences. 

1. Lip trills

Lip trills, also known as raspberries or lip bubbles, are some of the most fun and easiest vocal exercises — even toddlers do them. But they're not just entertaining to do; they're also very effective. 

They connect your breathing and vocal folds, promoting efficient breath control when singing. They also release lip tension and provide back pressure on the vocal cords, which can reduce strain. 

To do this exercise, ask kids to lift their cheeks with their fingers and blow air through their lips to create a buzzing sound. If you're helping young children, ask them to make the noise a revving engine or a horse makes. 

2. Sirens

Siren warm-ups are exactly what they sound like — think firetruck or police car sirens. To do these exercises, ask your child to take deep breaths and make "ooh aah" sounds that move from low to high notes and back down. 

This will fetch some laughs and prepare them for their practice sessions or performances by loosening up their jaws. Siren warm-ups can also help them expand their vocal ranges and promote smooth transitions between notes. 

It's worth noting that some kids (especially older ones) may find performing this exercise a little weird. Explain its benefits and create a relaxed environment to encourage them to take part in the silliness.

3. Humming

This is one of the most beginner and kid-friendly exercises, as it doesn't put a lot of strain on the vocal folds. To hum effectively, tell young singers to relax everything from their jaws to their necks and shoulders. Then, ask them to keep their lips gently closed and produce a "hmmm" sound, starting on a comfortable pitch. 

Humming can promote relaxation and activate the vocal cords before a performance. It can also improve resonance for richer singing. 

4. Tongue twisters

The beauty of tongue twisters is that they're fun for kids of all ages — and even adults! They offer gentle vocal cord activation and teach singers how to properly articulate sounds, which can reduce discomfort when singing and improve diction. 

Some fun and simple tongue twisters for young kids include:

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
• She sells seashells by the seashore.
• Red lorry, yellow lorry.

If you want to add a bit more of a challenge for older kids, some great options are:

• A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk. 
• Seven sleazy shysters in sharkskin suits sold sheared seal skins to seasick sailors.
• Denise sees the fleece. Denise sees the fleas. At least Denise could sneeze and feed and freeze the fleas.

5. Lip buzzing

Lip buzzing is similar to lip trills but focuses on creating consistent buzzing. For this exercise, have the young singer gently push their checks upwards with their fingers and make the "brrrrrrrr" sound continuously. Ask them to stop if they feel any tension or run out of air, and have them repeat the warm-up for several minutes.

Lip buzzing enhances breath support and relaxes facial muscles, improving singers' comfort. 

6. Scales

Scales are the building blocks of all music. They're great for warming up your voice, improving pitch accuracy, and building vocal strength.

For vocal warm-ups, you can explore various types of scales, including major, minor, pentatonic, and chromatic scales. Major and minor scales help young singers learn emotional expression, pentatonic scales promote vocal agility, and chromatic scales help with ear training and pitch accuracy. 

Start with simple scales and move up and down in pitch for proper execution. Also, consider playing instruments like the violin or piano during sessions to help the music enthusiasts develop their sense of pitch. 

7. Yawning sighs

Yawning sighs are great exercises for relaxing the vocal cords and reducing tension. They lower the position of the larynx and stretch the facial and jaw muscles, paving the way for comfortable singing. 

To perform this exercise, ask young singers to take a deep yawn and exhale gently while sighing. Encourage them to do this warm-up several times to release all tension. 

8. Diaphragmatic breathing

This warm-up can improve breath control and increase lung capacity, allowing kids to sing comfortably for extended periods. It's also a great way to get them to focus on singing tasks and calm their minds. 

Note, this isn't your typical breathing exercise — diaphragmatic breathing involves breathing deeply into the diaphragm, not just the chest. 

Have the kids silently take full, deep breaths through their mouths and let their diaphragms expand (you'll know they're doing this correctly if their tummies expand). After a few seconds, ask them to release the air while making a hissing sound. As with other warm-ups, have them repeat the exercise several times. 

9. Animal sounds

Yes, you read that right — we promised fun vocal warm-ups, after all. Making animal sounds is an exciting way to explore creativity and vocal range. It also helps loosen kids up and reduce stage fright before performances. 

Encourage them to make various animal sounds, like a lion's roar or a cat's meow. Ask them to only do what feels comfortable for them to avoid causing vocal strain. 

Get the vocal technique support you need with Trala's vocal coaches

Vocal warm-ups are an essential part of singing, as they help limit vocal strain, improve range, and enhance breath control, which are all vital for effortless singing. 

If you're a parent looking to support your child's singing interests or nurture their talent, encourage vocal exercises before practice and performances, as well as during everyday routines. 

Trala can help by connecting you with our professional vocal coaches. Our teachers can identify a young singer's true range and tailor warm-up exercises to strengthen those fundamentals and help them sing comfortably. We offer one-on-one guidance and immediate feedback to support your child's musical journey. 

Looking for professional voice lessons for your child? Start with Trala today!