Sound Effects for Movie Scenes

A phone, tablet, or TV for playing a short video clip

Assorted noisemakers and instruments

Household items for sound effects: crinkly paper (fire), water in a bowl (splashing), rice in a container (rain), keys (jingling)

Find a short (1-2 minute) video clip — a nature documentary scene, a classic cartoon chase, or an animated short works perfectly.

Watch it once WITH sound so everyone understands what happens and what sounds are needed.

Gather your sound effects toolkit: crinkly paper, drums, bells, water, your voices, and anything that makes an interesting sound.

Play the clip on MUTE and assign each person sounds they're responsible for. "You do footsteps, I'll do the wind."

Play the muted clip and perform all sound effects live, trying to match the timing of the action.

Rewind and try again. You'll get better each time — add sounds you missed, improve your timing.

For the final take, record both the muted screen AND your sound effects team performing. Watch the playback together.

Professional Foley artists (the people who create sound effects for movies) do exactly this. Your child is learning a real craft.

Common Foley tricks: celery snapping = bones breaking, coconut halves = horse hooves, sheet metal waving = thunder, cornstarch in a bag = snow footsteps.

Start with clips that have obvious, predictable sounds: a door closing, footsteps, water splashing. Subtler sounds can come later.

The timing is the hardest part. Watching the screen while making the right sound at the right moment requires serious multitasking.

Watch behind-the-scenes Foley videos together first for inspiration. Kids are amazed to learn how movie sounds are really made.