(More) Fun ways to teach kids rhythm

Some kids just seem to have rhythm within them from day 1, whilst other kids need a little more help.

With kids who struggle to play rhythms accurately, or who struggle to remember rhythms, this 5 minute game has proven really helpful.

Preparation: Write / print out a number of simple rhythms (around 6), each of 2 bars. (I use a mixture of 3/4 and 4/4 rhythms.) Cut the rhythms into strips and fold each rhythm strip up so it can’t be seen.

Tools: a whiteboard and pens.

How to play: For each turn, one of you is the clapper and the other is the writer. The clapper must pick one of the folded up strips and read it (hiding it from the writer). The clapper then counts one bar in then claps the rhythm out. The writer has to try to accurately write out the rhythm on the whiteboard, asking the clapper to repeat the rhythm as few times as possible. Next, swap round - the clapper becomes the writer and the writer becomes the clapper!

The advantage of this game is that it gets students practicing both sight-reading rhythms and recalling rhythms played to them. If the student struggles to clap the rhythm accurately, I ask them to march as they’re clapping to stay in time.

Check out our fun rhythm activity sheets for more practice at note values and rhythms!