Rhythm Activities:

  • Pass the Plate-Supplies and set up Paper Plates with written rhythm patterns on the back one plate will have only a star on it.

Each student stands or sits in a circle and has one plate in hand, teacher plays music or students sing a song they all know and pass the plate to the person beside them in whichever direction the instructor chooses.

Once the music stops the student with the star picks another student from the circle and that student will read the rhythm on their plate, next, all students will clap the rhythm that’s written on said students plate together. Once that plate has been done, take it out of the circle before beginning to pass along the next round.

Repeat the rounds, passing the plates until you have only one plate left

Adaptations for older grades: Students can use other surfaces or instruments to play the rhythms. Make the rhythm patterns more complex as the students gain more knowledge.

  • Extra Beat, Take a Seat, Students play the first rhythm. We like to do it with rhythm sticks, but you can play with drums or just with your hands. With rhythm sticks, down means tap the floor and up means tap together.

(With hands, you “pat and clap”) 2. Once you have practiced the rhythm, have the kids play it three times and three times only. If they make an extra beat (AKA if they start to play a fourth time), then they are out– they put their sticks out of reach or sit down. 3.

The remaining students continue to try until everyone gets it right. 4. Once everyone gets it right, the round is over. Everyone comes back in and play it 5 times. 5. The game continues, moving up by odds until you get to 9. 6. Once you get 9 right, I like to do a challenge and have the kids play it with their eyes closed. We only do this one time no matter how much of a disaster it is. 7. Then you move onto the level 2 rhythm and the game continues. Beat ideas linked to this exercise.