exercise for rhythm and mimicking practice
If you're new to my background in the arts... welcome! I have grown up doing all things "artsy," from crafts, to music, singing, and dancing. I received a BFA in Dance Education and spent a few years in the public school system. After I had my first child, I bowed out of the teaching profession. But that doesn't mean I ever stopped loving dance and all things movement and music! This is a very simple activity that can help young children learn rhythm and beats.
You don't have to have any equipment, you can use just your hands! Of course you can enhance this activity with simple instruments like a drum or a maraca, but you can use clapping, stomping or snapping just as easily. It might take some time for your child to understand the more complex rhythms, but you can repeat and mix up the patterns as much as you want!
The first thing you need to do is decide what "instruments" you will be using for this copycat music activity. We usually just use clapping or tapping; what boy doesn't love to drum on every surface they see? You can use tambourines, plastic Tupperware containers, bells, a tissue box... the options are endless.
Next decide who will be leading the activity. The adult or oldest child (if you have multiple children participating) might be best to start off. Pick a short rhythm that can be copied easily, and start!
Leader: CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
Follower: CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
Repeat this as many times as you need until the child can mimic the sound pattern they hear by the leader.
Leader: CLAP clap clap CLAP clap clap CLAP CLAP CLAP
Follower: CLAP clap clap CLAP clap clap CLAP CLAP CLAP
In the above example, the lower case claps would be double time, quicker claps, as opposed to the longer/slower uppercase claps
Leader: clap clap CLAP clap clap CLAP
Follower: clap clap CLAP clap clap CLAP
In the above example, the lowercase would be the double time rhythm first, followed by a longer/slower uppercase claps.
Use these rhythms as a starting place and get creative! You can do as long or as short of a set as you want. You can repeat the same rhythm over and over, or change it up. Try different sounds, instruments and household items to create different sounds. Play around with changing leaders and seeing what kind of rhythms your kids can come up with!
This is just a fun and simple activity you can do anytime and anywhere. I hope you have fun making noise with your kiddos! Don't forget to subscribe to my email newsletter so that you never miss an issue! Click the button below to subscribe.
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