Rhythm activities for kids start from something as simple as clapping. This video shows an ultrasound of an unborn baby clapping as the parents sing!
While the actions of the soon-to-be baby are astonishing, rhythm is no surprise. It’s very definitely part of our lives. Breathing and heartbeat are two constant rhythms from the very beginning to the very end of life and in between there’s the rhythm of walking, running, language, music, and more. Our world has the rhythm of day-night and seasons with variations on a theme. Is it any wonder that much of our art work and art play has rhythm?
Besides clapping, rhythm activities for kids can include dancing, marching around, jumping, hopping, and other actions either with or without music. Kids can hit two rocks, sticks, or blocks together. Homemade maracas can be assembled with some small objects in a tin, plastic bottle or egg, or other container. Look for durability when buying.
Drums are a fun toy for playing rhythms and can also be made at home. Drums could be pails, yogurt or other containers, or tins with lids. The floor makes a giant drum and, in the car, the back of the seat in front of a child seems to have a sign on it that says “drum here.”
Rhythms can be fast-slow, simple-complicated, and loud-soft and make different patterns. Kids can tap their own patterns and we can play some for them to copy.
For older kids, it’s fun to play rhythm games. Have you seen videos and clips of clapping with cups? You can show some to your preschooler and see what kinds of patterns your child can do. Families can do some of these together and it’s not always the young ones that find it a challenge.
Hands, feet, and other body parts can tap out different sounds. If you can, do some Hambone for your child or check out some Youtube Hambone videos. Some of the Hambone artists have very white hair! (Hambone is a sort of body-slapping, such as hitting the thighs, hands, chest, mouth, arms, etc to make a variety of sounds. Kids often do these kinds of actions.
Rhythm activities for kids are another form of art work play. Can you include some rhythm fun for a play-of-the-day for your child?