Children's Learning Activities: Rhythm Clapping

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This blog is here for you to find fun learning activities to do with your children. We share great ideas we find and love on the Internet, as well as ideas we come up with on our own! We also like to share resources we find helpful.

To find ideas for your child, click on the age range blog label or on the theme/topic you are looking for (on the left side of the page). In each post, we try to list optimal age ranges for the activity, but you must judge for yourself if it is appropriate for your child. When you try an activity out, please comment and let us (and everyone else) know how your child liked it!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Rhythm Clapping

This is an idea I love from Preschoolwise (page 127). This develops listening skills and teaches rhythm.

AGE RANGE
Three and up. Some two year olds might be able to do this.

ACTIVITY
You clap a simple rhythm and have your child repeat it. It is as simple as that. Start with simple rhythms--perhaps about three claps long. You can do straight time or syncopate as your child gets better at it. Clap in quarter note lengths on down to sixteenth note lengths. If you have no idea what that means, don't worry about it. Just clap at different speeds and different rhythms.

This is a great activity to turn to when your child is growing restless and you need him to wait a bit longer (assuming you are in a location where you can clap. But even in a waiting room, you could pat your legs).