Rhythm games for kids: clapping and counting at home

These twelve games teach a child to read and count rhythm, in four steps: feel the beat, say and clap, count with numbers, and write a rhythm. Five minutes a day is enough. Most of them use a set of rhythm cards, which you can print for free.

For clapping games that need nothing at all, read music games for kids with no equipment. For stamps, pats, claps, and snaps, read body percussion for kids.

Two ways to count

Teachers use rhythm names, numbers, or both. Syllables differ a little from teacher to teacher.

Note	Beats in 4/4 time	Rhythm name	Count
Quarter note	1	ta	“1”
Two eighth notes	1	ti-ti	“1 and”
Half note	2	ta-a	“1, 2,” held
Whole note	4	ta-a-a-a	“1, 2, 3, 4,” held
Four sixteenth notes	1	tika-tika	“1 e and a”
Quarter rest	1	A silent gesture, or “sh”	Think “1”

Read rhythm names: ta and ti-ti explained and note values explained.

Step 1: Feel the beat

1. March and tap. Set a metronome to 90. March around the room, one step to a click. Then sit and pat your knees to the click.

2. Beat or rhythm? Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” First pat the steady beat on your knees. Then clap the words. Then split up: one person pats the beat while the other claps the words. The beat stays the same. The rhythm changes with the words.

Step 2: Say and clap

3. Card echo. Each card is one beat. Lay four cards in a row. Clap them and say them: “ta, ta, ti-ti, ta.” Your child claps and says the row back. Then swap jobs.

4. Which row? Make two rows of four cards. Clap one row. Your child points to it. Add a third row as it gets easy.

5. Card train. Line up eight cards. Clap from the first to the last with no stop between them. Shuffle and go again.

6. Missing card. Turn one card in the train face down. Clap the train, and keep silent for the hidden card while you count its beats in your head. This trains a child to keep the beat going through a rest.

Step 3: Count with numbers

7. Count and clap. Say “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” out loud in a steady voice. Clap a row of cards at the same time. This is hard at first. Go at half speed.

8. How many beats? Hold up two cards. Ask for the total. A half note and a quarter note make three beats. Use the note values chart to check.

9. Build a bar. Choose a time signature. In 4/4 time, each bar holds four beats. Your child builds a bar from the cards, and you check the total. Then try 3/4 time. Read time signatures explained. For bars and bar lines, read measures and bar lines explained.

Step 4: Write your own

10. Write what I clap. Clap a pattern of four beats. Your child writes it with sticks: one stick for ta, and two joined sticks for ti-ti. Start with ta and ti-ti only.

11. Rhythm composer. Your child lays out four bars of cards, claps them, and then plays them on one note of an instrument. Write the best one down and name it.

12. Two parts. One person taps steady eighth notes on the table. The other claps a row of cards. Then try it alone: the left hand taps the beat on a knee while the right hand taps the rhythm.

Add the metronome

When a row is easy, clap it with the click at 60, then 80, then 100. Read how to use a metronome with a child.

Common troubles

What happens	What to try
The child rushes through rests	Say “sh” out loud on each rest, or tap a shoulder
The clapping speeds up	Use the metronome, and start slower
The two eighth notes are uneven	Say “ap-ple” or “ti-ti” while clapping
Long notes are cut short	Slide the hands apart for the full length of the note
The child guesses	Go back a step, and use ta and ti-ti only

Play it on a screen

The rhythm match game plays four beats and asks your child to pick the written rhythm that matches. It has three levels.

Which step for which age?

These ages are a rough guide. Follow the child.

• Ages 3 to 5: step 1, and the echo part of game 3
• Ages 5 to 7: steps 1 and 2
• Ages 7 to 9: steps 2 and 3
• Ages 9 and up: steps 3 and 4

Print and play

• Rhythm cards
• Note values chart
• Rhythm match game
• Metronome for kids