Learning the classroom rules is never the most fun task to do. Add some simple movements and some beats and it makes it a lot better. Bring music time into the first few weeks of school by pairing learning with the beat!

Play them ‘slowly’– they hit them slowly. It really is that simple. It just makes it so much more exciting that the puppet or toy is leading the way. Waiting your turn is an important social skill to reinforce (and one all Kindergarteners need more practice with). Traditional tales supply lots of these repeated lines, such as ‘Fee fi fo fum!’ Or ‘I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down!’ But there are also many modern picture books that have lines that can be brought to life in this way. Conclusion While I prefer to wait until first grade before introducing the notation and syllables, I do think it’s important to prepare rhythm with movement, visuals, playing, and creative musical experiences.This rhythm pattern activity includes other musical instruments. This is good for teaching instrument identification and learning to use each one to make sounds. Students can learn to make rhythms using a variety of sounds. When the children get good at doing this version of the game, you can move on to the slightly harder version. Repeat games regularly – the more you repeat the same game, the better the children will get. Practice leads to mastery

So, for example, if it was the cucumber, you all go ‘cu (hit)-cum-(hit) -ber (hit)! One (hit)-two (hit)-three (hit)!’ Repeat this two or three times, so they start to understand what is going on. (You are hitting the syllables at the same time as you say them, by the way) You can add in some rhythms by having kids echo some rhythm patterns in a B section you add after the song.Pro-tip #2: If they are struggling to come up with words to give as an echo, tell them to use the phrase: “I like ___.”

a b Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 9 November 2017. The slow moves give them something to focus on and make it a challenge while they’re exposed to a new style of music. It is amazing how the introduction of one simple toy or puppet can really inspire children. To find out the ultimate 22 teaching activities using puppets, then take a look at this. 8. The classic name game General speaking, I have always found them a positive tool for behavior. I think it is because they get everyone involved, and so there is more of an emphasis on ‘doing’ rather than sitting and listening. 4.Good For Rhythm Dury, Jemima, ed. (2012). Hallo Sausages: The Lyrics of Ian Dury. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing. p.129. ISBN 978-1-4088-1214-3.Use a play along video like this one to help kids play rhythms and look at notation without needing to actually read it. As a further extension of the echoing exercise, we can have kids improvise new patterns by connecting rhythms to words.