Rhythm Games

Music Note Race

1. Divide students into two teams and have them line up on the starting line.
2. On the word ‘Go’ have the first student in each line race to the board and grab a marker.
3. When the students arrive at the board, tell them to draw a music note.
4. First student to draw the music note correctly earns a point for their team.
5. To increase difficulty count the rhythm and have them draw the music notes, or clap the
rhythm and have them write the counts or draw the music notes.

Baseball

1. Divide the students into two teams and have one team line up on the side and one behind
Home Plate.
2. Layout 4 bases around the room and identify them as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Home.
3. 3 Outs and students switch teams.
● 1 Out-Student does not count the rhythm correctly.
● 1 Out-Student does not reach Home plate before the teacher.
● 1 Out-Student tries to steal and does not reach plate before the teacher.
4. First student in line will run to the teacher on the Mound and then run back to Home plate and
clap or count, or clap and count the rhythm. If correct they get 1 base.
5. Then the next person goes, if they get it correct they will go to 1st base, and the person on 1st
makes it to 2nd.
6. Increase difficulty by adding a time limit to running to the teacher and back to clap the
rhythm.

Obstacle Course

1. An obstacle course will be set up with a tunnel, a place to go under and over, a place to
weave in and out, and easter eggs filled with music notes at the end.
2. Students will be divided into teams, and placed on the starting line.
3. On the word ‘Go’ students will race to the easter eggs by going through the obstacles and
bringing an egg back.
4. Team with the most points wins.
5. Egg Points-
● Eighth Note- .5pt
● Quarter Note- 1pt
● Half Note- 2pts
● Whole Note- 4pts
● Rhythm- 8pts
Drum Teams

1. Students will be divided into two teams and will be assigned 1 music stand per team. Each
student will recieve a drum
2. On the music stand the teacher will place a rhythm with the stand facing backward. Each
team will get a different rhythm.
3. On ‘Go’ the students will turn the stand and figure out the rhythm as a team for a set amount
of time.
4. At the end of time each team will perform their rhythm separately. Whichever team plays it
correctly and the best will earn a point.

Drum Race

1. Have students line up on a line going horizontal, the Start Line.

2. On student will play the drum on the other end of the room, the Finish Line.
3. Assign a movement for each different music note.
4. The students will listen to the drum and move according to the music note being played and
counted. If they do not do the move correctly or move during a rest they must start over.
5. First student to reach the Finish Line is the new drummer.

Busted!

1. On a bunch of clothespins write a bunch of rhythms, on a few write Busted!

2. Divide students into two teams and set them in opposite sides of the room with a music
stand.
3. Set a classroom timer on the board for 10 minutes, when the timer starts the first person on
each team runs to the center of the room where the teacher is and pulls a clothespin out of
the bucket.
4. The students then must clap or count, or clap and count the rhythm to take the clothespin
back to their music stand. If incorrect, leave the clothespin. As soon as their teammate
returns the next person goes, they do not wait for the other team.
5. If the student pulls out Busted! They must collect all of their clothespins and return them.
6. Team with the most clothespins at the end of the timer wins.
Music Note Battleship

1. Hand out a Battleship paper to students and have them create their board.
2. Students should have
● 1-Aircraft Carrier
● 2-Submarines
● 2-Patrol Boats
● 1-Battleships
3. You may have to explain how to play battleship, as some students have not heard of it before.
Once their card is created they can find partners and sit back to back on the floor.
4. They can then receive a blank one to keep track of their Hits and Misses. Students can take
turns calling out a letter and a number, if Player 1 calls out the combination and it hits a
music not the Player 2 must say Hit and mark it on their board. If Player 1s combination does
not hit Player 2s, Player 2 must say Miss and it is Player 2’s turn to guess. If Player 1 hits all
the notes on a ship, Player 2 must say Sunk.

Rhythm Battles

1. Students will be divided into two teams and given 1 piece a paper and 1 pencil.
2. Students will then be given 1 minute to write a rhythm for the opposite team to perform.
3. After the 1 minute timer goes off, the students will choose one person to draw the rhythm
on the board.
4. The team will then have 30 seconds to figure out how to perform their new rhythm.
5. Increase difficulty by adding measures or adding complex notes.

Javelin Toss

1. Create 3 hoops made of pool noodles and stack them on top of each other.
2. Then divide the students into teams and place them on the starting line.
3. Give the students a pool noodle to toss through the hoops.
4. Each noodle equals a different difficulty of rhythm.
● Top-Easy Rhythm
● Middle-Hard Rhythm
● Bottom-Medium Rhythm
5. Team with the most points wins.
Note Names Games
4 Corners

1. Label 4 areas of the room with 4 music note letter names.

2. In the center the teacher will sit with a white board that has a music staff on it. The teacher
will draw a music note on the staff.
3. When the teacher turns the white board around the students will have 30 seconds to find that
letter.
4. Create new ways for the students to arrive at that location (i.e. jumping, skipping, crab
walking, worm dance, etc.).
5. Increase difficulty by shortening the time limit.

Telephone Race

1. Divide the students into two teams and have them line up in front of the whiteboard.
2. The last person in line will get 30 seconds to identify a music note on the staff and then pass
that note name through their team.
3. First team to draw that letter on the music note on the correct place on the staff gets the point.

Speed Skating

1. Layout 2 sets of 3 cones or music stands as obstacles in a line in the room.

2. Divide students into 2 teams and give each a set of 2 plates.
3. On the word ‘Go’ the first student on each team will race with the plates on their feet going
in and around the obstacles to the teacher on the other side of the room.
4. The student will then grab a flashcard and identify the music note on the staff, if it is correct
they take it back with them, if incorrect they do not get the card.
5. Team with the most cards at the end wins.

Tic Tac Toe

1. Layout a 3 by 3 grid of chairs in the center of the room.

2. Divide the students into 2 teams and give them a colored disc/paper to show which team they
are on.
3. One student will run to you and will then have 30 seconds to identify the note on the staff. If
they get it correct they may choose a spot to sit on the board. If wrong, they go to the end of
their line.
4. Then the other team will go, repeat until Tic Tac Toe or Tie.
5. To increase difficulty shorten the time or add multiple note names.
Other Games
Hot Potato with Activity Cards

1. Students will pass the monster around the circle to the steady beat.
2. When the music stops wherever the monster stops on, they pull out a card and do that activity
with the specific music vocabulary.
3. Repeat.

Duck, Duck, Goose Reverse

Similar to Duck, Duck, Goose. Choose a song that you can add different levels of dynamics too.

Example Song:
All around the town tonight,
The Ghosts chased their friends
Everyone had lots of fun
Boo! Its Pretend!

1. Choose one person to be the person to hide their eyes in the corner.
2. Then choose one person sitting in the circle to be the secret friend.
3. Have the student hiding their eyes in the corner return and walk around the circle and have
everyone begin singing.
4. When the students sing the last line, have the secret friend jump up and chase the other person
back to their spot.
5. Repeat.

Don’t Wake the ______

Example Song:
Don't Wake the Bear
Song: Little bear is sleeping on the ground.
Sh! Sh! Sh!
We must not wake him with a sound.
Sh! Sh! Sh!
For if he wakes his tummy will need
Sh! Sh! Sh!
Something to eat, Rawr!
1. Choose one child to sleep at the front of the room. Hand out either a tambourine, bells or
keys.
2. Then, as silently as possibly, try passing the instrument around the circle. The children have to
work together, and try and get it all the way around.
3. At Rawr! The passing of the instrument will stop and the person in the middle has to point at
where it is with their eyes closed.

Cube Game

1. Students will create a 6 sided dice and put different tempos/animals on the dice.
2. Music will play and students will move/be an animals to the music.
3. When the music stops the students will throw their dice in the air and let it land. The tempo or
animal that it lands on will be the next speed they dance to for the song.
4. Repeat.

Music Symbol Stick Game

1. Explain that these stick dice have only two sides where as modern cube dice have 6. On these,
one side is painted(decorated), and the other is not. Each student gets 6 sticks.
2. “Throwing” the sticks is simply dropping them from some height either onto the ground or a
table.
3.Once the sticks land, count the sticks that are face up and face down.There are 3 ways to get a
winning throw:
1) All 6 sticks landing face up.
2) All landing face down.
3) 3 up and 3 down. All other combinations are not winners.
4. Have each child throw their own dice. A winning throw can get a prize: a pine nut, a feather, a
stripe of paint on the winner’s face or hand, a piece of candy, a stick, a rock, etc.

Group Game Option

1. Have all of the children sit in a circle. Put the childs initial on the back of their sticks to keep track.
2. Each child throws his set of dice at the same time.
3. Every winning throw receives a rock(“counter rock”).
4. At the end of several throws, the one with the most counter rocks is the grand winner. Prizes are
optional.