Nume Says Clap your Hands!
You Can Count on Me
Beginner
Clap or tap a short rhythm, encouraging your child to copy the rhythm after you.
Tip: Choose a short rhythm at a slow speed.
Intermediate
Clap a rhythm, encouraging your child to copy after you. Count the number of claps that make up the rhythm together.
Tip: One syllable words work best with single claps, while faster claps in the rhythm could be paired with multi-syllable words.
Experienced
Clap a rhythm, encouraging your child to copy after you. Come up with a sentence that can be spoken to the rhythm. Compare the number of claps in the rhythm to the number of words in your made-up sentence.
Tip: Take turns, allow your child to clap a rhythm which you will copy.
Why is this important?
Direct connections with mathematics and music show positive results, as many ideas in music relate to procedures in math.
Reference: Sellars. (2017). Music and Numeracy. In Numeracy in Authentic Contexts. Springer Singapore Pte. Limited. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5736-6_14 Journal of Music Teacher Education , Volume 1(2),16-23. Barry, N. (1992). Music and Education in the Elementary Music Methods Class. https://doi.org/10.1177/105708379200200104