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Drumming on pots and pans is not only a lot of noisy fun, but a great chance for children to learn about rhythm too.
Rhythm is essential to learning about speech and syllables as well as being great for testing children's memories.
Check out these families having a go in the film below.
The benefits of playing drumming games
- Drumming can help with children's gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- It helps build their sense of rhythm, which is essential to understanding the syllables that make up words.
- This game will also help children learn about speed and pausing which are key skills for conversations.
- It can help with learning words for actions, speeds, noises, loudness and strength (e.g. 'gentle' and 'hard').
- They can be used to test memory of different rhythms.
- They can be used to practise taking turns.
How to play drumming games
Find a set of pots and pans and a wooden spoon as a beater - you might like one each.
Tap out a rhythm on the different pots - ask your child if they can copy you.
Take turns to tap out rhythms and challenge each other to remember what the other one has played.
Ask them how you'd like them to play the drums - can they play 'fast/slow/gentle/hard/loud/quiet'?
You could try singing songs and rhymes and see if they can tap the drums in time to the rhythm.
More on musical activities with kids
- Dr Michelle Peter explains why drumming games are important to language learning
- Check out these easy ways to have musical fun with your child
- DIY musical instruments and other crafty toys to make with your child
- More on the benefits of musical play
