Happy Tuesday everyone! Today, I have a simple and fun musical bean bag activity for all of you to try at home.
First, you will need some bean bags. If you do not already have some lying around at home, they are easy to make. I found a couple of really fun “no sew” bean bags on Pinterest for all of you to check out.
(1) Felt bean bags: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/313633561520145640/
(2) Sock bean bags: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/313633561520145636/
You will also need a hand drum. Here is a picture of one.
You can find it on Amazon.com for purchase. Click HERE for the link.
The Activity
Bean bags are the perfect tool to teach young children the concept of rhythm and to really feel it. To start this activity, play a steady rhythm on the hand drum. Each time you hit the drum, your child should throw the bean bag in the air and catch it. Your child should not throw the bean bag high or they won’t be able to keep up with the drum. Once your child gets the hang of it, increase the speed of your rhythm on the drum. I guarantee, the faster you go, the more smiles and giggles you’ll get.
After you’ve played steady beats on the drum with your child, add some simple nursery rhymes to the bean bag rhythms. As you are still keeping a steady drum beat, have your child throw and catch the bean bag while reciting rhymes at the same time. A few examples are:
Pat-a-Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can;
Pat it and prick it and mark it with B,
Put it in the oven for baby and me.
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up Jack got and home did trot
As fast as he could caper;
And went to bed to mend his head
With vinegar and brown paper.
Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty
Had a great fall.
All the King’s horses
And all the King’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty
Together again.
Listening to the beat on the drum, moving to the beat with the bean bag and vocally reciting a rhyme will involve the child with rhythms in a very hands on approach that will stay with them for years ahead!
I hope you all have enjoyed this week’s Top 10 Tuesday music activity. For a complete list of the Top 10 Tuesday musical instruments under $40 that will help to promote music education in the home, click HERE. For an archive of all previous Top 10 Tuesday music activities, click HERE. Please don’t forget to check back every Tuesday for some more musical fun, and until next week, play on!
