Don’t Clap This One Back

This is a musical version of the ‘Simon Says’ game.

Aim: to recognise, internalise and copy rhythms and identify the danger rhythm!

I use this as a musical warm-up for all ages, even for a learning break between subjects.

The teacher claps a range of rhythms, no more than four beats long, using hands, body, voice, and even floor, and the children copy the rhythms. However, if they hear in any form the rhythm ‘Don’t clap this one back’ – they don’t clap it back.

Every time someone claps the rhythm when they aren’t supposed to, the teacher gets a point. If no one claps when they hear ‘don’t clap this one back,’ the children get a point.

Variation Ideas:

• Children lead the rhythms and try to get the rest of the children’s points.
• Year 5 and 6 children can use rhythmic patterns of 8 beats long, thus improving musical memory and using the phrase ‘Don’t clap this one back otherwise, you’re out’.