My standard storytime activities are scarves and egg shakers. Every once in a while I like to change it up by adding the parachute or rhythm sticks. I’ll be honest, at first the thought of giving a bunch of toddlers & preschoolers sticks scared me. I was envisioning knocked out teeth and poked out eyes. In reality it is not as scary as that. I do give a little spiel before hand about we keep the rhythm sticks in our bubble and only tap them to our rhythm sticks or on the floor. It is good to start out slow by nicely tapping our sticks together and then introducing some rhythm. I do ask that all children sit on the floor when we have the rhythm sticks to make it easier to tap on the floor.
Here are some of my favorite songs to sing while using rhythm sticks:
BINGO
There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his nameo
B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his nameo
There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his nameo
(tap)-I-N-G-O, (tap)-I-N-G-O, (tap)-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was his nameo
(continue tapping for each letter)
Bread & Butter
Bread and butter,
Marmalade and jam
Let’s tap our sticks as nicely as we can
(repeat with quickly, slowly, quiet, loud)
Source: Jbrary
Clickety, Clickety, Clack (tune: Hickory Dickory Dock)
Clickety, clickety, clack
Clickety, clickety, clack
Click clack, click clack
Click clack, click clack
Clickety, clickety, clack
The Hammer Song
Bang bang bang bang (tap sticks on the word bang)
Watch me hammering
Bang bang bang bang
Pounding nails in
Bang bang bang bang
I try to pound them straight
Bang bang bang bang
Don’t want to make mistakes
Bang bang bang bang
You know it feels so great
Bang bang bang bang
To make things out of wood
Bang bang bang bang
Watch me hammering
Bang bang bang bang
Source: Laptime and Storytime
If You Have Some Rhythm Sticks
If you have some rhythm sticks (wave sticks)
Rhythm sticks, rhythm sticks
If you have some rhythm sticks, you can tap them now (tap sticks)
(repeat with rub, hammer and drum)
Source: Jbrary
Tap Your Sticks (tune: Happy and You Know It)
Tap your sticks in the air, in the air
Tap your sticks in the air, in the air
Tap your sticks in the air, do it with a flair
Tap your sticks in the air, in the air
Tap your sticks on the floor, on the floor
Tap your sticks on the floord, on the floor
Tap your sticks on the floor, then do it some more
Tap your sticks on the floor, on the floor
Source: Jean Warren
Tap Your Sticks (tune: Frere Jacques)
Tap your sticks, tap your sticks
One two three, one two three
Can you tap your sticks, can you tap your sticks
Just like me, just like me
Tap your sticks, tap your sticks
Way up high, way up high
Now bend down low, now bend down low
Tap the ground, tap the ground
Source: Jbrary
Tap Your Sticks
Tap your sticks in the air with a 1-2-3
Tap your sticks on the floor with a 1-2-3
Tap your sticks in the air with a 1-2-3
Tap your sticks on the floor with a 1-2-3
Tap your sticks to the left with a 1-2-3
Tap your sticks to the right with a 1-2-3
Tap your sticks to the left with a 1-2-3
Tap your sticks to the right with a 1-2-3
Source: Hap Palmer
Thunder and Raindrops
Hear the thunder all around
As our rhythm sticks hit the ground
Boom boom boom, boom, boom, boom
Hit the ground make a thunder sound
Hear the rain drops all around
As our rhythm sticks hit the ground
Pitter patter, pitter patter
hit the gourd make a raindrop sound
Thunder BOOM
Raindrops pitter patter
Thunder Boom
Raindrop pitter patter
(repeat)
Source: Rachel Rambach
The Wheels on the Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round (roll sticks)
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish (wave sticks)
The money on the bus goes click, click, click (tap sticks)