Teaching Rhythm and Coordination

Once again a post without pictures, but do you know how hard it is to get pictures of an activity that it takes both of you to be doing?

Anyway we have been working on this for a long time. Of course from a baby we played Patty Cake with Selena. As she grew though I took it to a new level. At first she would hold her hands up and as I sang the song, I would clap my hands, then tap her right hand with my right hand, clap my hands and tap her left hand with my left hand, like we were playing many of the interactive games (Say Say Oh Playmate is the one that comes to my mind).

Selena began to anticipate which hand we were going to tap together and began to bring that hand forward but could not get the clapping in between down. For the last couple of weeks I have caught her trying to figure this rhythm pattern out.

Yesterday, it began to come together for her, so long as we went at a very slow speed and I mean slow like: Patty……clap…….Cake……clap……Patty…….clap……Cake…… She could keep up and even sing the song herself with only a few errors.

Today it finally clicked with her and she will go at normal speed with the song. She is so proud of her new skill, and it truly does take coordination to get this type of rhythm skill down, your brain is really using all the areas to remember to sing the song, clap the hands at the same time as your partner, and know which hand to tap with your partner and to meet them at the mid way point.

I am proud of her for working so hard to learn this. And yes, she is thrilled and having so much fun with her new found game!