Drum Songs and I Use My Brain

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the brain pathways to make new connections.

Music Activities

Drum Songs

Play music for the children with drum parts. Jazz is particularly good because there are often drum solos for listening.

Encourage the children to pretend they are playing the drums with the music.

Show the children different ways to make drumbeats to the music.

Hit your fists on different surfaces.

Use wooden spoons or rhythm sticks to play on different surfaces.

Play imaginary drumsticks in the air.

Using a hand drum, play a steady beat and ask the children to follow you as you move in and out around the room. As you walk, skip, hop (you choose) sing the following song to the tune of “London Bridges.”

We are moving to the drum

Rum tum tum, Rum tum tum

We are moving to the drum

Now we stop.

When you stop, sit down on the floor and sing the song again as the children pretend to play a drum.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:

For building confidence – Listen to the drums in some music and talk about if it is fast, slow, loud, or soft.

For developing the idea – Listen to the music again and pretend to play the drums when you hear them.

For moving forward – Visit a music store and look at drum sets or invite a drummer to the classroom.



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I Use My Brain

From infancy, as babies develop, the sounds of rattles and musical toys intrigue them. Toddlers begin composing their own rhythmic patterns by banging on pots and other surfaces. A tune on the radio or television can spontaneously inspire a toddler to respond by swaying and bouncing his little body. 

Here is a rhythm action poem that develops motor skills and identifies body parts.

I Use My Brain by Jackie Silberg

I use my brain to think, think, think

(touch your head with your index finger)

I use my nose to smell

(touch your nose)

I use my eyes to blink, blink, blink

(blink your eyes)

And I use my mouth to YELL

(yell)

I use my mouth to giggle, giggle, giggle

(touch your mouth)

I use my hips to bump

(sway your hips)

I use my toes to wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

(wiggle your toes)

And I use my legs to jump

(jump)

Here are some additional ideas for playing this rhythm game depending on the age of the child.

1. Clap the rhythm of the poem. Notice that the rhythm is the same every other line.

2.Clap two lines and speak two lines.

3. Clap two lines and stamp two lines.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:

For building confidence - Say the poem and do the actions with the child.

For developing the idea - Say the poem and ask the child to do the actions.

For moving forward – While holding a doll or stuffed animal, point to the doll’s body parts as you say the poem.

Products from Discount School Supply® that I recommend:
Indestructible™ Infant Books - Set of 6 (INDY)

Nursery Rhymes, Games and Songs - Set of 3 Board Books (FUNBK)

Bilibo® (BILIBO)