Carpet Rhythms

Carpet Rhythms is another center idea.  I first introduce this as people rhythms with 1st grade at the beginning of the year.  Each carpet square is one beat and students can create rhythms with ta, ti-ti and rests by standing on the carpet squares.

At the end of the year I revisited this idea but with bean bags instead of people.  Students composed their own 4 beat rhythms and then the group performed the rhythm with body percussion.  Two bean bags on a beat = ti-ti, one = ta, no bean bag = rest.  The kids loved creating their own rhythm patterns!