Explore our catalogue of award-winning activities and games
Busy Things hosts over 1600 curriculum-linked activities and games for early years and primary aged children. A school subscription also includes lots of features and tools for teachers that promise to save planning time. Take a free trial to have a proper play or book a demo here.
Bobble beat
Click or tap a Noisy Thing to remove it; the Noisy Things above will drop down one position. If any matching pairs or groups are made, they will begin to play a rhythm.
Change the sounds with the switch in the top right. Change the tempo with the controls in the bottom left.
The grid size can be changed in the Activity Settings.
Discussion points
- How do the sounds make you feel?
- Can you clap to the music?
- Can you move your body to the music?
- What do you like about the music you have created?
- What do you notice when you change the speed (tempo)?
- Use your body or an instrument to keep in time to the pulse and then rhythm.
- How does the tempo (speed) affect the pulse and rhythm?
- Can you play/clap in time to the pulse and then the rhythm?
- What mood or feeling does your music express?
- What would you name your piece of music? Why?
Teaching tips:
Technical vocabulary: pulse, tempo, rhythm.
Encourage children to listen attentively to the sounds when monsters are paired or grouped together. br>
Explore what you hear together by modelling joining in with the rhythm, pulse and the changing tempo using body percussion. Develop vocabulary by asking children to describe what they hear.<
Children could clap or march around the space whilst the Noisy Things continue to play and move their bodies in different ways to the music.
Change the tempo (speed) of the music and ask children what has happened. See if they can increase the speed of their claps or movements to keep in time to the pulse.
Sing a nursery rhyme or familiar song (‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’ is a good one for this activity). Speed up the tempo as you go and see if children can keep up the pace.
Use with ‘Singing squares’ for more matching musical fun or try to ‘Topple the tower’ by copying the rhythm.
Encourage children to listen attentively to the sounds when monsters are paired or grouped together. br>
Explore what you hear together by modelling joining in with the rhythm, pulse and the changing tempo using body percussion. Develop vocabulary by asking children to describe what they hear.<
Children could clap or march around the space whilst the Noisy Things continue to play and move their bodies in different ways to the music.
Change the tempo (speed) of the music and ask children what has happened. See if they can increase the speed of their claps or movements to keep in time to the pulse.
Sing a nursery rhyme or familiar song (‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’ is a good one for this activity). Speed up the tempo as you go and see if children can keep up the pace.
Use with ‘Singing squares’ for more matching musical fun or try to ‘Topple the tower’ by copying the rhythm.
This activity is great for allowing children to experiment with pulse, rhythm and tempo.
Firstly, distinguish between pulse and rhythm by first clapping one and then the other. Make sure children can identify the pulse as the steady ‘heartbeat’ of the music, whilst the rhythm is the changing sounds of different lengths. It may be worth keeping the tempo slow at first so children are able to keep in time.
Split the class in half; half could clap to the pulse of the music whilst the other half play some percussion instruments in time to the rhythm of the Noisy Things. Swap to let all children have a chance at both.
Use with ‘Singing squares’ for more matching musical fun or try to ‘Topple the tower’ by copying the rhythm.
Firstly, distinguish between pulse and rhythm by first clapping one and then the other. Make sure children can identify the pulse as the steady ‘heartbeat’ of the music, whilst the rhythm is the changing sounds of different lengths. It may be worth keeping the tempo slow at first so children are able to keep in time.
Split the class in half; half could clap to the pulse of the music whilst the other half play some percussion instruments in time to the rhythm of the Noisy Things. Swap to let all children have a chance at both.
Use with ‘Singing squares’ for more matching musical fun or try to ‘Topple the tower’ by copying the rhythm.
This activity is great for allowing children to experiment with varying sounds, pulse, rhythm and tempo, and how these are combined and mixed together to create texture in music.
Firstly, distinguish between the pulse and rhythm by first clapping one and then the other. Make sure children can identify the pulse as the steady ‘heartbeat’ of the music, whilst the rhythm is the changing sounds of different lengths.
Split the class in half; half could clap to the pulse of the music whilst the other half play some percussion instruments in time to the rhythm of the Noisy Things. Swap to let all children have a chance at both.
In groups, let children compose and perform their own piece of music using instruments, focusing on the pulse and rhythm of the piece as well as what sort of texture they are going to create when combining instruments. They could try and create a ‘mood’ or feeling with their composition.
Use with ‘Singing squares’ for more matching musical fun.
Firstly, distinguish between the pulse and rhythm by first clapping one and then the other. Make sure children can identify the pulse as the steady ‘heartbeat’ of the music, whilst the rhythm is the changing sounds of different lengths.
Split the class in half; half could clap to the pulse of the music whilst the other half play some percussion instruments in time to the rhythm of the Noisy Things. Swap to let all children have a chance at both.
In groups, let children compose and perform their own piece of music using instruments, focusing on the pulse and rhythm of the piece as well as what sort of texture they are going to create when combining instruments. They could try and create a ‘mood’ or feeling with their composition.
Use with ‘Singing squares’ for more matching musical fun.
x
To access the whole of Busy Things take a free trial
Start your free trial now!
No payment details required. No obligation to buy.Your free trial includes
- access to 1600+ of fun educational activities and games
- Create an area just for your class (school version)
- Track activities and send feedback (school version)
- Customisable games and activities targeting core maths, literacy and phonics skills
- Creative activities working with colours, shapes and sounds
- Busy Code - a whole suite of activities and guides for teaching children how to code
- A custom phonics and maths worksheet maker
- Curriculum-links and activity search
- Pupil timelines - see what your pupils have been doing
- Set assignments and collate results
- Play on desktop computers, laptops and tablets
Schools
Schools have no limit on the number of pupils that can use Busy Things simultaneously.









