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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.
Singing squares
Click or tap a square to remove it. The squares above will drop down one position. If any pairs are made the Noisy Things will each play a note. Keep on touching to create more pairs.
Change the sounds with the switch in the top right, and the speed 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?
- Do the sounds remind you of anything?
- 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)?
- Do the sounds remind you of any other sounds or instruments you know?
- 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:
Younger year groups have a smaller grid to make matching the creatures easier. Encourage children to listen attentively to the sounds when creatures are paired or grouped together. 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.
Use with ‘Bobble beat’ for more matching musical fun.
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.
Use with ‘Bobble beat’ for more matching musical fun.
This activity is great for allowing children to experiment with sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music; including pitch, timbre and tempo and the effect of layering these together to create texture in music.
They could use instruments to try and replicate the music they created using the singing squares and changing the tempo to see what happens.
Use with ‘Bobble beat’ for more matching musical fun.
They could use instruments to try and replicate the music they created using the singing squares and changing the tempo to see what happens.
Use with ‘Bobble beat’ for more matching musical fun.
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, changing the tempo throughout as well.
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 ‘Bobble beat’ 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, changing the tempo throughout as well.
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 ‘Bobble beat’ for more matching musical fun.
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- access to 1600+ of fun educational activities and games
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- Customisable games and activities targeting core maths, literacy and phonics skills
- Creative activities working with colours, shapes and sounds
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- Set assignments and collate results
- Play on desktop computers, laptops and tablets
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Schools have no limit on the number of pupils that can use Busy Things simultaneously.
