Key Stage 1 music · Singing and performing

KS1 music: chants and rhymes, a guide for parents

Alongside singing, children in Years 1 and 2 are taught to use their voices expressively by speaking chants and rhymes. A chant is words spoken in a steady rhythm, with no tune. It is one of the simplest and most useful ways to feel a beat, hear patterns in language and experiment with different kinds of vocal sound, and it needs no instruments or written music.

Chants and rhymes, explained

The curriculum names no particular chants, so schools choose. Typical choices are nursery rhymes, counting rhymes, playground clapping games, skipping rhymes, rhymes from different countries and cultures, and chants written by the class about a topic such as the weather or animals. They are usually short, repeat easily and have a strong, bouncy rhythm, so children can learn them by ear and join in at once. A chant is easier to start with than a song because the children only have to manage the words and the beat, not a tune as well.

The first thing children learn is to keep a steady beat while they speak. They pat their knees, march or tap a drum while the class says the words together. Then they find the rhythm of the words themselves. Clapping the syllables, the sound-beats within a word, may already be familiar from phonics lessons, and in music it becomes a way of seeing how words make patterns of short and long sounds. The beat is the steady pulse that doesn’t change; the rhythm is the pattern of the words laid over it. Many children muddle the two at first, so teachers often have half the class keep the beat while the other half says the words, then swap.

Chants are also a place to experiment with the voice. Children try saying the same line in a whisper, in a big booming voice, in a squeaky voice or as if they are very sleepy, and talk about which suits the words. They explore speaking quickly and slowly, loudly and softly, and pausing for a silent beat. They can add sound effects with the mouth, or use hands, knees and feet. This links directly to the objective about experimenting with, creating, selecting and combining sounds: a class may layer a chant over a “rain” sound made by clicking fingers and then brushing hands together.

Rhyme is part of this too. Children notice which words end with the same sound, such as “cat” and “mat” or “blue” and “shoe”, and play with making new lines. They don’t need to read or spell the words; rhyme is about hearing. The creative step is that children are invited to make up their own chants, perhaps by choosing a theme and putting four or five words into a pattern, then performing it for the class with a clear beat and some expressive choices.

Words your child will hear

Chant: Words spoken in a steady rhythm with no tune, often repeated.
Rhyme: Words that end with the same sound, such as “bee” and “tree”.
Beat: The steady pulse in music, like a heartbeat or marching feet.
Rhythm: The pattern of long and short sounds that the words make over the beat.
Syllable: One beat of sound in a word. “Banana” has three syllables: ba-na-na.
Echo: Repeating a line straight after the leader.
Rest: A silent beat where nobody speaks or claps.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 1, pupils should be taught to:

Use their voices expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the interrelated dimensions of music

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: making a fruit chant

A class wants to make a short chant about fruit with a clear rhythm. How do they build it?

Choose the words and clap their syllables. “Apple” has 2 claps (ap-ple), “pear” has 1, “banana” has 3 (ba-na-na), “grape” has 1 and “strawberry” has 3 (straw-ber-ry).
Find the beat. The class pats their knees in a steady count of four: one, two, three, four. The beat never speeds up or slows down, however the words go.
Fit the words to the beat. The first line is “Ap-ple, pear” with a silent rest on the fourth beat: three sounds and one rest make four beats. The second line is “Ba-na-na, grape”: four sounds and no rest. Children notice that some words fill one beat and some need more.
Choose a voice. The class tries the chant in a whisper, a roar and a happy sing-song voice, and decides which one suits fruit best, and whether the voice should change from line to line.
Perform in two groups. One group keeps the beat by patting while the other says the chant, then they swap. Finally everyone does both at once, and the class tries swapping a word to make a new line, such as “Straw-ber-ry, plum”.

The finished chant is: “Ap-ple, pear, (rest), ba-na-na, grape.” Each line takes four beats, and the words stay in time with the steady pat. The important result is that children can say the chant together, keep the beat going, explain why they chose their voice, and swap a word to make a new line that still fits.

Common mistakes and how to help

Clapping the beat when asked to clap the rhythm, or the other way round

Both are claps and both go along with the words, so they sound similar. Children who are used to marching or counting treat every clap as the same steady pulse.

What helps: Pat the beat softly on your knees and clap the words on top. Ask, “Which one never changes?” That’s the beat. Swap roles so your child hears both.

Thinking a chant has to be fast to be good

Children often equate excitement with speed, and a quick chant feels lively. But rushing makes the words blur and the beat wobble.

What helps: Say the chant slowly with a steady pat first, then gradually speed up together. Praise clear words and keeping together rather than speed.

Thinking words only rhyme if they are spelled the same at the end

Children who are learning to read look at letters, so they expect “blue” and “shoe” not to match because they look different. Others assume that “cough” and “though” rhyme because the endings look alike.

What helps: Say the words aloud and listen with eyes closed. Rhyme is about sound. Keep it as a listening game and ask your child to find words that sound the same.

Counting letters or whole words instead of syllables

Children know that words are made of letters and sentences of words, so a syllable is a new idea. They might clap “butterfly” once because it is one word.

What helps: Put a hand under your chin and say the word slowly: your chin drops once for each syllable. “Butterfly” makes three drops.

How to help at home

Clap the names. Clap the syllables in family names, pets and favourite foods. “Mum” gets one clap and “Grandad” gets two. It takes seconds and builds a feel for rhythm.
Rhyme chains in the car or queue. Take a word like “hat” and take turns saying words that rhyme until you run out, silly ones included. Count how long you can keep the chain going.
Pat the beat, say the rhyme. Pat your knees to a steady count and say a nursery rhyme or counting rhyme together. Then try the chant getting faster and slower, keeping the words and the pats together.
Many voices. Pick a short line and say it as a giant, a mouse, a robot and a sleepy bear. Ask your child which voice fits best, and why. This is the experimenting that teachers look for.
Make a chant about today. Ask your child to choose four words about something that happened, such as “Rain, puddle, splash, boots”, and set them to a beat. You don’t need to write anything down. Just say it and perform it for a relative.

Leads on to

Key Stage 2: Solo performance
Key Stage 2: Ensemble performance