We’ve Got the Beat

Fingerplays & Songs

A body-percussion chant, spoken rather than sung, so any steady beat works.

This chant helps children learn…

Steady beat

Matching a movement to a repeating pulse.

Body part names

Naming hands, feet, knees, and hips as they move.

Motor planning

Starting and stopping four beats on cue.

Listening and turn taking

Waiting for the next body part to be called.

Say It

We’ve got the beat,
The beat is in our body part

clap clap clap clap

four beats · swap in the matching sound

Keep a steady pulse with your own hands as you speak, then hold up four fingers and count the beats down together before the next round.

handsclap

feetstomp

kneespat

hipswiggle

fingerssnap

lipspop

Try This

Let a child name the next body part. Then try it fast, then slow, then as a whisper. The beat stays, the volume changes.

Watch For

Children who stay with the beat, stop after four, name a body part on their own, or invent a new sound.

No materials needed · 3–5 minutes · Community meeting, transitions, or outdoors

The Nest Schools