Abstract:

Clapping games are a powerful and joyful way to help children sing, move, and thrive.

In this highly practical session, Deb Brydon and Debbie O’Shea will lead participants through a carefully sequenced collection of developmentally appropriate clapping games for the primary years, grounded in Kodály-inspired pedagogy.

Participants will sing, move, and play a range of traditional and contemporary repertoire that supports the development of steady beat, rhythm, pitch, coordination, memory, and musical independence. Each game will be unpacked to show why it works, when to use it, and how it supports musical learning over time.

The session will explicitly link each activity to the Australian Curriculum: Music, demonstrating how clapping games support curriculum outcomes through active music-making, movement, and aural learning. Practical teaching tips, differentiation ideas, and classroom management strategies will be shared throughout.

Participants will receive ready-to-use handouts including repertoire lists, teaching notes, and curriculum links, ensuring every idea can be implemented immediately in their own classroom.

Whether you are new to clapping games or looking to deepen your repertoire and sequencing, this session will leave you energised, inspired, and equipped with practical tools to use the very next day.