Rhythm

If music is sound moving through time, rhythm is the measurement of that time. It describes when to play, how long to hold the note for, and when to leave a rest (or gap in the music).

A crotchet lasts for one beat. When you're tapping to the beat, you're playing crotchets

Filled note head with a stem

Crotchet = 1 beat

A minim is twice as long as a crotchet.

Hollow note head with a stem

Minim = 2 beats

A semibreve is twice as long as a minim and four times as long as a crotchet.

Hollow note head with no stem

Semibreve = 4 beats

To get a feel for crotchets, count aloud "1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4", and repeat. Clap every time you say a number.

Keep counting aloud at the same pace, but only clap on 1 and 3

Continue your steady counting, but this time only clap on beat 1.

Rhythm games

Get their brains and bodies working with these music activities. These games are designed for early primary, but can easily be adapted for older students by using their favourite pop songs instead of nursery rhymes. There are some playlists here to get you started, but don't be afraid to take ideas from the kids. Some teachers like to get a request list from the class at the start of term and then find the songs after the first lesson. This gives the kids agency over their learning while giving the teacher the opportunity to screen for inappropriate songs.

Stepping to the Beat

Find some music with a steady beat and get your students to walk around the room, stepping to the beat.
Talk to them about fast and slow. Pick a couple of contrasting songs and model exaggerated movements, with slow motion walking for the slow songs and super fast walking for the fast ones. The fast walking will most likely make them a little rowdy and over-excited, so make sure to end the game on a slower note if you want them to sit or listen afterwards.
After playing this game with them a few times, you can spice it up a bit by letting them pick their own movements or silly types of walking to do. You can even play follow the leader where one student picks a movement (marching, hopping, skipping, etc.) and the others have to copy them. The Grand Old Duke of York is an excellent song to get kids marching to the beat

Musical Shopping

Ask the students to think (in their head, not aloud) of something they might find in their parents' shopping trolley.
Similar to Stepping to the Beat, demonstrate an action or movement that goes with an example. Do one movement (or two steps) per syllable, for instance you might choose 'Ap-ple' and take two steps as you say the word.
Go around the class and get each student to demonstrate their word and action. Get the whole class to copy them. They may be walking, skipping, hopping like frogs, or making other animal movements. You can even alter this so that instead of groceries, the words are names of animals with the accompanying movement. E.g. three hops for 'kang-a-roo', or one long body roll for 'snaaake'.