Rhythm Dice Games

Music is fun. I think we all agree on that! What is not fun is having to do (or mark) a billion rhythm worksheets. So, how do I come up with rhythm lessons that will teach and engage my students? I use rhythm dice games. 

Not only are rhythm dice games super fun for kids but they are great to use for music learning centers or to leave as music sub plans. You can buy super fancy rhythm dice, which I've done but I found I became a little crazy and spent most of my time either worrying about where that die went that someone rolled across the room a little too vigorously (you know that will happen) or desperately restraining myself from checking the pockets of my students as they left the room. I wanted to spend more of my time supporting my students so I created these rhythm dice printables. 

I'm all about adapting manipulatives for different classes and age groups so I made foldables that my students could put together themselves (to take up more class time when we had a music sub) and printable die faces that I could cut out or laminate (if I was feeling ambitious) to attach to foam dice from the dollar store or to regular classroom dice. Some games require more than two dice so I made mini rhythm dice, too! I'd recommend printing them on cardstock because they can be a bit finicky. The mini dice would be better for older elementary students to make since they have somewhat better fine motor skills than the younger kids. I decided to create rhythm dice that correspond to the numbers on a regular six-sided die and ones that include beginner rhythms such as a pair of eighth notes, a quarter rest, a quarter note etc., that way I can take math games with dice that I've used before and easily adapt them for music. 

Rhythm dice games are excellent for small group learning and you can check out this post to read about how I use them when my students are performing rhythm compositions. Let's face it, it can be painful for the whole class to sit quietly through 30+ sixteen beat rhythm composition performances so they need something educational to do!

Lots of dice games require a recording sheet. You can use anything but I prefer to save some paper and put the recording sheet in a page protector so students can use a dry erase marker and wipe it off when they are done - to be honest, that is one of their favourite parts. Once you have your dice situation sorted out your students will be ready to roll! (See what I did there!) 

Here are three super easy rhythm review games your students can play using rhythm dice.

1. Going to Rhythm Town

Materials:
- 3 rhythm dice
- Recording sheet and writing utensil

Number of Players:
- 2 or more

How to Play:
1. Roll the dice and keep the highest rhythm
2. Roll the remaining two dice and keep the highest rhythm
3. Roll the last die and keep the highest rhythm
4. Add up the total of all three dice for that round and record on the recording sheet
5. The winner is the one with the most points at the end of the game

2. Rest

Materials:
- 1 die
- Recording sheet and writing utensil

Number of Players
- 2 or more

How to Play:
1. The first player rolls the die and records the number of points that correspond to the rhythm. If they roll a whole note they would get four points, a half note would be two points and so on. 
2. They keep rolling and recording their score unless they roll a quarter rest. If they roll a quarter rest they lose all of their points from that round.
3. Players can choose to end their round at any point by passing the die to the next player. If they pass the die before they roll a rest they keep all of their points.
4. The first player to reach a pre-determined score (like 100 points) wins.

3. Subtract a Rhythm

Materials:
- 1 die per player
- Recording sheet and writing utensil

Number of Players:
- 2 or more

How to Play:
1. Players write down a chosen starting number (for example, 25, 50 or 100 depending on your grade level) on the recording sheet.
2. As each player rolls they subtract the value of the rhythm they rolled from their chosen starting number.
3. The game continues until a player rolls a one beat rhythm or a quarter rest (depending on the type of dice you choose to use). If they roll a one or a rest they score nothing and it's the next player's turn. 
4. Like the game Rest, students can choose to end their turn at any time unless they roll a one or rest and then it is ended for them.
5. The winner is the student who makes it to 0 first. 


Sometimes, as music teachers, things don't always go as planned. A teacher is late picking their students up or they've been called into a meeting with a parent and you have ten minutes to fill. Or the printer doesn't work for your music sub and they need something to do with a rowdy bunch of fourth graders. That's what I love about games and in this case, rhythm dice games. They are my go-to solution now when I need something that I can just pick up and do with my kids. I hope you love them as much as we do!