Use these adorable Simple Fruit Rhythm Patterns to add purposeful movement and bring the music to life with a variety of different actions to match the feeling of the song. Best of all, this lesson plan will work with any song!
Use these cute fruit symbols to add in a variety of fun rhythm patterns with whatever song you’re working on. Just stick to the time signature and add as many actions as make sense for the song.
This really fun idea was shared as a video in the Primary Music Leaders Facebook Group here (*you’ll only be able to view this link if you’re a member of the FB group. The video can be removed or deleted at any time.)
I thought it was so fun, and there was so much you could do with it! So I created this printable fruit rhythms simple actions, patterns, and a printable to give the flexibility to use it for a variety of singing times! It reminds me of playing Fruit Ninja!
It’s the perfect summer time idea to theme with a picnic or garden themes!
Affiliate links are used in this post.
Simple Fruit Rhythms Patterns
How to Play:
Introduce the song you are working on first by singing through it once before starting the activity.
Draw the time signature on the white board with distinct vertical lines. Such as 4 lines for a 4/4 time signature. Add your choice of fruit symbols to create a custom rhythm pattern. Start with a mix of pause notes and actions.
Start with only 1 or 2 actions at a time, then swap out for other actions or add actions. Increase the difficulty of the patterns/rhythms.
Fruit Symbols Guide:
I’ve matched each fruit with a specific unique color and a different symbol. You can use the actions in a variety of ways by drawing the symbol, utilizing the color like having the lyrics color coded, or just use the fruit shapes.
Each action was picked and described to help make a visual connection to the action to help the kids more easily remember what the fruit actions are.
- Strawberry / Red / + / X Arms = Slice the Strawberry
- Cross your arms into the shape of an x in front of you like you’re slicing the strawberries in quarters.
- Orange / Orange / # / Pat = Place down the Orange Slices
- Patsch both hands onto your lap like you’re setting down the orange slices.
- Banana / Yellow / ~ / Pound Fist = Squish the Banana
- Make two fists and pound one fist on top of the other like your mashing bananas in your hands.
- Apple / Green / = / Clap = Catch the Apples
- Clap both hands together like you’re catching the apples.
- Blueberry / Blue / * / Snap = Pick the Blueberries
- Snap your fingers, like your snapping a berry off the branch.
- Grapes / Purple / _ / Stomp = Smash the Grapes
- Stomp one or both feet on the ground like you’re in a big barrel of grapes and pressing them into juice.
- Watermelon / Pink / () / Smack Lips = Taste the Watermelon
- Make an audible smack of your lips like you just had a tasty bite of watermelon.
- Pineapple / Gold / ^ / Tap Head = Wear a Pineapple Crown
- Tap the top of your head like you’re touching your pineapple crown.
Sample Rhythm Patterns:
- Try alternating pattern with 2 simple actions. You can even repeat a single action at double speed.
- X-arms / Pat / X-arms / Pat-Pat
- Skip a beat, then add action.
- Pause / Pound fist / Pause / Pound fist
- Add a variety of actions.
- Clap / Clap / Smack Lips / Stomp
- Repeat back-to-back actions.
- Snap / Snap / Tap Head / Tap Head
Extension Activities:
- Let the Primary kids help mix and match and make up the patterns.
- Add competition with different actions for each side of the room.
- Color code words to add a huge mix of patterns throughout any song and introduce each color/action combo one at a time to add lots of repetition.
- Add in instruments or manipulatives (ribbon wand, egg shakers, finger lights, rhythm sticks, bells, etc, etc) to add more variety in place of the actions!
Keep the Commandments Fruit Rhythms Pattern
To help you teach Keep the Commandments using these fruit rhythms, I’ll share my pattern! I used these 4 fruits and actions. You can print and cut out the fruits to showcase the pattern and changes for your visual learners!
- Grapes – Stomp (Smash the grapes!)
- Apples – Clap (Catch the Apples)
- Orange – Pat lap (Lay the orange slices)
- Pineapple – Tap your head (Put on your crown)
Grapes = Stomp the grapes and march in place whenever you sing the line “Keep the Commandments”, the first 2 lines of the song.
Apples = Clap through the next line – “In this there is safety in this there is peace”
Orange = Patsch lap “He will send blessings” x2
Pineapple = “Words of a prophet”
Grapes = “Keep the Commandments”
Apples = “In this there is safety and peace”
Keep the Commandments Fruit Rhythms Video Demo
Check out this demonstration video that reviews 4 fruit rhythms used in Keep the Commandments! In this video, I sing through Keep the Commandments using 4 different rhythms from the fruit rhythms chart.
If you want to get a better idea of how to use these fruit rhythms in singing time, just click on the link below and try it along with me!
–> Keep the Commandments Fruit Rhythms Demo Video <–
Fruit Rhythm Patterns Printables
This printable includes the 1/8 page fruit rhythms with an easy double-sided printable!
I’ll add my favorite printing hack here, I LOVE using HP’s Instant Ink service! I’ve been on it for about 4 years now. I’m on their 300-pages per month plan as I print so much when creating these lesson plans for the blog. At $12/month I get new ink sent right to my door about every other month and it saves me a FORTUNE as my ink would easily cost $80+ each time I need to replace it.
Please consider signing up with my referral link which gives you and I both a free month! It helps lower my overall print costs for coming up with new fun ideas for Primary Singing!
You’ll find additional sizes including 1/2 page and full page fruit rhythm cards included in the INSTANT Primary Singing Membership when Keep the Commandments is the featured song of the month.
To access the free in-post printables for this post, you’ll just need to create a free account or login with the Grow.me tool. Then, confirm by email and refresh the page and ALL my free printables will automatically unlock in every post!
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For even more fun using rhythms, try adding instruments! Check out our Egg Shaker Rhythm Cards in our digital shop (or over on our Etsy Shop) for more fun ways to teach the Primary children to feel the rhythm and the beat of the music.
What other fun ways could you use these fruit rhythm patterns to teach a song?
