Thump
a steady beat
Thump Hops on the Beat
Thump was a cheerful little rabbit with big floppy ears, and Thump had one favorite game in the whole world: whenever you clapped, Thump hopped — one hop for every clap, right on the beat.
The little one gave a clap. Hop! Another clap. Hop! Thump landed exactly when the clap sounded — together, in time. It wasn’t about clapping fast or slow. It was about clapping steady, so Thump always knew when the next hop was coming.
When the claps were even and steady — clap, clap, clap, like a little heartbeat — Thump hopped happily along, never bumping, never late. But if the claps got jumbly, Thump just waited, ears wiggling, for a nice steady beat to come back. Steady claps make happy hops.
Soon the little one and Thump had a whole bouncy dance going — clap-hop, clap-hop, clap-hop — grinning at each other in time. A steady beat is something you and a friend can share, one clap and one hop at a time.
Reading together with a grown-up? A card for the grown-up
For the grown-up: ask one question, then wait. When they answer, add one word to what they said. Tap the button when they have said something — that is one turn each, a circle. Nothing is recorded or kept.
Let them finish it
Say “Thump hops on the beat — clap, and watch …” and stop. Let them finish it.
Now wait. Count slowly to five in your head. Their answer is worth the quiet.
Circles together: 0
The DrumTots ensemble
Thump is one of the friends in DrumTots. Each friend shows you one idea by how they act; meet them all and you have the whole subject.
