Music: Instruments and Singing – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Our islands are full of music: steelpan in the panyard, tassa at weddings, cuatro at parang time. Let us explore instruments and sing!

Three families of instruments

String	Wind	Percussion
you pluck, strum or bow strings: cuatro, guitar, violin, harp	you blow air: flute, recorder, trumpet, saxophone	you hit, shake or scrape: steelpan, tassa, drums, shak-shak, tambourine, scraper

Textures: thin and thick sounds

One voice or one instrument makes a thin texture. Many voices and instruments together make a thick texture. Try: one person sings, then add a shaker, then a drum, then everybody!

Sing!

Sing folk and action songs in a group and alone: Brown Girl in the Ring, Mary Ann, Jane and Louisa. Sing in tune and with a sweet, pleasing voice – no shouting!

New words to old tunes

Change the words of a song you know. “Brown girl in the ring … she looks like a sugar in a plum” could become “Brown girl in the ring … she looks like a mango on a tree!”

Up and down: melodic contour

A tune moves up and down. When the notes go up, move your hands up. When they go down, move your hands down. Try it in the activity!

TRY ITInstruments

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. Name the three families of instruments.

Show answer

String, wind, percussion.

2. Is the steelpan string, wind or percussion?

Show answer

Percussion.

3. Name a string instrument played at parang time.

Show answer

The cuatro.

4. What is a thick texture?

Show answer

Many voices and instruments together.

5. How do you show a tune going up?

Show answer

Move your hands (or body) up.

Quick check

1. Is a flute string, wind or percussion?

Show answer

Wind.

2. Name a percussion instrument you can shake.

Show answer

For example a shak-shak (maracas) or tambourine.

3. Name a folk song.

Show answer

For example Brown Girl in the Ring, Mary Ann, Jane and Louisa.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

instrument · string · wind · percussion · texture · thick · thin · melody · up · down · folk song

Try it at home

Make a shak-shak with a bottle and dried peas. Which family is it in?
Sing a folk song with your family and make up a new verse.
Listen to steelpan, tassa and parang music. Which instruments can you hear?

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

name and match about 10 instruments by sight and sound
sort instruments into string, wind and percussion
make thin and thick textures
sing folk and action songs in tune
make up new words for familiar songs
show melodic contour with the body

The up/down tunes are generated on the page. Matching instruments by sound is best done with real instruments or recordings in class; this page covers sight and sorting.

Previous: Music: Beat and Rhythm
Next: Infants 2 lessons (all subjects)

Attributions to media used in this post:

Pan player.jpg – Shanel – CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Trinidad and Tobago Sweet Tassa.jpg – Chrisbal – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cuatro venezolano.jpg – Jo Dusepo – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Music: Beat and Rhythm – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Music has a beat, like a heartbeat: it keeps going, steady and even. Rhythm is the pattern of long and short sounds in a song.

Steady beat

Put your hand on your chest and feel your heartbeat. Now clap a steady beat: clap, clap, clap, clap. Try body percussion: pat your knees, clap your hands, click your fingers, stamp your feet. Then try shakers, a tambourine or a biscuit tin drum.

Rhythm patterns

Say and clap: ta ta ti-ti ta (“mango, mango, man-go-tree!”). Ta is one long-ish clap; ti-ti is two quick claps.

Fast, slow, faster, slower

Fast music: run on the spot, wiggle.
Slow music: walk like an elephant, sway.
Getting faster (accelerando): start slow and speed up.
Getting slower (ritardando): start fast and slow down.
Long sounds: stretch your arms wide; short sounds: tap your fingers.

Write a rhythm your own way

Invent symbols! A 👏 can mean a clap, a 🥁 can mean a drum and an empty box can mean silence (a rest). Line them up and play them back.

TRY ITBeat and rhythm

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. What is the beat?

Show answer

The steady pulse of music, like a heartbeat.

2. What is rhythm?

Show answer

The pattern of long and short sounds.

3. Name three kinds of body percussion.

Show answer

For example clap, pat, click, stamp.

4. How would you move to slow music?

Show answer

For example walk slowly, sway, move like an elephant.

5. Invent a symbol for a clap and one for a rest.

Show answer

Your own answer, for example 👏 and an empty box.

Quick check

1. Clap “ta ta ti-ti ta”. How many claps?

Show answer

5 claps (ta, ta, ti, ti, ta).

2. What is a rest?

Show answer

A silence in the music.

3. What does getting slower mean?

Show answer

The music starts fast and slows down.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

beat · rhythm · body percussion · fast · slow · getting faster · getting slower · long · short · rest

Try it at home

Keep the beat with a pot and a spoon while someone sings.
Write a rhythm with your own symbols and teach it to your family.
Listen to a calypso or soca song. Clap the beat. Is it fast or slow?

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

keep a steady beat with body and untuned percussion
play 2–4 simple rhythm patterns
move to show long/short, fast/slow, getting faster and slower
invent a way to write down a rhythm and play it

The beats are made by the page itself with Web Audio; no recordings are loaded. Tap any button first if a phone does not play sound straight away.

Previous: Drama: Acting Out Stories
Next: Music: Instruments and Singing

Drama: Acting Out Stories – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Every story has characters (who), a setting (where) and a problem. In drama, we make up stories and act them out!

Make a story in a group

Spin the story spinner to get a who, a where and a problem.
Talk together: what happens first, next and last? How is the problem solved?
Choose parts: who plays which character?
Practise one scene. Speak loudly and clearly, and face the audience.
Perform! Then tell each other one thing that went well.

Role-play: healthy or unhealthy?

Act out what happens when we eat well or badly:

Healthy eating	Unhealthy eating
lots of energy to run and play	tired and sleepy in class
strong teeth and a bright smile	toothache from too many sweets
you feel good and can think clearly	tummy ache from too much junk food
you grow strong	you get sick more often

My portfolio: someone who made a difference

Make a 1–2 page portfolio about someone who has helped you – a grandparent, a coach, a neighbour, a teacher. Add a drawing or photo and write 2 or 3 sentences: “This is Aunty Joy. She taught me to swim. She is patient and kind.”

TRY ITStory spinner

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. What three things does every story need?

Show answer

Characters (who), a setting (where) and a problem.

2. Give two effects of eating healthy food.

Show answer

For example lots of energy, strong teeth, feeling good, growing strong.

3. Give two effects of eating too much junk food.

Show answer

For example toothache, tummy ache, feeling tired, getting sick.

4. How should you speak when performing?

Show answer

Loudly and clearly, facing the audience.

5. Who could you make a portfolio about?

Show answer

Someone who helped you, for example a grandparent, coach or teacher.

Quick check

1. What happens at the end of a story?

Show answer

The problem is solved.

2. What goes in a portfolio?

Show answer

Pictures and 2–3 sentences.

3. Why do we tell each other what went well?

Show answer

To encourage each other and improve.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

character · setting · problem · scene · role-play · perform · audience · portfolio

Try it at home

Spin a story and act it out with your family as the audience.
Make your portfolio page about someone who made a difference to you.
Role-play a healthy breakfast scene and an unhealthy one.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

create a short group story on a theme and act out a scene
role-play effects of healthy and unhealthy eating
make and present a 1–2 page portfolio about someone who made a difference

This post links with the Science and Social Studies lessons on food.

Previous: Drama: Faces, Feelings and Frozen Pictures
Next: Music: Beat and Rhythm

Drama: Faces, Feelings and Frozen Pictures – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Actors tell stories with their faces, hands and bodies – sometimes without saying a word! Let us practise.

Faces and hands show feelings

Feeling	Face	Hands
😀 joy	big smile, bright eyes	clapping, arms up
😢 sadness	mouth turned down, eyes low	wiping tears, hands drooping
😠 anger	frown, tight lips	fists, arms folded
🤩 excitement	wide smile, eyes open wide	jumping, waving
😲 surprise	mouth open in an O, eyebrows up	hands on cheeks

Tableaux: frozen pictures

A tableau (say “tab-low”) is a frozen picture made with bodies, like a photo. A great tableau uses levels:

high: standing tall, on tiptoe, arms up
middle: kneeling, bending, sitting on a chair
low: sitting or lying on the floor

Try a tableau of “A day at the beach”: one person high (waving), one middle (building a sandcastle), one low (lying on the sand).

Be a vehicle

Use your body to show transport: arms out wide for an aeroplane, hands turning a wheel for a car, rowing for a pirogue, chugging arms for a train. Add sounds!

TRY ITDrama games

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. How can you show joy with your face and hands?

Show answer

Big smile, bright eyes, clapping, arms up.

2. What is a tableau?

Show answer

A frozen picture made with bodies.

3. Name the three levels.

Show answer

High, middle, low.

4. How would you show a car with your body?

Show answer

For example hands turning a steering wheel, “vroom” sounds.

5. Show surprise. What do your eyebrows do?

Show answer

They go up.

Quick check

1. Which level is standing on tiptoe?

Show answer

High.

2. Can you tell a story without words?

Show answer

Yes, with faces, hands and body.

3. Name a vehicle you could act with a friend.

Show answer

For example a boat, a maxi-taxi, a train.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

drama · expression · gesture · feeling · tableau · level · high · middle · low

Try it at home

Play “Guess my feeling” at home: show a feeling with no words.
Make a family tableau of a special day. Take a photo!
Act out two kinds of transport for your family to guess.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

use facial expressions and hand gestures to show five feelings
make tableaux using at least two levels
use the body to show two kinds of transport

Previous: Dance: Telling Stories with Dance
Next: Drama: Acting Out Stories

Dance: Telling Stories with Dance – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Dances can tell stories! Long ago, people danced to tell about the harvest, the sea and their heroes. Let us make our own story dance.

Make a 1-minute group dance

Choose a theme or story: the sea, Carnival, planting crops, a rainy day.
Pick 6 to 8 steps that fit the story.
Put them in order and practise.
Everyone gives ideas; everyone listens.
Perform for 1 minute. Bow at the end!

Traditional steps

Many Caribbean folk dances, like those you may see at a Best Village show, use simple steps:

heel and toe: tap your heel forward, then your toe back
turn: turn around on the spot
sway: rock side to side
shuffle: small sliding steps

Add 2 or 3 costume pieces: a scarf, a madras head-tie, a long skirt, a feather or a straw hat.

Dance a hero’s story

Find out 5 or 6 facts about a hero (someone in your family, or a hero of our country). Show each fact with a different movement: marching for being brave, reaching out for helping, rocking a baby for caring, lifting for strength, spinning for joy.

TRY ITStory dance

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. How long is your group dance?

Show answer

About 1 minute.

2. Name two traditional dance steps.

Show answer

For example heel and toe, turn, sway, shuffle.

3. Name two costume pieces you could use.

Show answer

For example a scarf, a madras head-tie, a feather, a straw hat.

4. How can you be a good group member?

Show answer

Give ideas, listen to others, take turns, encourage.

5. Show a movement for being brave.

Show answer

For example marching strongly with head up.

Quick check

1. What does a dance need to tell a story?

Show answer

A theme, steps in order and movements that show the story.

2. Where can you see folk dances?

Show answer

For example at a Best Village show, a cultural concert or a festival.

3. How many facts about your hero should you find?

Show answer

5 or 6.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

theme · sequence · heel and toe · sway · shuffle · costume · folk dance · perform

Try it at home

Learn heel and toe with a grown-up. Do it to a calypso or folk song.
Find 5 facts about a hero in your family and make a movement for each.
Make a costume piece from a scarf or old cloth.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

create and present a 1-minute group dance of 6–8 steps on a theme
give ideas and listen in a group
use 3–4 traditional steps and 2–3 costume elements
research and dance a hero’s story with 5–6 movements

Previous: Dance: Moving in Space
Next: Drama: Faces, Feelings and Frozen Pictures

Dance: Moving in Space – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Dancers use their whole body! They move through space, change speed and freeze like statues. Clear a space and let us dance.

Personal space and general space

Personal space is the bubble around you – stretch your arms out and turn: you should not touch anyone. General space is the whole room or yard that everyone shares.

Ways to move

Travelling (moving across the space)	On the spot
walk, run, hop, skip, jump, gallop, glide, slide	reach, bend, stretch, twist, turn, sway

Words that describe movement

Direction: forward, backward, sideways, up, down
Speed: fast, slow
Force: lightly (like a feather), strongly (like a giant)
Freely: loose and floppy; tightly: stiff like a robot

Stillness and motion

Moving and then freezing makes a dance exciting. Try: run lightly for 4 counts, freeze for 4 counts, glide backward for 4 counts, freeze!

⚠️ Rolls, somersaults and flips must only be done on a soft mat or grass with a teacher or grown-up watching.

TRY ITDance space

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. Name three ways to travel in a dance.

Show answer

For example walk, run, hop, skip, glide, gallop.

2. Name four words that describe movement.

Show answer

For example forward, backward, lightly, strongly, fast, slow, freely.

3. What is personal space?

Show answer

The bubble of space around your own body.

4. Make a sequence: move, freeze, move, freeze. Which moves did you use?

Show answer

Your own answer.

5. Where is it safe to roll?

Show answer

On a soft mat or grass with a grown-up watching.

Quick check

1. What is general space?

Show answer

The whole space everyone shares.

2. Is a twist a travelling move or an on-the-spot move?

Show answer

On the spot.

3. Why freeze in a dance?

Show answer

Stillness makes the movement stand out and is exciting to watch.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

personal space · general space · travel · forward · backward · lightly · strongly · freely · glide · freeze

Try it at home

Play freeze dance with your family using music you like.
Make a 3-part sequence: travel, freeze, travel. Show a grown-up.
Describe your sequence with 3 words (for example: forward, lightly, freeze).

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

move the whole body in personal and general space
use 4–6 words to describe space and dynamics
create short sequences with stillness and motion
try new ways of moving, such as gliding
describe ways of travelling

The freeze-dance drum is made by the page itself (no internet audio). Make sure there is a clear, safe space with no sharp furniture corners.

Previous: Art: Collage, Buildings and a Model Street
Next: Dance: Telling Stories with Dance

Art: Collage, Buildings and a Model Street – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Artists can tear, paste, draw and build. In this lesson you will try all four!

Tear-and-paste collage of a hero

Think of a hero in your life. Tear coloured paper, magazine pictures, cloth, leaves or foil into pieces and paste them to make a picture of your hero. Tearing makes soft, interesting edges!

Draw a building

A decorated wooden house with fancy fretwork, lit up at night — A gingerbread house at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain. Look at all its lines and shapes! Photo: Chris Fitzpatrick, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Choose a building you know: your school, a church, a temple, a mosque, a shop. Use 2 drawing media, such as a pencil and crayons, or chalk and markers.

Lines	Shapes
straight lines (walls, roof edges)	rectangles (doors, walls)
zigzag lines (fretwork, roof trim)	triangles (roofs)
curved lines (arches)	squares (windows)
dotted lines (decorations)	circles and semicircles (round windows, arches)

Junk-model vehicle and a model street

Save clean boxes, bottle caps, toilet-roll tubes and straws. Make a vehicle: a box body, bottle-cap wheels, a tube for a funnel or chimney. Then, with your group, make a diorama (a model scene in a box) of a street with houses, vehicles, trees and people.

TRY ITLines, shapes and models

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. Name two lines and two shapes you could use to draw a house.

Show answer

For example straight and zigzag lines; triangle and rectangle.

2. What is a collage?

Show answer

A picture made by pasting pieces of paper, cloth and other materials.

3. Name two junk materials for a model car.

Show answer

For example a box, bottle caps, straws, tubes.

4. What is a diorama?

Show answer

A model scene made in a box.

5. Name two drawing media.

Show answer

For example pencil, crayon, chalk, marker, oil pastel.

Quick check

1. What shape is a roof often?

Show answer

A triangle.

2. Why tear instead of cut in a collage?

Show answer

Torn edges are soft and interesting.

3. How can your group share the work?

Show answer

Give everyone a job: houses, cars, trees, the road.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

collage · tear · paste · line · shape · media · junk model · diorama

Try it at home

Start a junk box: save clean boxes, caps and tubes for a week.
Draw your home with two drawing media. Point out two lines and two shapes.
Make a collage of a family hero from old magazines.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

make a tear-and-paste collage of a hero
draw a community building with 2 media and describe its lines and shapes
build a 3-D vehicle from found materials
make a street diorama with a group

Use clean, dry recyclables only (no broken glass, cans with sharp edges or food containers that are not washed).

Previous: Art: Puppets and Fruit-Print Patterns
Next: Dance: Moving in Space

Attributions to media used in this post:

QueensParkSavannahGingerbreadHouse2014.JPG – Chris Fitzpatrick – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Art: Puppets and Fruit-Print Patterns – Infants 2 Arts

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Artists use all kinds of materials. Today we will make a puppet and print patterns using fruit and vegetables from the kitchen!

Make a hand puppet

Choose a person you know – Granny, your teacher, a doubles man, a fisherman. Use 3 or 4 different materials:

an old sock or a paper bag (the body)
buttons or bottle caps (eyes)
wool, string or shredded paper (hair)
cloth scraps or coloured paper (clothes)

Put the sock or bag on your hand.
Glue on the eyes, nose and mouth.
Add hair and clothes.
Give your puppet a name and make it talk!

Fruit and vegetable prints

Slices of okra showing star-shaped centres with seeds — Cut okra makes a star-shaped flower print.
The original uploader was Wajihsyed at English Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A grown-up cuts the okra, star fruit, lime, potato or a cabbage half.
Dab the cut side in thick paint.
Press it firmly on paper, then lift straight up.
Repeat to make a pattern: star, circle, star, circle …

A repeating pattern is something that happens again and again in the same order. Look for patterns on madras cloth, tiles and fences!

TRY ITPrint a pattern

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. What is a repeating pattern?

Show answer

Something that happens again and again in the same order, like star, circle, star, circle.

2. Name two fruits or vegetables you can print with.

Show answer

For example okra, star fruit, lime, potato, cabbage.

3. What can you use for a puppet’s eyes?

Show answer

Buttons, bottle caps or paper circles.

4. Continue: red, blue, red, blue, …

Show answer

red, blue.

5. Name a person you could make a puppet of.

Show answer

Your own answer.

Quick check

1. What shape does an okra slice print?

Show answer

A star or flower shape.

2. Why press and lift straight up?

Show answer

So the print is clear and does not smudge.

3. Where can you see patterns around you?

Show answer

For example madras cloth, tiles, fences, clothes.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

puppet · material · print · pattern · repeat · stamp

Try it at home

Make a sock puppet of a family member and put on a show.
Print a wrapping-paper pattern with okra and lime (with a grown-up cutting).
Find three patterns at home and draw them.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

make a hand puppet of a familiar person using 3–4 materials
make repeated patterns with fruit and vegetable prints

Use poster paint or food colouring thickened with flour. Fruit used for printing should not be eaten afterwards.

Previous: Infants 2 lessons (all subjects)
Next: Art: Collage, Buildings and a Model Street

Attributions to media used in this post:

BhindiCutUp.jpg – The original uploader was Wajihsyed at English Wikipedia. – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Greencarambola cut.jpg – Deepugn at Malayalam Wikipedia – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)