Syllable Drum

• Kindergarten–1st grade
• Ages 4–7
• Free, no sign-up

The game says a word, like butterfly, and your child taps the drum once for each part: but-ter-fly, three beats. Then the word appears split into its parts while the drum plays them back. Clapping syllables is how children learn to break long words into pieces they can read.

About the game

How to play

1. Listen. The game says the word. Tap the picture to hear it again.
2. Drum the parts. Tap the drum once for each syllable. Clapping first helps.
3. Tap Done. The word appears in parts and the drum plays each one.
4. Try again if needed. If the count is off, the game shows the parts and lets your child drum it again.

For parents: what Syllable Drum practices

Syllable Drum practices hearing the parts of a spoken word. It's the same skill children use later to read long words one chunk at a time. It pairs with:

• Syllables
• Two-syllable words
• Kindergarten phonics

Common Core: RF.K.2b (count, pronounce, blend and segment syllables in spoken words).

Getting the most out of it

• Put a hand under your chin while saying the word: each time your chin drops is a syllable.
• Clap names at dinner: your child's name, then everyone else's.
• If your child taps too many times, say the word slowly together before drumming.

Games are best as a reward or a warm-up, not the main lesson. Ten minutes of play after a short lesson works better than an hour of play on its own.

More games

• Rhyme RocketTap the picture that rhymes to fuel the rocket.Kindergarten–1st grade
• Word BuilderTap letter tiles to spell picture words.Kindergarten–1st grade
• Letter Sound PopPop the balloon with the letter a picture word starts with.Kindergarten

All games

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask