Rhythm Flashcards

Posted on December 19, 2007 by DNet

Rhythm FlashcardsI used rhythm cards like these just about every lesson when I taught elementary general music. I think they will come in handy for piano teachers as well. None of the cards are duplicated, so you will have a good stack of rhythms when you are done. To use less paper, print on the front and back of a heavy card stock.

I used these as just basic flashcards, where I held up a card and the students claped it or played the rhythm on a percussion instrument.  Once they were secure at reading the rhythms, I would show them the 1st card for 4 beats, then have them clap the rhythm as I show them the next flashcard. This takes a lot of focus, but the students loved it when they realized they could do it!

I also used these for Rhythm Tic-Tac-Toe, having students identify which of several rhythms was clapped, and all sorts of other games and activities.

Rhythm Flashcards Set 1
Set 1 includes Quarter Notes, Quarter Rests, and 8th Notes. These were my staple in Kindergarten and first grade classes.

Rhythm Flashcards Set 2
Set 2 is perfect for the Primer – Level 1 piano student. It contains quarter, half, dotted half and whole notes, and quarter, half, and whole rests.

Rhythm Flashcards Set 3
Set 3 has eighth, quarter, half, and dotted half notes, as well as quarter and half rests. Every card includes 8th notes.

Rhythm Cards Set 4 This set has 16 notes, as well as various 16th, 8th, and dotted 8th note combinations.

Rhythm Cards Set 5 This set has dotted quarter/8th note combinations.

Filed under: Flashcards, Group Lesson Ideas, Rhythms |

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75 Responses

  1. Sally, on January 20, 2008 at 10:05 pm said:

    What program do you use to make the rhythm cards?
    I can’t find anything to make notes and other notation.

    Reply
  2. DNet, on January 20, 2008 at 11:44 pm said:

    Sally, I just wrote a post to answer your question. Go to the top of the page and click on the green Home tag and you should see it.

    The short answer, though, are 2 font sets sold by http://www.macmusicfonts.com. Well worth the $41!

    D’Net

    Reply
  3. Stengel99, on February 15, 2008 at 7:02 am said:

    Great blog, D’Net! Thanks for including so many downloads that have such practical application!

    Reply
  4. Jenny, on February 22, 2008 at 7:40 pm said:

    Do these music fonts include 16th notes? Though I dont normally introduce 16th notes to beginners, however I do occasionally need them. Would you consider making a set that includes 16th notes?

    Reply
  6. Natalie, on June 25, 2008 at 6:29 pm said:

    D’Net~

    I just printed off all these sets of rhythm flashcards and am planning to use them for my piano camps next week!

    If you ever decide to make more rhythm cards available, I would sure love to have some that incorporate a dotted quarter followed by eighth note since that seems to be an especially difficult one for students to grasp.

    Thanks for such a great resource!

    Reply
  7. DNet, on June 26, 2008 at 12:02 am said:

    Your wish is my command, Natalie! Just did up 15 dotted quarter/8th note combinations in Rhythm Set 5. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier!

    Reply
  8. Cecilly, on June 26, 2008 at 12:51 pm said:

    Hey D’Net, your materials are awesome. Thanks so much for sharing them.
    Do you have any plans to create 2 measure rhythm pattern cards? I would be very interested in something like this but with basic rhythms like quarter, half, whole, dotted half, rests in both 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures. If you’re considering something along this line please let me know. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  9. Roxane, on September 6, 2008 at 10:30 pm said:

    D’Net,
    Would you consider making a set of rhythm flashcards that include triplets? I just printed set #5 – I use the other sets with my students.

    Thanks again for all of your superb materials!

    Roxane

    Reply
  10. Piano Teacher Resources, on December 7, 2008 at 7:08 am said:

    […] The next game is called Toss A Card. If you want to use the clap the rhythm variation, you can get rhythm flash cards from D’net. […]

    Reply
  11. Lauren, on January 27, 2009 at 12:46 pm said:

    Are there sets of rhythm cards in 3/4 time? Maybe I just missed them on the site. Thank you.

    Reply
  12. jennie, on April 24, 2009 at 10:03 am said:

    I am a new piano teacher and just love this site!!! you guys are so creative and have such good hands on learning ideas. I love it! Keep them coming! And maybe someday I will have to time to come up with some of my own to share!!! Thanks again, you guys are a lifesaver!

    Reply
  13. Jon, on May 20, 2009 at 10:14 am said:

    Thanks D.
    Just to add one thing – I’ve been taking a laptop into lessons the last couple of years. Apart from helping me organise myself (registeres etc.) some students love reading the PDF’s off the screen.
    Anything with a computer seems to turn them on more than traditional methods somehow…..

    Reply
  14. DNet, on May 20, 2009 at 11:38 am said:

    What a great idea, Jon! I think I will try that.

    Reply
  15. Myfanwy, on July 10, 2009 at 7:34 am said:

    These flash cards are great resource. Just what i was looking for. Making my own was an option but these are excellent. Really clear layout. Triplets and other time signatures would be great too. Thanks, :)m

    Reply
  16. Melanie, on September 9, 2009 at 9:40 am said:

    I have volunteered to direct the children’s choir at my church and feel like such a fish out of water.

    These cards are like a Godsend. Thank you so much for having these available.

    Reply
  17. Primary Resources Links » Music Resources, on September 10, 2009 at 2:53 am said:

    […] Site user Eve Scott kindly sent in these links to these music sites she’s found useful: Free downloadable sets of rhythm cards from Layton Music. Just print off, trim and laminate. https://laytonmusic.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/rhythm-flashcards/ […]

    Reply
  18. Sharon MacDermid, on January 25, 2010 at 12:41 pm said:

    Hi D’Net,

    These are so great! Would it be possible to add 6/8 Rhythm Cards?

    Sharon

    Reply
  19. Rachel NC, on April 26, 2010 at 12:48 pm said:

    These are awesome!! My dd6 will be graduating from Kindermusik next month and I am trying to decide what to do next. Until I decide, I need to have something to keep her skills sharp- thank you thank you thank you for providing that for me! We tried out the rhythm cards today- and she LOVES them!! Thanks again!

    Reply
  20. Astrid Norman, on April 27, 2010 at 4:56 am said:

    Hi there, what a great find. Thank you so much for the resources. I am a student teacher and these will come in very handy. Thanks again 🙂

    Reply
  21. Susan Waterbury, on October 28, 2010 at 12:58 pm said:

    Thank you! These are great to use for a college student that needs too see a whole set of beats per bar at a time!

    Reply
  22. Learning to Listen: Advanced Class | LaDona's Music Studio, on March 18, 2011 at 9:35 am said:

    […] with this group several times now. They are getting noticeable better. I printed off and cut out D’Net Layton’s rhythm cards – I used the ones with 16th notes for this group. Each card has a bar (4/4 time) of rhythm. […]

    Reply
  24. jojee, on April 24, 2011 at 2:09 am said:

    I love it! Keep them coming! And maybe someday I will have to time to come up with some of my own to share!!! Thanks again, you guys are a lifesaver!

    Reply
  25. Michelle, on April 25, 2011 at 2:49 am said:

    Thank you for the flash cards!

    Reply
  26. crsplace, on May 9, 2011 at 5:32 am said:

    hi ,you guys are so creative and have such good hands on learning ideas. I love it! Keep them coming! And maybe someday I will have to time to come up with some of my own to share!!! Thanks again, you guys are a lifesaver! crs-place.blogspot.com my blog

    Reply
  27. Megan, on September 1, 2011 at 4:35 pm said:

    These are absolutely gorgeous. I am going to post a link to these flash cards on my orchestra’s website for my students to print out at home (and their parents as well!). Thank you for taking the time to do this.

    Reply
  28. Raahi, on September 9, 2011 at 5:49 pm said:

    merci poste très instructif pour nous part!

    Reply
  29. Helene, on October 5, 2011 at 7:15 am said:

    Thanks SO much! LOVE THE CARDS!

    Reply
  30. Dorothy Trevino, on November 26, 2011 at 2:39 pm said:

    Do you have any in triplets and syncopation

    Reply
  31. Runner, on January 17, 2012 at 11:40 pm said:

    Flash games are so fun! They are very addictive!!

    Reply
  32. NEWMUSIC, on August 20, 2012 at 12:23 pm said:

    […] found these brilliant note value rhythm sets here: https://laytonmusic.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/rhythm-flashcards/ and intend to let most, if not all my junior students do […]

    Reply
  33. johndevon, on September 5, 2012 at 11:18 pm said:

    I am not aware of the thing that there might be so many rhythms associated with the flash cards… They sonuds like some great way of fun… Could you tell me some more regarding these?
    Gaming Glimpse

    Reply
  34. Erin (@Velvetpage), on September 10, 2012 at 10:55 am said:

    I’m using your flashcards in my classroom and the students love it! I was wondering, though, if you could put out a set that had the syncope rhythm – eighth, quarter, eighth – in various combinations with quarter and eighth notes. That rhythm pattern comes up a lot for my grade four and five students and I don’t have a card for it.

    Reply
  35. Anonymous, on February 3, 2013 at 12:05 am said:

    Thank you so much for these wonderful rhythm cards. They are beautifully done and I love the scope and sequence. Like Erin, I am searching for the syn-co-pa rhythm cards. Also, some very simple 6/8 rhythms. Do you ever consider doing these rhythms? Becky

    Reply
  36. March Break Camps | gsdmusic, on March 16, 2013 at 2:04 pm said:

    […] out Layton Music’s site for the rhythm cards and use royalty free clipart for the animals or other […]

    Reply
  37. Friday Favorites: {Rhythm Games Part 1} | Toneworks Music Therapy, on April 5, 2013 at 8:06 am said:

    […] within a school context and teaching note values, it would be easy enough to have flash cards (here are some printable versions) with 4 beat rhythms that students randomly choose and use as the message. Children will work on […]

    Reply
  38. Mindy, on April 14, 2013 at 7:10 am said:

    Thank you for sharing these wonderful rhythm cards and sharing them! You saved me hours of making some today 🙂

    Reply
  39. arthurstodgyn, on May 25, 2013 at 2:37 am said:

    Hi,
    These are great and thanks for sharing them. You might want to revise set 5 though as some if the dots go across the middle of the bars and should be ties instead.

    Reply
  40. Anonymous, on August 31, 2013 at 5:52 am said:

    You should try Piano Marvel. They have a free 30 trial at http://www.pianomarvel.com

    Reply
  41. piano sheet music, on October 26, 2013 at 12:55 pm said:

    Thanks for the flashcards, they are nice!

    Reply
  42. Svetlana, on November 21, 2013 at 1:39 pm said:

    Большое спасибо! Thanks a lot. These cards are great!

    Reply
  43. A Rabe, on April 10, 2014 at 7:24 pm said:

    Thank You for offering such great resources for free! These cards have been especially helpful in practicing fresh new rhythms (not just the ones we get in piano texts) with my little one! Any possibility you could make some in 6/8 time including 3-eighth notes, single eighth notes, dotted quarter notes and quarter notes? THANK YOU AGAIN!

    Reply
  44. Cecelia, on April 27, 2014 at 3:47 am said:

    These are amazing resources. Thank you for sharing. 🙂

    Reply
  45. Miss Kerry’s Musical Melee: For Music Lessons | Songs For Success, on June 23, 2014 at 11:40 am said:

    […] I used these basic rhythm flashcards found at Susan Paradis: Piano Teaching Resources because they were cute, small and portable. You could also try these rhythm cards found at Layton Music. […]

    Reply
  46. Katelyn G, on September 9, 2014 at 11:41 am said:

    Your resources are so helpful, I use them in my music classroom! Have you posted new items recently? Thank you for the inspiration!

    Reply
  47. Rhythm in Your Homeschool - My Joy-Filled Life, on July 8, 2015 at 8:20 am said:

    […] Rhythm Flashcards – These {free} printable flashcards would be a fun way for kids to practice clapping different rhythms. […]

    Reply
  48. Music Curriculum: Week One - Homeschool Den, on September 9, 2015 at 2:25 am said:

    […] Rhythm Cards She has five sets, but we started with set one which includes Quarter Notes, Quarter Rests, and 8th Notes. Set 2 contains quarter, half, dotted half and whole notes, and quarter, half, and whole rests. Set 3 has eighth, quarter, half, and dotted half notes, as well as quarter and half rests.   Set has 16 notes, as well as various 16th, 8th, and dotted 8th note combinations. Set 5 has dotted quarter/8th note combinations. […]

    Reply
  49. Music Theory Curriculum: Week Two, Rhythm Pizza, Rhythm Game and more - Homeschool Den, on September 16, 2015 at 2:14 am said:

    […] dotted half notes, quarter notes, half notes, and eighth notes. And, we continue to use the Rhythm Cards from Layton Music. I had intended to use rhythm sticks with these cards, but haven’t yet brought them over to […]

    Reply
  50. Anonymous, on October 19, 2015 at 3:18 pm said:

    Thank you so much for sharing these! Just downloaded to use to my kiddos! I can’t wait!

    Reply
  51. Anonymous, on October 31, 2015 at 1:46 pm said:

    Awesome. I can use these on my SmartBoard. Thank you!

    Reply
  52. Ceol Chuilinn, on November 27, 2015 at 1:53 pm said:

    Thanks so much for these! I have been using them for a year or so and never run out of ways to use them. My students love them. Thank you!

    Reply
  53. Unie, on January 7, 2016 at 6:26 pm said:

    Thank you so much the look fantastic!

    Reply
  54. Miguel Jaramillo, on February 23, 2016 at 9:46 am said:

    It would be awesome to have a set of flashcards with sycopations! (Eight-Quarter-Eighth)

    Reply
  55. Tera, on March 25, 2016 at 5:52 am said:

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    Reply
  56. Israel Vazquez, on September 4, 2016 at 1:55 pm said:

    Thank you very much for this material!

    Reply
  57. Friday Favorites: {Rhythm Games Part 1} – Toneworks Music Therapy, on March 2, 2017 at 4:38 am said:

    […] within a school context and teaching note values, it would be easy enough to have flash cards (here are some printable versions) with 4 beat rhythms that students randomly choose and use as the message. Children will work on […]

    Reply
  58. Beatriz Souto Fabro Borges, on April 23, 2017 at 5:50 pm said:

    thanks a lot for sharing this material! it’s awesome!

    Reply
  59. Val, on September 3, 2017 at 4:48 am said:

    Thanks for the cards. Both my students and I enjoy using them.

    Reply
  60. Caroline, on October 4, 2017 at 11:41 am said:

    Thank you for creating and sharing these handy cards!

    Reply
  61. A Simple Fun Rhythm Game | My Easy Listening, on October 4, 2017 at 3:30 pm said:

    […] how it worked…Using the fabulous free downloadable rhythm flashcards from D’Net Layton, we laid eight of them out on the […]

    Reply
  62. Lucy, on October 30, 2017 at 7:36 am said:

    Thank you so much for these cards! I use them so often 🙂 thank you!!!!!!!

    Reply
  63. Conceptual Teaching - Notation | pianissimo, on November 10, 2017 at 9:47 am said:

    […] read exactly how I approach rhythm in my recent article on timtopham.com. I have a favorite set of rhythm flashcards that I use to introduce note values to my students. I printed them for free on Layton Music many […]

    Reply
  64. Music Education Falshcards – Mao Qi 。Kitty Sill, on December 20, 2017 at 6:29 pm said:

    […] Do you like using flashcards while teaching ? For me, as long as it helps my students learning 🙂 Games and Resources […]

    Reply
  65. Friday Finds Fascinating MLT Moment and Movements in Rhythm | Piano Pantry, on January 12, 2018 at 1:00 am said:

    […] Extensive sets of rhythm flashcards on Layton Music. […]

    Reply
  66. Anonymous, on June 25, 2018 at 8:52 pm said:

    Thank you so much! These are just what I needed. 🙂

    Reply
  67. Trina, on August 23, 2018 at 5:04 am said:

    Wonderful! Would it be alright if I shared this resource with other music teachers in my district (directing them to your website)? Also, would you be ok if I put these in a powerpoint and share them with my teachers (keeping your information attached to them)?

    Reply
  68. Anonymous, on April 23, 2019 at 6:58 am said:

    Thank you so much for sharing these card. It is awesome!

    Reply
  69. 5 Ways To Teach Rhythm To Piano Students | pianissimo, on July 9, 2020 at 2:59 am said:

    […] printed these free sets of rhythm flashcards on card stock years ago and they continue to serve me and my students […]

    Reply
  70. 【リズムカード】無料でダウンロードできるサイトのご紹介, on October 13, 2020 at 10:26 pm said:

    […] リズムカードはこちらです。⇒　Rhythm Flashcards […]

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  71. 【音符カード】無料ダウンロード｜音符の苦手を克服しよう！, on October 29, 2020 at 9:30 pm said:

    […] カードはこちらからダウンロードできます。⇒　Rhythm Flashcards […]

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  73. Anonymous, on August 23, 2023 at 11:09 am said:

    Are these rhythm cards still available
    Thank you.
    Sharon
    sbigge@ellingtonschools.net

    Reply

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