Boomwhackers®: 10 Fun Ways to Play!

If you’ve never played with Boomwhackers before, today is the day!  Trust us…you don’t want to miss out on one of our favorite toys for targeting all kinds of developmental skills…all while making music!

We love musical toys for kids that we can use during therapy sessions (or just during play!) to target skills like body awareness, auditory processing, motor skills, and more!  Playing with Boomwhackers is a great way to get kids’ bodies, minds…and ears warmed up and ready to learn!  Here are some of our favorite ways to play!

*This post contains affiliate links.  Read more.  Rhythm Band Instruments sponsored this post by providing free Boomwhackers samples.  All opinions and ideas are our own.

10 Fun Ways to Play With Boomwhackers

1 || Repeat My Rhythm

Choose a leader to tap out a beat with their Boomwhacker(s).  Have the rest of the group imitate that same rhythm.  Or, have the whole group get in sync, tapping out the same rhythm at the same exact time with their Boomwhackers.  Great for attention, auditory processing, and self-regulation!

2 || Simon Says

Again, choose a leader of the group.  This person will act as “Simon” and will complete an action with his/her Boomwhacker(s) for the group to imitate.  Some ideas: tap different body parts, tap the floor, ride your Boomwhacker like a horse, swing it like a baseball bat, pretend you’re an elephant with a Boomwhacker trunk!

3 || Body Awareness

Tapping on different body parts is a great way to work on body awareness, body part identification, and direction-following.  Tactile and proprioceptive sensory seekers will also love the input!

4 || Sword Fighting

In my house full of rough, noisy kids, pretty much everything we own becomes a sword or weapon at some point.  The good news about using Boomwhackers as swords?  When they hit each other, they make a chord!  How awesome is that?  Have kids experiment with sword fighting with the different Boomwhackers to make beautiful music!

5 || Movement Songs

Use your Boomwhackers as props during classic movement songs and fingerplays.  Try Head Shoulders, Knees and Toes (tapping on the body parts with the Boomwhackers), If You’re Happy and You Know It (doing different actions with the Boomwhackers), Row Row Row Your Boat (using your Boomwhacker as a paddle), and The Itsy Bitsy Spider (act out the song with the Boomwhackers instead of your hands).

6 || Make it a Tunnel

Need a little quiet play?  As our 16-month-old at home discovered the other day, Boomwhackers make awesome tunnels for small balls, and toy cars!  Hold them at different angles and the toys will roll through at different speeds.  So much fun – and great bilateral coordination and visual motor integration work too!

7 || Make it a Microphone

We’ve talked before about using Echo Microphones to encourage reluctant talkers.  A Boomwhacker can have the same effect!  Kids love using them to amplify their voices!

8 || Learn a Song

Check out all of this awesome Boomwhacker sheet music!  Learning a whole song on a set of Boomwhackers is a great challenge for older kids!

9 || Throw Them!

Okay, okay.  We know we shouldn’t teach kids to throw toys.  But guys…you haven’t lived until you’ve thrown a Boomwhacker.  Just try it.  Amazing bouncy, musical goodness.  Seriously, if you’ve got a kiddo who you can’t get to participate in anything, show him how to throw a Boomwhacker and you’ll be in business.

10 || Hand Clapping Games

Use your Boomwhackers instead of your hands for these classic hand clapping games!

Want even more inspiration?  Check out these other awesome Boomwhacker game ideas!

Do you have a set of Boomwhackers?  How do you use them with your kids at home or at work?  Share your ideas in the comments below!