Ring the Hanging Bottles

Plastic bottles filled with rice and sealed tight hang from a rope and rattle like maracas when hit; children throw soft balls to make them sound and create music together. They practice aiming at small hanging targets and keeping a beat.

How to play

1. We listen to the bottles as the teacher shakes them by hand (1 min).
2. We throw from the line to make any bottle rattle; every sound gets a cheer (4 min).
3. We make music: we only throw when the teacher claps the beat (3 min).
4. In pairs: one throws and the other dances while the bottle rattles (4 min).
5. We pick up the balls and take down the bottles with the teacher (2 min).

Rules

• I throw from the line and never walk up to touch the bottles.
• When the teacher stops clapping, I stop throwing.
• I only pick up balls when the teacher says "Quiet, cleanup!"

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: one bottle hangs at chair height.
• Visual impairment: this game is very sound-based; the teacher shakes a bottle first so they can locate it.
• Hearing impairment: tie colorful ribbons to the bottles so they swing a lot when hit.

Learning goals

• Hit small hanging targets.
• Throw in time with a beat.
• Have fun making music with the body.

Equipment for a class of 25

• plastic bottles filled with rice: 8
• rope: 1
• soft balls: 25

Teacher tip

Tape the caps shut so the rice can never spill. Hang the bottles a hand-span apart, with the rope well above children's heads. On rainy days, it works on a covered porch.

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