Pitter Patter Goes the Rain

U.S.A.

HISTORY AND SONG NOTES

Pitter Patter Goes the Rain is a Diller-Quaile favorite. This charming rainy day tune works well with instruments, finger tapping, or movement.

Tapping or Body Percussion

Pitter Patter works well with body percussion or finger tapping. This can be a lovely way to first introduce the song or to sing it with younger children, and also provides an inclusive musical experience if you have limited space or children in your class for whom locomotor movement is difficult. The children can tap their fingers together to make soft pitter patters, or clap their hands or pat their needs for a stronger thunder-like sound. The children will often have many creative ideas of how they can make sounds with just their hands and feet! At the end of the second line, there is a pause, indicated by a fermata; at this point the children can practice pausing until the music resumes.

Instrument Playing

Pitter Patter works well with drums, where the children play light pitter patter sounds with their finger tips on the drums. You may also choose to change the words to “Splish Splash Goes the Rain,” which invites the children to make louder, stronger sounds on their drum, like splashing in a puddle or making the sound of thunder. Instruments with a softer timbre, such as shaker eggs, or maracas, also work well. At the end of the second line, there is a pause, indicated by a fermata; at this point the children can practice pausing until the music resumes.

Group Circle Game

This game works well with preschool aged children, who are working on starting and stopping their movements with the music. You can begin with everyone moving around in a circle, or in a line around the room if you have limited circle space, to the beat of the music. Any movements that the children are comfortable with work well, particularly walking, tiptoeing if they’re able, or jumping if they’d like to pretend to jump in puddles… At the end of the second line, there is a pause, indicated by a fermata; at this point the children can hold or freeze wherever they are, until the music resumes.