How to run a Drumbeats-style Group for Under-5s and their carers.

We've been running Drumbeats at St Denys Church for about 10 years (and big shout out to Rhiannon and then Antonia for laying the foundations & leading it in the early years). It's a group for under-fives and their carers. So you get babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers with their parents, child-minders, grandparents, aunts. And our groups vary from 5 kids (with their carers) to 30 kids (with their carers).

Kids and their carers seem to love it. They describe it as 'welcoming', 'friendly' and 'totally lovely'.

I am definitely a non-specialist: I am not a kids worker and I am not a musician. I've been leading it for the last seven years and it's felt do-able, not scary and it hasn't taken up a lot of time or team. (It's also involved quite a number of hilarious moments when I've tried desperately the day before we're due to start to come up with a song about... 'moles'.. or 'owls' or  'squirrels'.) 

Over three blogs I thought I'd share some of the principles, plans and resources that help Drumbeats happen. This blog introduces Drumbeats by giving some of the key things you probably need to know. And then there's a blog full of book titles and the relevant song plus full-session plans (click here). And then a third blog gives you 6 key elements at the heart of Drumbeats (find it here) that I think make it such a positive group.

As ever, feel free to use and adapt to your own context.

Key introductory information for Drumbeats

Session Structure

A session runs for 1 hour (but be prepared for people to turn up 10 minutes early).

• 0-5mins: People arrive, sign in, settle, (session leader gives eggs to all kids)
• 5-20 mins: 'Hello' song (see below) and book with songs
• 20-30 mins: General songs (no book) and 'Goodbye' song (see below)
• 30-55 mins: Refreshments served, free play and book box, chatting time
• 55-60 mins: Start the tidy away

After formal end of session: finish the tidying up and let kids and carers enjoy the space.

Resources

• Things to sit on and around: cushions and rugs (we also added large foam jigsaw mat when we got bigger)
• Musical instruments: egg shakers and 1 drum can be your starting point. Then you can always add kids bongo drums and kids tambourines (But pay attention to whether they are suitable for under-threes
• Books: you need a lift-the-flap book to read to the group (1 per half term) and then a few books in a box for them to look at in the second half
• Toys to interact with: cuddly toys and a few toy cars/vehicles are the most helpful (make sure the vehicles are suitable for under-3s). Do not have a lot of stuff. 
• Equipment for session leader: bubble machine and very large parachute
• Refreshments equipment: sippy cups and plastic bowls for kids, bugs for adults, plastic trays with raised edges for safe serving (we use Ikea trofast drawers)
• Refreshment consumables: water, fruit, hot drinks (no biscuits), - take allergies into account
• Admin: sign in sheets (one sheet for half a term, fitting approx 15 names on)

Space needed:

You need a room that is safe for kids (think about what active toddlers can do) and that has space for everyone to sit in a circle. And then a separate space (eg a kitchen) to prepare drinks and refreshments. You also need a cupboard to store the equipment in. 

Team

You can run this group with a team of two people (although when we reached 20 plus kids we found an extra pair of hands to be helpful)

• 1 Session leader to welcome, sing & tell the story, lead the songs, and take the drinks order.
• 1 Refreshment lead to prepare food and drinks, help serve them.

Safety 

Adults are responsible for their kids at all times, but remember to still do a risk assessment for your context. Things to consider include the safety of the room, the musical instruments, hot drinks and choking hazards with food, allergies, buggy storage, toilet access 

Money

We've always tried to keep Drumbeats low cost. 'A suggested donation of £1' is how we publicise it. And we take a relaxed approach. Some people pay £1, some empty their purses and pay a random 57p, some people use the card machine and pay for five sessions at a time. In terms of costs to run it, there are set up costs of lift the flap books and musical instruments (cuddly toys and rugs can probably be second-hand, just wash them). Then weekly costs are the fruit, which can be kept low if chopped small. Most of the resources needed are things you've probably got around church. 

Starting: The 'Hello' Song

We have always started with the same welcome song. And it involves naming all the kids and saying hello to them individually. Although it sounds daunting  I believe it's really valuable and there are ways to help you remember names (see this blog on the 6 principles of Drumbeats). The lyrics to the song are:

It is time to say hello-oo, it is time to say hello
Hello Benjy, hello Daniel
Hello Farah, hello Eden,
Hello Storm, hello Katerina
Everyone.
(and then you repeat it multiple times until you have named all the kids)

Finishing the singing session

We've developed a two song finish that kids love

'Twinkle, twinkle' with a bubble mixture machine blowing bubbles (I move around the circle to make sure all the kids get the bubbles) - many of the kids come and stand in the middle of the circle

The Goodbye Song - this echoes the same lyrics as the 'hello' song but without names! We get out a very large toy parachute and waft it up and own with many of the kids under it and sing:

It is time to say goodbye, it is time to say goodbye
Goodbye children, goodbye children
Goodbye grown ups, goodbye grown ups
Goodbye toys, goodbye toys.
Everyone.
(repeat twice)