Clap the beats
Word 1 of 5
Say the word. Tap the drum for each beat.
No claps yet
Well played! Now try the real one.
Now clap the beats in everyone's name at dinner, then the things on the table. The phonics guide explains why beats come first for Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, and what English needs after that.
Reading & phonics: two scripts at once →Play it together
Say the word together, slowly, and tap the drum once for each beat as you say it. Then press Show me and clap it again as the blocks light up. The game has no sound, so your voice does that job.
What it practises
Hearing the beats in a word. That is all we claim for it. The real version,Reading & phonics: two scripts at once, does the same job with things from your kitchen, and does it better.
Five minutes on the screen is plenty. No sign-up, no sound, no ad networks, and nothing your child types leaves this page. More games in the Play corner.
Questions parents ask
Why clap beats instead of teaching letters first?
Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati are written in beats: क is already ka, not k. Research on Indian scripts found that hearing these beats predicts early reading better than hearing the smaller sounds inside them. Clapping builds that by ear, with no book needed, and the skill of hearing pieces inside words carries across to English too.
Why does English cat get one clap but three sounds?
In English a beat can hold several sounds. Cat is one beat, but reading it means hearing c, a and t separately, a smaller unit than a clap. That is harder, and it is one reason English reading usually takes longer than Hindi or Gujarati. Clap the beats first, then play with the sounds.