Rhythm Words — a rhythm game for kids where words become music
Rhythm Words is a free iOS app for children aged 6 to 8, built on the Kodály method. Say “AP-ple” — that’s two sounds. Tap them back, and Pippo the chick hops along the branches. Every tap is measured to the millisecond, and the next grove opens when most taps land in time.
A look inside
Landscape, one big tap zone, and a world drawn for small hands.
How a session goes
Four steps, repeated grove by grove. The saying-it-out-loud part is the one that actually teaches.
Listen
Pippo plays a bar of fruit words to a steady click. The picture of each fruit is cut into as many pieces as the word has syllables, so the child can see the rhythm before tapping it.
Say it out loud
“Pear. WA-ter-mel-on.” The mouth leads the hand — saying the word out loud is the part that actually teaches.
Tap it back
Every tap is measured to the millisecond against the beat. Pippo hops along the branches as the taps land.
The next grove opens
When most taps land in time, the next grove unlocks. There is no limit on attempts and nothing is ever lost — progress comes from playing, and only from playing.
Words become rhythms
Rhythm Words is built on the Kodály method — the way music teachers have taught rhythm to small children for decades. It starts from what a child already has: their voice and the words they know. The syllables of a word are its rhythm.
A child who can say “WA-ter-mel-on” evenly can already play four sixteenths — they just don’t know it yet. The game makes that connection visible, then gradually adds every rhythm from quarter notes to sixteenths across seven groves.
Want to feel the method before installing anything? Fruit Rhythms on this site is the same idea in a browser: listen to a bar of fruit words, then clap it back.
For parents
Behind a parental gate there is an honest timing report: is your child a little early, a little late, or right on — measured against what is normal at ages 6 to 8. It shows the median, not the best result, on purpose. No flattery, no stars for nothing. Children naturally tap slightly ahead of the beat, and the report already accounts for that, so a small negative number is not a problem.
There is nothing to worry about on the privacy side, because there is nothing there: no accounts, no internet, no analytics, no advertising, and the microphone is never used — children play by tapping the screen. Everything the app knows lives on the device and goes away when you delete it. Read the privacy policy — it is short.
For teachers
The free Fruits pack contains the complete method: all seven groves, every rhythm from quarter notes to sixteenths, the free-play mode and the grown-up report. The paid worlds add new words and pictures, not new learning — so you can recommend the free version without reservation; nothing in the course is behind the purchase.
- Made for a classroom iPad. Landscape, one big tap zone, nothing to miss with small hands.
- A clap-along warm-up with no scoring at all — pat your knees, say the words, feel the pulse.
- “My Rhythm”: the child builds a bar from word cards and Pippo performs it.
- No internet, no accounts, no data collection of any kind.
If you use it in class and something gets in the way, please write to us or email annachernogorova92@gmail.com directly. Feedback from teachers is what this app is built on.
What’s free, what’s optional
Free, forever: the Fruits world with all seven groves, every rhythm from quarter notes to sixteenths, the free-play mode and the grown-up report. No ads, no subscriptions, no tracking.
Optional: three more worlds — Animals, Toys and Transport — as one one-time purchase, available only behind the parental gate and shared with the family through Family Sharing. Same rhythms, new words and pictures. The method itself stays free.
Rhythm Words is made by the team behind Rhythm Challenge, the metronome that grades grown-ups with the same honest, millisecond measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What age is Rhythm Words for?
Rhythm Words is designed for children aged 6 to 8 and is listed in Apple’s Kids Category. Younger children can play the clap-along warm-up with a grown-up; older children usually move through the groves quickly and enjoy building their own bars in My Rhythm.
Does Rhythm Words use the microphone?
No. The microphone is never used or requested. Children say the word out loud and tap the rhythm back on the screen; the timing of each tap is what the app measures.
Does the app collect any data about my child?
No. Rhythm Words has no accounts, no analytics, no advertising and no third-party SDKs, and it makes no network requests. Progress and the grown-up report are stored only on the device and go away when you delete the app.
Is Rhythm Words free? What does the purchase add?
The whole course is free: all seven groves, every rhythm from quarter notes to sixteenths, the free-play mode and the grown-up report come with the free Fruits pack, with no ads and no subscriptions. One optional one-time purchase, placed behind the parental gate, unlocks three more worlds — Animals, Toys and Transport — with the same rhythms but new words and pictures. It supports Family Sharing.
Is there an Android version?
No — Rhythm Words is an iPhone and iPad app (iOS 17 or later). In the meantime you can try the same word-rhythm method free in any browser with Fruit Rhythms on this site.
What is the Kodály method?
A way of teaching music that starts from what a child already has: their voice and the words they know. The syllables of a word are its rhythm — “pear” is one sound, “AP-ple” is two, “WA-ter-mel-on” is four — so a child can feel and say a rhythm long before they can read it. Rhythm Words turns that idea into a game.
Can I use it in class?
Yes. The free Fruits pack contains the complete method, so you can recommend it without reservation. It runs in landscape on an iPad with one big tap zone, has a clap-along warm-up with no scoring, and needs no internet or accounts.