ABSTRACT
This chapter considers children as folk performers focusing on games in which they chant, rhyme and sing. It takes a broad view of musical play, including ball-bouncing, skipping and counting out, in which musical performance is a key but accessory part, as well as singing and clapping games. A multimodal approach is taken to understand the performative skills involved, as far as the available evidence allows. This involves considering the ways children combine a range of expressive resources, such as rhythmic vocalisation, touch and gesture, with the percussive element provided by the use of ropes and balls. The chapter shows that such an approach can shed light on how children experience these games, the nature of their appeal and reasons for changes in their popularity over time.
