Find your favorite song on the charts
Search current music charts to find your favorite song, record its chart position and dates on a simple graph, and explain what you learned.
About this activity
Search current music charts to find your favorite song, record its chart position and dates on a simple graph, and explain what you learned.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Pick your favorite song from any artist you love.
- 2
Step 2
Write your song title at the top of a blank sheet of paper.
- 3
Step 3
Choose one official music chart to use like Billboard Hot 100 or the UK Official Charts.
- 4
Step 4
Ask an adult to open the chosen chart website for you.
- 5
Step 5
Find your song on the current chart page and read its chart position and the chart date.
- 6
Step 6
Write the current chart position and its date on your paper as your first data point.
- 7
Step 7
Use the chart website’s archive or past-weeks pages to look up the song’s position for at least five earlier chart dates.
- 8
Step 8
Write each earlier position with its matching date on your paper in a clear list.
- 9
Step 9
Draw a pair of graph axes with your ruler: horizontal axis for dates and vertical axis for chart positions.
- 10
Step 10
Label the horizontal axis with the dates you collected and label the vertical axis with numbers starting at 1 at the top.
- 11
Step 11
Plot a dot on the graph for each date where the dot’s height matches the song’s chart position.
- 12
Step 12
Connect the dots in order from the oldest date to the newest date to show the song’s movement.
- 13
Step 13
Write two or three short sentences under the graph that explain what the chart shows about how your song’s popularity changed.
- 14
Step 14
Share your finished graph and explanation on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I find my favorite song on the music charts and create a chart-tracking graph with my child?
To do this activity, pick one reliable chart (Billboard, Official Charts or a local chart) and search for your favorite song on the current list. Each time you check, write the date and the song’s chart position. Use graph paper or a simple spreadsheet: label the horizontal axis with dates and the vertical axis with positions (1 at the top). Plot points for each date, connect them, and write a short paragraph explaining any rises, drops, or surprises.
What materials do I need to track a song's chart position and make a simple graph?
Materials you need: device with internet access to view current music charts (or printouts from a newspaper), paper or graph paper, pencil and eraser, ruler, colored pens or markers, and a calendar to track dates. A spreadsheet program (Google Sheets or Excel) or a simple charting app is optional for automatic plotting. You may also want a printer or a clipboard if you're recording outdoors. Supervise internet use for younger children.
What ages is this music chart tracking activity suitable for?
This activity suits ages 6–14 with adjustments. Ages 6–8 will need adult help searching charts, recording numbers, and plotting; use larger paper and fewer dates. Ages 9–11 can follow steps independently with guidance on graphing and simple observations. Ages 12–14 can analyze trends, calculate differences, and compare songs or charts. Tailor complexity by adding spreadsheets, multiple songs, or discussion prompts about why rankings change.
What are the benefits of tracking a song on the charts and how can I keep kids safe online?
Tracking a song on the charts builds data literacy, basic graphing and math skills, pattern recognition, and critical thinking as children explain rises or drops. It encourages patience through repeated observations and supports reading and research skills. Use it as a conversation starter about music industry factors. For safety, limit visits to trusted chart sites, supervise younger children online, and avoid sharing personal information when signing up for any services.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have a blank sheet of paper, a ruler, or can't open the chart website?
Use a notebook page or graph paper instead of a blank sheet, use the straight edge of a book or folder in place of a ruler, and if you can't open the chart website ask an adult to print the chart page or check a newspaper chart so you can read the song's chart position and chart date.
My song isn't showing on the current chart page or in the archive — what should we try?
Double-check the song title and artist spelling, try the chart site's search or a different official chart (like Billboard or the UK Official Charts), and ask the adult to use the chart website’s archive or past-weeks pages to help find earlier positions so you can write each date and position on your paper.
How can I adapt the activity for younger or older kids?
For younger children, reduce the number of earlier chart dates to 2–3 and pre-draw the axes with your ruler so they just plot and color dots, while older kids can collect more dates, use a spreadsheet to plot positions after drawing graph axes, and calculate rate of change between dates.
How can we make the project more creative or go further after connecting the dots and writing the explanation?
Make it more creative by plotting two songs on the same axes with different colored markers, annotating points with events like a music video or performance, adding a title and the two-or-three-sentence explanation under the graph, and then sharing the finished graph on DIY.org.