Make a looped beat

What can we use if we don't have a shaker, tambourine, or a looping app?

If you don't have a shaker or tambourine, use a sealed plastic container with rice as a shaker and an empty bowl or table as the tapping surface, and record with your phone's Voice Memos or any recorder app instead of a looping app.

My overdub sounds out of time or noisy — what should I check?

If the overdub is out of time or noisy, replay the loop, practice clapping the '1 2 3 4' pulse from step 6, use a metronome, re-record a shorter, precisely timed clip (step 7), and then adjust the app volume sliders to balance levels and reduce background noise.

How can I change the activity for younger or older kids?

For younger children, simplify by recording just one steady clap loop and doing a single overdub (record one cycle, loop it, then overdub once), while older kids can add multiple overdubs, experiment with different tapping spots and instruments, and export the finished loop to DIY.org.

What are simple ways to make the loop more interesting or personal?

To personalize and extend your groove, try increasing the loop length to eight counts, add a melodic overdub with a toy keyboard or singing, apply app effects, then save/export different versions before sharing on DIY.org.