Do the rap challenge!
Write and perform a short rap about a science or history topic with simple beats, practicing rhythm, rhyme, public speaking, and creativity.
Step-by-step guide to do the rap challenge
Step 1
Pick one science or history topic you find exciting and write its name at the top of your paper.
Step 2
Write three short facts about your topic on the paper.
Step 3
Choose one sentence that will be your rap’s main message or hook and write it clearly.
Step 4
Make a simple steady beat by tapping the pot or clapping and practice that beat until it feels even.
Step 5
Write a 4-line chorus that repeats your hook and uses at least one rhyme.
Step 6
Write a 4-6 line first verse using the facts you wrote earlier.
Step 7
Write a second short verse or a bridge that adds another fact or a fun detail.
Step 8
Mark the beat under the words in your chorus and verses so you can see where to rap on the beat.
Step 9
Say your rap aloud slowly while tapping the steady beat three times.
Step 10
Practice your rap again with expression—try louder, softer, faster, or slower to find the best style.
Step 11
Perform your rap for a family member or friend so you can get a cheer or helpful feedback.
Step 12
Share your finished rap performance or written rap on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
I don’t have a pot to tap for a beat — what can I use instead?
For the step "Make a simple steady beat by tapping the pot or clapping," use a large plastic bowl, empty cereal box, pencil on a table, or stomp your foot so you can still practice the steady beat.
My words don’t match the beat when I try to mark the beat under the words — how do I fix it?
When marking beats under words (step "Mark the beat under the words in your chorus and verses"), speak the rap very slowly while tapping the steady beat three times, put a short mark under each stressed syllable, and trim or split lines so each line fits the steady beat.
How can I change this activity for younger kids or for older kids and teens?
For younger kids simplify to writing the topic and one fact with a 2-line chorus and clap-only beats, for elementary follow the full 4-line chorus and 4–6 line verse as written, and for teens add extra verses, more complex rhymes, record a video, and share on DIY.org.
How can we make the rap more exciting or personalize it?
To enhance it, add simple percussion (a spoon on a pot) for the steady beat, use props or a costume for the performance step, insert a personal story as an extra fact in the bridge, and record the final performance on a phone to upload to DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to do the rap challenge
12345678 Challenge Practice - How To Rap
3 Videos
12345678 Challenge Practice - How To Rap
Learn Your Nine Times Table in Rap! | MC Grammar 🎤 | Educational Rap Songs for Kids 🎵
Learn to Rap - fun interactive video for kids (Simon Mole Poet)
Facts about music and public speaking for kids
🎧 Beats are often made by looping short drum breaks or samples—kids can make simple beats using free apps on a phone or tablet.
🏆 In 2018 Kendrick Lamar became the first hip hop artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album DAMN.
🎤 Rap music grew out of Bronx block parties in the 1970s and mixes spoken rhymes with beats.
🧠 Rhythm and rhyme make information stick—teachers use songs and chants to help memory all the time.
🕰️ Storytelling with rhythm goes way back: West African griots and ancient rhapsodes used musical speech to teach history.
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