Teach Your Primary Class How To Rap!

Children love rapping. They see it on TV, in music videos, and online—it’s cool, glamorous, and full of energy. But while rap looks effortless, it can be tricky to write and even harder to perform well.

The good news? With some structure, editing, and practice, children can create their own impressive raps—ones that classmates will want to tap their feet to!

Why Rap Works in the Classroom

Rap is built on rhythm and rhyme, making it a natural fit for poetry.
It allows children to explore performance skills like expression, gesture, and confidence.
It works well for group performance, encouraging collaboration and teamwork.
It can be funny, serious, or both—making it accessible to all ability levels.

The Teatime Rap

As I sit in my room and I play on a game
My mum gets mad then shouts out my name
“It’s time that you came down the stairs now Lee
It’s ten past five and it’s time for your tea!”
I came down stairs put my tea on my lap,

And I slobbered and I slurped to the teatime rap!
Yes I slobbered and I slurped to the teatime rap!

With a sausage and an egg and a half baked bun
I moaned and I said “This is not much fun!
I’m bored with this mum can’t we have fast food?”
But my mum said “Lee!, you are far too rude!”
So I turned to the telly and my half chewed bap,

And I slobbered and I slurped to the teatime rap!
Yes I slobbered and I slurped to the teatime rap!

It came to dessert and my Mum said “What?
Cos dessert is the thing that we just ain’t got!
You can chew on an apple or a month old pear
But I dreamt of a gateau or a cream eclair!
Then I picked up my plate and my last few scraps

And I slobbered and I slurped to the teatime rap!
Yes I slobbered and I slurped to the teatime rap!

Examples to Inspire

One of my most popular performance pieces is The Teatime Rap. Children love its playful mix of everyday food—sausages, eggs, baked beans—with a glamorous rap style. The contrast always raises smiles!

Another great classroom choice is Gran Can You Rap? by Jack Ousbey, which is quirky, funny, and perfect for primary pupils.

You can also use rap to explore more serious themes. Here’s a short example I often share with classes:

The Anti-Bully Rap
They like to see you shaking
They like to hear your cries
They like to see you broken
From their silly made-up lies
They wanna see you crumble
Don’t fall into their trap
Just listen to the wisdom
Of my ANTI-BULLY RAP!

Notice how the rhyme comes every second line (an A-B-C-B rhyme scheme), and each line has around six to eight syllables.

Download: The Teatime Rap Writing Framework

How to Teach Rap Writing

Read and Listen
Start by reading a few classroom-appropriate raps. Let children hear and feel the rhythm.
Spot the Features
Discuss short, punchy lines; rhyme every second line; repetition; and “street” language like wanna or ’bout.
Write in Groups
Children brainstorm topics and draft short verses. Encourage them to keep lines a similar length.
Add Performance
Just like professional rappers, pupils should add gestures, facial expressions, and confident body language.
Perform Chorally
Split verses between groups, with the whole class repeating the chorus. This creates a lively, performance feel.

Extra KS2 Activities

Theme Challenge: Give groups different themes—friendship, the environment, space, food—and let them write themed raps.
Beat Box Backing: Ask a child to provide a simple beat by clapping, tapping, or beatboxing. Others perform over it.
Choral Mash-Up: Mix two class raps into one performance, with alternating groups taking turns.
Injustice Raps: Encourage children to focus on a cause they care about (bullying, climate change, playground fairness). This brings real passion to the performance.
Funny Raps: Flip the genre and write raps about everyday, ordinary things—like losing socks, messy bedrooms, or doing homework. The sillier, the better!
Rap Battles (Friendly!): Pair groups and let them perform raps back and forth—always in a fun, supportive way.

Teacher Tips

Keep it fun and light—this isn’t about producing professional rappers!
Focus on rhythm first. Clapping out beats helps children feel the structure.
Use humour, parody, or everyday topics to make rap accessible.
Encourage confidence and performance skills as much as the writing itself.

Rap is a brilliant way to bring rhythm, rhyme, and energy into your KS2 poetry lessons. It gets children writing, performing, and—most importantly—having fun.

Have a go with your class, and let me know how you get on!

Best wishes,
Ian Bland

👉 In my Poetry Days in primary schools across the UK I work hard to get the children excited about writing and performing their own poems. I visit over 100 schools every year and I’d love to work with your children and teachers.

📅 You can book me for: