American Folk Song · Elementary Music · Grades K–4
Complete lyrics and teaching guide for Come and Pass the Sticks Around — the rhythm stick passing game that even Kindergarteners can master because the words tell you exactly what to do. La-based pentatonic, low sol, ri-tim, and quarter rest all in one song.
American folk song · full lyrics
One of the most self-explanatory songs in the entire elementary music repertoire. The words don't just describe the game — they teach it. Every line tells the children exactly what to do, which is why even Kindergarteners can master this passing game remarkably quickly.
About this song
Come and Pass the Sticks Around is one of the most elegant songs in the elementary music library — not because it's complex, but because of how brilliantly it solves the problem of teaching a passing game. The lyrics tell you exactly what to do: shoulder, shoulder, knee, knee, tap, tap, pass. Every beat has a word, and every word has a motion. There is no ambiguity, no confusion about timing, and no need for lengthy explanation before the game begins.
Deborah notes that this is "a wonderful stick passing game which even kindergarteners can master, simply because the words tell you what to do." That self-instructing quality is rare in the repertoire and makes this song especially valuable in the early grades, where following directions while playing is a significant cognitive challenge.
"This is a wonderful stick passing game which even kindergarteners can master, simply because the words tell you what to do!"
— Deborah Skydell Pasternack, The Singing ClassroomMusically the song is built in la-based pentatonic with low sol — one of the more elusive pitches in the Kodály sequence. The word "shoulder" fits the ri-tim rhythm pattern so naturally that children internalize the dotted feel through the song before it's ever named. The first two lines also provide an excellent, isolated context for teaching the quarter rest, since they contain only eighth notes, quarter notes, and rests in clean 2/4 meter.
Teaching guide
Deborah's approach solves the two biggest problems in stick passing games: which direction to pass, and how to avoid chaos when distributing materials.
To eliminate confusion about passing direction, don't begin by distributing a stick to each child. Start with the sticks near you. Sing the song while tapping one stick in front of you, and after the final "tap tap pass," place it on the floor in front of the child to your right. Have that child pick up the stick and do the "shoulder shoulder knee knee tap tap pass" section with you.
Before the game begins in earnest, give children two specific directions: First — "Even though you might want to be very helpful to your friend by handing the stick directly to them or putting it in their lap, don't do it! Put it right on the floor so they can pick it up. Otherwise, you could accidentally hit their hand." Second — "Be careful not to hit yourself in the face with the stick when doing 'shoulder, shoulder'!"
Take another stick and begin again with the two children on your right playing along. Continue this way — adding one stick per round — until all the sticks are passed out. This approach builds the game organically, so children who are still waiting can watch and learn the pattern before their stick arrives.
When everyone has a stick, continue playing for a few rounds. By this point the circle should have enough momentum and muscle memory that the passing feels natural. The first round of full-circle play is always the most satisfying moment — when the whole group locks into the beat together.
To take the game further, let children invent variations: instead of tapping the stick, they can make up other motions to keep the beat — tossing it, tapping either end, or clicking it with a friend. They can also replace "shoulder shoulder knee knee tap tap pass" with entirely new motions, such as "floor floor elbow elbow nose nose pass." This creative ownership deepens engagement and extends the game's usefulness across grade levels.
Skills & concept focus
Come and Pass the Sticks Around is a remarkably rich song for its simplicity. Here's how to use it across different concept focuses.
The first two lines of the song — "Come and pass the sticks around / Play this game of mine" — work perfectly for isolating the quarter rest. Use just this section, which contains only eighth notes, quarter notes, and quarter rests in clean 2/4 meter. The brevity and clarity make the rest easy to identify and feel.
Use only the first section of the song, ending before "shoulder, shoulder." This two-line section contains only eighth notes, quarter notes, and quarter rests — ideal for introducing or reinforcing 2/4 meter without the rhythmic complexity of the passing section.
The word "shoulder" fits the ri-tim rhythm — the dotted pattern — so naturally that children internalize the feel through the game before you ever name it. Once children know the song well, draw their attention to the "shoulder shoulder" rhythm. The recognition is instant: they've been singing it all along.
Once children know the game and can sing the song comfortably, use Kodály hand signs to highlight low sol in the melody. The active engagement of the passing game has already embedded the pitch through repeated singing — the hand sign gives it a name and a physical anchor.
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More passing games & folk songs
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See teaching guide →Common questions
"Come and pass the sticks around / Play this game of mine / Don't get too hung up on it / And you will do just fine / Shoulder, shoulder, knee, knee, tap, tap, pass / Shoulder, shoulder, knee, knee, tap, tap, pass." The second section is repeated as the passing game continues. The full lyrics are on this page above.
Come and Pass the Sticks Around works across Kindergarten through 4th grade. Kindergarten can master it because the words literally tell them what to do. Grades 1–2 use it for steady beat and ri-tim. Grades 3–4 can use it for la-based pentatonic analysis, quarter rest work, and student-invented variations on the game.
Handing the stick directly risks hitting the receiving child's hand, especially with young children whose coordination is still developing. Placing the stick on the floor in front of the next child gives them a clear, safe target to pick up — and it naturally regulates the passing speed so everyone stays on the beat instead of rushing.
The word "shoulder" fits the ri-tim (dotted eighth-sixteenth) pattern naturally. Once children know the song and the game well, draw their attention to the rhythm of "shoulder shoulder" — the feel of leaning into the first syllable and bouncing quickly off the second. Use rhythm notation to show the pattern, then point out: "You've been singing this every time we play the game." The moment of recognition is one of the most satisfying in Kodály teaching.
Rushing usually means children are anticipating the beat rather than responding to it. Two fixes work well: first, slow the tempo down significantly and have children place (not hand) the stick on the floor — the extra moment of placement regulates timing naturally. Second, have children say "shoulder shoulder knee knee tap tap pass" out loud while playing, which re-anchors their attention to the beat of the words.
The real problem
Every teacher knows this feeling. You find a song, try it on Monday, and something goes sideways — the kids don't engage, you're not sure how to introduce it, the lesson loses momentum. It's not that the song was wrong. You just didn't have a clear picture of how it actually goes.
That's what makes The Singing Classroom different. Every song in the library — including this one — has a full video of Deborah teaching it with real students. You don't have to guess how to introduce it, how to structure the activity, or how to handle the tricky moments. You watch it. Then you teach it.
150+ songs. Every one demonstrated. No more hoping it works — you already know it will.
Watch Deborah teach Come and Pass the Sticks Around — the complete passing game, ri-tim teaching moment, and student variation activities. Plus 150+ folk songs and singing games.
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