Rhythm and rhyme are tools children use as part of their L1 acquisition, and
  David Bell (1999) suggests that they can be used as effectively by both
  adults and children as they learn their L2.  Ring games, which use
  repetition, rhythm, rhyme and movement in a non-competitive, group setting,
  “give students a chance to use their bodies in the language learning
  process.” (p.27)  Bell first used ring games in an attempt to “meet …
  halfway” (p. 28) students who would otherwise be reluctant to speak aloud in
  class.  This allowed him use a communicative approach without upsetting
  cultural norms that discourage individual student verbosity.
  The ring games described by Bell consist of a chorus (chanted by the class
  or group as a whole) and individual responses to that chorus.  These
  individual responses are what make the ring games interactive instead of
  simply repetitive.  The poetic nature of the chants within the ring games
  facilitates the concept of the classroom as a “play world in which people
  can practice and prepare.” (p. 28)  Movement is added to the chants to
  address a variety of learning styles (kinesthetic, musical, visual, inter-
  and intrapersonal) and to assist memorization.  According to Bell, this
  combination of rhythmic speech and movement can aid in pronunciation,
  through “synchronization of gesture and speech.” (p. 29)  Engaging a class
  in the physical activity also breaks the barrier of student passivity
  created by the traditional classroom arrangement of students sitting still
  in rows, while the teacher stands at the front.
  One of the ring games (also called dances) that Bell describes is called
  “When’s Your Birthday?” (p.29)  The students stand in a circle, in ascending
  order by birthday (month and day, but not year).  The students chant in
  chorus, “When’s your birthday?” in a three beat rhythm, with emphasis on the
  words when’s, birth and day.  The word your is not stressed, much as it
  would not be stressed by a native speaker in casual speech.  This three beat
  rhythm is followed by two more beats, provided by finger snaps, to create a
  five beat series.  These snaps in the series are the beats on which each
  individual student responds with his or her birthday, e.g.:
  Chorus: When’s your birthday?
  Individual 1: May first.
  Chorus: When’s your birthday?
  Individual 2: June twelfth.
  This verbal component is enhanced by the addition of movement.  As the
  chorus speaks, the group as a whole takes three steps to the right, in the
  three beats of when’s, birth and day.  The two snaps would then be to the
  right side, as one of the students gives the response.  On the next chorus,
  the group takes three steps to the left, then snaps twice to the left as the
  next student responds.  The chant continues until all the students have
  given their birthday.  The speed of the entire chant and accompanying dance
  can vary according to skill or interest level.

  Many language class activities that involve music and rhythm are somewhat
  passive.  They involve listening, and repeating, but don’t usually require
  individual responses.  Bell’s ring games and dances keep students active in
  two ways: the students have to give individual responses, and they are in
  motion throughout the exercise.  The active quality, along with the physical
  and cultural barrier breaking aspect, appeal to me as one who wishes to
  teach overseas, in countries where students may be culturally inhibited
  about speaking in class.  Some of the games require students to interact
  with each other first, before working as a group, and this interaction is
  another opportunity for students to speak the target language.  I also
  appreciate the capacity that chants have to teach students the rhythmic
  quality of syllabic emphasis.  For students, I think the activity could be
  fun and different, so long as it is used in moderation.
  Moderation is the key, because much like Total Physical Response (TPR), this
  is an activity that relies on repetition and therefore does not really help
  the students construct original utterances.  The chorus-response does
  require some interactive skills, but they are very ritualized.  Bell
  suggests, on p. 28, that ring games assist in teaching turn-taking,
  isochrony and back-channeling, but fails to explain how this would work.
  Since both isochrony and back-channeling are unrehearsed aspects of
  conversation, it would seem unlikely that such stylized activities as ring
  games would provide much authentic usage practice.  After all, we do not
  usually take three steps to the left and snap our fingers to punctuate our
  communication with one another.
  In this same vein, Bell compares the movement/memorization component of
  these games to theatrical performances.  Much as actors are assisted in line
  memorization by learning the movements of their characters, Bell asserts,
  language learners can memorize through movement.  However, movement actually
  helps actor to learn how a character in a play reacts and interacts with the
  (scripted) world around them.  If a language learner associates aspects of
  language with certain movements, that learner may have difficulty using
  those same aspects in authentic situations.
  Bell’s ring games are a potentially interesting way to loosen up a classroom
  and teach language as a rhythmic experience.  The three examples that he
  gives are for beginning to low-intermediate level adults, but these games
  can be adapted, or similar one created for a variety of ages and skill
  levels.  So long as ring games are used as one tool, not the tool, they may
  be a welcome variation in the language learning experience.

  Bell, D. (1999). Rise, Sally, rise: Communicating through dance. TESOL
  Journal, 8 (1), 27-31.