Why counting out aloud is critical for the beginning drummer ?

One of the most difficult challenges i have seen kids face is counting our aloud (one of 5 basic steps to playing your first beat) when they play a beat or roll. While this may seem trivial, developing your 'internal' clock via this practice is a foundational skill for a drummer whose main role is to keep time in a band or ensemble

The reason most kids find this difficult is that counting aloud and playing drums requires focus & concentration, something which they develop gradually with age. 

Thus start by playing each note pattern with a clap to begin with while counting aloud as shown below,

We count,
Quarter notes as 1,2,3,4 
Eighth notes as 1&2&3&4& 
Sixteenth notes as 1e&a, 2e&a, 3e&a, 4e&a
Triplets as 1&a, 2&a, 3&a, 4&a

Once they get a hang of this, introduce a metronome (available as free smartphone apps today). This will help them support the length of playing a whole song or set of notes

Finally when they are adapt at this, start turning the metronome on & off periodically so that their 'internal clock' is in control all the while

Drummers ultimately aspire to be playing with real human expression and feel not programmatic like a robot. Following a simple training regime as highlighted above can really help kids excel at this basic skill required for proficient drumming. So let's start practice by COUNTING OUT LOUD !!