Fantastic Fingerplay

Welcome Google perverts!  If you came following a link from some random pornographic search, please be advised that this is a PG column (today, anyways..).

I've been a little freaked out lately that I'm not doing enough to stimulate my baby's young brain.  Thing is, with the second child good intentions tend to fall by the wayside.  No longer do you have two parents looking after one child and doting on their every sigh and gurgle.  Generally you're running after the toddler and the baby only gets attention when he starts pulling bottles out of the wine rack (is this just my house?).  So I decided to re-investigate what I "should" be doing these days.

What I gathered from the Internet and magazines is that the best thing to do for my baby is to engage him with stories and fingerplay.  Great!  I read to him all the time.  Fingerplay?  Um...okay? 

If you asked me yesterday to give you the definition of fingerplay, I would have said: "Um, you know, playing games with your fingers to, um, stimulate children."  (Still with me Google pervs?  Shoo.)  So I looked it up and the actual definition is "rhymes for very young children that use hand movements coordinated with words to engage and sustain children's interest. Fingerplays can be in the form of little songs or chants."  Thanks, Wikipedia!

FINGERPLAY!  Ah, now I remember.  I guess I must have lost some pages from my "How to Be the Best Parent Ever" manual.  Trouble is, once I go through The Eensy Weensy Spider, Round and Round the Garden, Where is Thumbkin and Pat-a-Cake, I'm pretty much done.  Not only am I bored with the ones I've done, but I can't think of any others.  And one thing I know from acting is that when the actor is bored, the audience doesn't stand a chance.

Fingerplay has many uses like teaching rhythm, developing fine motor skills, helping children learn how to follow directions, improving memory and introducing poetry or new concepts.  Because of this, it is used from infancy to preschool.  Personally, I like the songs and rhymes that require a lot of action - they're easier to remember, and since you have to get up and get moving, they are much more involved and involving.  Below are some interesting ones I like with which you may or may not be familiar.  If you have some favourites, please leave them in the comments.  I always love new material.

Babies

Open - shut them,
Give a little clap.
Open - shut them,
Open - shut them,
Lay them in your lap.
Roll them, roll them, (roll hands)
Roll them, roll them,
Roll them, just like this.
Wave them, wave them, (wave hands)
Wave them, wave them,
And blow a little kiss.

(Consecutively raise fingers of one hand)
This is the father, kind and true;
This is the mother who cares for you;
This is the brother so big and tall;
This is the sister who plays with her ball;
This is the baby, loved by them all;
See the whole family big and small.

I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me,
I can make them do things-would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight, I can open them wide,
I can put them together, I can make them all hide.
I can make them jump high,
I can make them jump low.
I can fold them up quietly and hold them just so.
(Finger motions as described)

Toddlers/Preschoolers

An owl sat alone on the branch of a tree,
(Use arm as branch; raise thumb for owl)
And she was as quiet as quiet could be.
'Twas night and her eyes were wide open like this;
(Circle eyes with fingers and look around)
She looked all around; not a thing did she miss.
Some little birds perched on the branch of the tree,
(Fingers of other hand fly on tree)
And sat there as quiet as quiet could be.
The solemn old owl said "Whoo-whoo-whoo,"
And up jumped the birds and away they flew.
(Wave hand away, fluttering fingers behind back)

I can go on tippy-toe,
Like a fairy I can go.
I can stamp so that you'd say
"An elephant's at school today."
I can run, I can hop,
I can spin 'round like a top,
I can stretch my arms out wide,
I can swing from side to side.
I can stand up straight and tall,
I can make myself so small.
I can kneel without a sound,
And sit cross-legged on the ground.

Two little feet go tap, tap, tap,
Two little hands go clap, clap, clap,
A quick little leap up from the chair;
Two little hands fly up in the air.
Two little fists go bump, bump, bump,
Two little feet go jump, jump, jump,
One little body turns round, round, round,
And one little child sits quietly down

Comments

[kerry]

very cool!
we have started playing with little knit finger puppets recently, too and our munchkin loves them.

[katie ~ motherbumper]

This is so awesome - even as a mom to one (wine rack puller), it never ever hurts to pull one out of the "How to Be the Best Parent Ever" manual.

Mine is:
(One finger on each hand held up)
Two little dickey birds sitting on a wall (wag fingers)
One named Peter (wave first finger)
One named Paul (wave other finger)
Fly away Peter (fly behind the back)
Fly away Paul (fly behind back)
Come back Peter (bring back front)
Come back Paul (bring back to front)

[kittenpie]

Going to library storytimes is a good way to learn some new ones, actually, as we use them all the time. I literally have files full of them, arranged mostly by theme.

But another couple of simple ones that are just about the hands are

Tommy Thumb is up and
Tommy Thumbn is down
Tommy Thumb is dancing
All Around the town.
Daning on your shoulders,
Dancing on your head,
Dancing on your knees and
Tucking into bed. [under arms]

repeat for each finger, then for Finger Family.

AND

Where is thumbkin?
Where is thumbkin?
Here I am!
Here I am!
How are you this morning?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away. Run away.

again, repeat for each finger, then Finger Family.

The library has some good books of finger plays, too, which include instrtuctions about the actions, so ask them for some new material, even if you don't go to storytimes!

[kgirl]

I still have that library guide that kp is talking about from the early Bee days. Have I pulled it out? Not recetly, but I should. Does peekaboo count?

[Scott]

Hi all. All things are difficult before they are easy. Help me! Help to find sites on the: free drug rehab treatment. I found only this - drug rehab treatment center. Abuse resources for treatment programs and drug and alcohol rehabilitation and addiction recovery. Get the most effective and high quality drug and. Thank :rolleyes: Scott from Burundi.