Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Fingerplays & Songs One slow verse, one fast verse, and a surprise at the end. This song helps children learn… Slow and fastGentle rowing, then rowing in a hurry. Working togetherFacing a partner and rowing in time. Rhyming endingsShore and roar, river and shiver. Pretending togetherA boat, a stream, and something in the water. Sing […]
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Fingerplays & Songs A quiet classic, sung slowly with twinkling fingers held up high. This song helps children learn… Rhyme and melodyStar and are, high and sky, on a familiar tune. Finger controlOpening and closing hands to make stars twinkle. Wondering out loudAsking what something is and thinking about it. Calm togetherA soft, slow song […]
I’m a Little Teapot
Fingerplays & Songs A whole-body song where children become the teapot and tip to pour. This song helps children learn… Balance and controlLeaning to one side and coming back up again. New wordsHandle, spout, steam, and pour, shown as they are sung. PretendingTurning your own body into an everyday object. Loud and quietBuilding up to […]
Hop a little, Jump a little
Fingerplays & Songs Sung to the tune of “The Finger Family,” a moving song that winds down to rest. This song helps children learn… Gross motor movesHopping, jumping, running, and skipping in place. Listening and doingChanging the body as soon as the words change. Body part namesKnees and head, touched as they are named. Winding […]
The Teddy Bear Song
Fingerplays & Songs A call and move chant: every line names the teddy bear, then gives one thing to do. This chant helps children learn… Following directionsOne clear instruction at a time, in order. Body partsFinding a nose, toes, and knees on their own body. Up, down, and aroundSpinning, reaching, and bending through space. Stopping […]
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Fingerplays & Songs A feelings song where every verse names an emotion and gives it a movement. This song helps children learn… Feeling wordsHappy, sad, angry, sleepy, named out loud. Listening for a cueThe last line tells the body what to do. Big movementsClapping, stomping, and stretching on the beat. Copying and leadingWatching a friend, […]
Grandmother’s Glasses
Fingerplays & Songs A hands-and-face fingerplay about the grownups children love best. This fingerplay helps children learn… Family wordsGrandmother and grandfather, said again and again. Small hand musclesCircles, clasps, and folds made with fingers. Matching words to motionsEach line has its own movement to remember. Voices and soundsHigh, low, soft, and sleepy ways of talking. […]
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Fingerplays & Songs A head-to-toe body song that gets faster every round. This song helps children learn… Body part namesEight parts named and touched in order. Balance and bendingReaching all the way down and back up again. Fast and slowFeeling the tempo change round after round. Following a sequenceRemembering what comes next without a cue. […]
Little Bunny Foo Foo
Fingerplays & Songs A story song with two finger bunnies, a fairy, and a countdown of chances. This song helps children learn… Counting backwardThree chances, then two, then one. Story orderBunny hops, fairy warns, and it happens again. Finger controlTwo fingers hop, scoop, and tap on the beat. Sung and spoken voicesHearing when singing stops […]
The Wheels on the Bus
Fingerplays & Songs A sound-and-motion song with as many verses as the children want. This song helps children learn… Sound wordsSwish, beep, clink, and shh said out loud. Repeating patternsEvery verse follows the very same shape. Hand motionsCircling, opening, honking, and wiping. Making a choicePicking which verse the bus sings next. Sing It The wheels […]