What is the practice?
Fingerplays are very brief stories that often rhyme and use fnger movements to tell the story. Fingerplays help tod- dlers learn about rhyming and poetry, provide opportuni- ties for listening and speaking, and encourage matching words with physical actions.
What does the practice look like?
When your toddler says or sings a rhyme and uses her fngers, hands, or arms to “act it out,” it is a fngerplay. A toddler singing and doing the motions to Eensy, Weensy Spider is an example of a fngerplay. You can fnd many fun fngerplays by searching on the Web for fngerplays or preschool fngerplays.
How do you do the practice?
Fingerplays can be done frequently, offering toddlers the opportunity to have fun playing with language and body movements. The opportunities for fngerplays occur while waiting in the grocery line, getting ready for bed, or watching a big sister’s soccer practice. Fingerplays can provide squirming toddlers the opportunity to become “active” when they are required to sit and wait.
How do you know the practice worked?
- Does your toddler do fngerplays or action rhymes more often?
- Is your toddler enjoying the fngerplays or action rhymes?
- Does your toddler try to make up his own fngerplays or action rhymes?
- Fingerplays and action rhymes can be about any subject that interests your toddler (animals, trains, food, and more). The sillier and more fun they are, the more your toddler will enjoy doing the rhyme over and over.
- If the fngerplay is a new one, demonstrate it with excitement. It doesn’t matter if you get it “right”; your excitement will capture your toddler’s attention.
Bunny Puppet
Here is a bunny (raise two fngers)
With ears so funny
And here is a hole in the ground (make hole with fngers of other hand)
At the frst sound she hears,
She pricks up her ears (straighten fngers)
And pops right into the ground (put fngers in hole)
Homes
A nest is a home for a bird (cup hands to form a nest)
A hive is a home for a bee (turn cupped hands over)
A hole is a home for a rabbit (make a hole with hands)
And a house is a home for me (make roof with peaked hands)
Where Is Thumbkin?
(Start with hands behind back)
Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am (Bring right hand to front, with thumb up)
Here I am. (Bring left hand to front, with thumb up)
How are you this morning?
Very well, I thank you. (Wiggle thumbs as if they’re ‘talking’ to each other)
Run away (Hide right hand behind back)
Run away. (Hide left hand behind back)
Repeat rhyme with each fnger “Pointer,” ”Tall Man,” “Ring Man,” and “Pinkie.”
Take a look at more fun with fngerplays
In Motion
While waiting to check out at a store, Louisa’s mom often uses a fngerplay to keep her 20-month-old daughter from getting restless. Since Louisa likes rhymes, Mom starts saying the Bunny Puppet rhyme. Louisa quickly joins in saying the words and trying to straighten out her fngers for the rabbit’s ears. Mom helps with the motions, but since Louisa knows all the words, Mom doesn’t say the words. Mom knows Louisa enjoys this because while Mom is checking out at the store, Louisa is still doing the fngerplay.
Where Is Thumbkin
Many evenings, 2½-year-old Allison and her dad spend time together sitting on the sofa. Sometimes they read a book or talk about who they saw during the day, but Allison always wants to do fngerplays, especially their special version of Where Is Thumbkin? They each just hide one hand. They sing, “Where is Thumbkin, where is Thumbkin?” followed by “Here I am, here I am.” They each bring out their own hand, waving their thumbs at each other. Allison giggles with delight as they fnish the rhyme.
I Can Do It, Too
It’s hard for John to get his fngers to make all the motions for fngerplays, though he likes to do them. So, John’s mom modifes the fnger motions. For example, in Eensy, Weensy Spider, instead of touching each fnger together, John and his mom just touch their hands together as they raise their arms. They bring down their arms when they say, “Down came the rain,” and swing their arms in front of them when they say “and washed the spider out.” With “Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,” they lift their arms high in a circle. Again, they touch their hands together as they repeat, “The eensy, weensy spider climbed up the spout again!”
