What is the practice?
Simple nursery rhymes that include repeated sounds along with adult hand movements often have tremendous child entertainment value! Rhymes provide your child opportunities to listen to and hear sounds that are similar and different.
What does the practice look like?
Infant nursery rhymes are short, silly poems that have long been used to introduce infants to the world of sounds. They are entertaining and will encourage your child to be actively involved in getting you to repeat the rhymes and to try to do part of the hand movements himself, make sounds, and try to repeat words that he hears.
How do you do the practice?
Here are a few nursery rhymes that your child will find fun and enjoyable. Pick a nursery rhyme that you think will catch your child’s interest. Nursery rhymes are best played when you and your child are facing one another.
How do you know the practice worked?
- Does your child try to make any movements when she hears the nursery rhyme?
- Does your child try to get you to play the game again?
- Does she make sounds more often while hearing the rhymes?
Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee
Bumble bee, bumble bee, (Move your index finger in circles and “make it fly” toward your child)
Straight from the farm.
Bumble bee, bumble bee (Repeat the index finger movements)
Flies under your arm. (Tickle the child under the arm while making a bee sound)
Little Fishes
Little fishes in a brook. (make hands move like fish)
Baby caught them with a hook. (pretend to hook a fish on a fishing rod)
Fry them, fry them in a pan. (pretend to hold a frying pan)
Eat the fish as fast as you can. (pretend to eat the “fish”)
Rock a Bye, Baby
Rock a bye, Baby, on a tree top. (cradle the baby in your arms)
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. (rock the baby back and forth)
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. (gently put the baby on a sofa or bed)
And down will come baby, cradle and all. (tickle or kiss the child after placing him down)
Take a look at more fingerplays and nursery rhymes
Tickled by Jack and Jill
Malik, 3 months old, loves to be tickled when playing games with his mother. His mother uses tickling as the climax to nursery rhymes that she sings to Malik. One of Malik’s favorites is Jack and Jill. As soon as Malik hears the words of the nursery rhyme, he smiles and vocalizes to his mother. His mother uses her fingers and pretends to be walking up Malik’s legs, then his chest, and ends by tickling Malik’s neck as she says, “... And Jill came tumbling after.” Malik’s mother asks her son if he wants to hear Jack and Jill again. Malik shakes all over to tell his mother yes.
Raspberry Pat-a-Cake!
William, 3 months old, has “happy hands!” He reaches for and touches everything in view. His father has turned reaching toward him into a game of Pat-a-Cake with William. His dad holds his hands out for William to grab and as he reaches toward him. His dad begins the game by saying “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,” while gently putting William’s hands together to make a patting motion. When saying “roll it,” his father wraps his hands around William’s hands; and when saying “pat it,” he takes William’s hands and touches his son’s tummy. At the end of the nursery rhyme, when saying “Put it in the oven for William and me,” he blows raspberries on William’s tummy. William has started initiating games of Pat-a-Cake by grabbing anyone’s hands and pushing them together!
This Little Piggy
Mandy’s visual impairment does not stop the 8-month-old from enjoying fingerplays. Her favorite game is This Little Piggy. Her mother knows that all she has to do is mention the game and Mandy starts kicking to tell her mother she wants to play. Her mother has turned this well-liked nursery rhyme into a special game for Mandy. She grabs and wiggles each of Mandy’s toes as she recites the nursery rhyme. When saying, “Wee, wee, wee! All the way home,” she tickles the bottom of Mandy’s feet. This starts Mandy kicking and “talking,” and the game begins again.
