What is the practice?

Age-old and well-loved fingerplays and nursery rhymes provide infants many different kinds of opportunities to hear sounds and be part of fun and enjoyable activities. The activities in this practice guide include ideas for how to use simple fingerplays and nursery rhymes with your child and how to encourage her to learn sounds and to become part of the storytelling.

Mother reading to child

What does the practice look like?

Long before infants learn to say words, they use gestures and other movements to tell us what they want and what they enjoy. Infant fingerplays and simple nursery rhymes are especially enjoyable ways to add sounds and words to movements. Made-up fingerplays—as well as many you can find on the Web by searching infant fingerplays—are likely to entice your child into the game.

How do you do the practice?

This practice is simple and straightforward. Find different kinds of movements and gestures your child enjoys and recite nursery rhymes or fingerplays that fit with the movements and gestures.

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?
  • Start by identifying the movements and gestures your child makes in response to being touched. Does your child like to be tickled? Will your child let you put her hands together like clapping? Does your child like having raspberries blown on her tummy?
  • Be sure your child is in a comfortable position. Lying on her back is often best when first using fingerplays and nursery rhymes. If your child is a sitter, that position will work just as well.
  • Fingerplays and nursery rhymes that involve body parts are generally the easiest and best to do. Play Pat-a-Cake by gently putting your child’s hands together and saying the nursery rhyme. This Little Piggy is a good game for infants because they get to see a parent touch the child’s toes while hearing the nursery rhyme. A baby’s first fingerplays and nursery rhymes should be short and very repetitive.

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.