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Songs and Fingerplays

Fingerplays for fun!

* Fingerplays have been used for nearly 2000 years to help parents teach and entertain children. They are incredibly valuable to both the parents and the children.

Value of Fingerplays:

Increase manual dexterity and muscular control

Develop an understanding of rhythms, size, shape, and direction

Build vocabulary and aid in language development

Allow for self expression

Help teach number concepts

Provide fun and relaxation by having a legitimate opportunity to move and wiggle

Assist in learning to follow directions

Increase attention span

Develop listening and memory skills

Teach order and sequence

The physical activity in fingerplays can range from small movements of the fingers to huge movements that involve the entire body. The best fingerplays use the entire body.

Suggestions for Teaching Fingerplays:

Demonstrate the actions as you sing or say the words

Keep actions slow so that children can keep up

Repeat fingerplays often enough for children to become familiar with them

Be enthusiastic!

Only learn one fingerplay at a time

Make a fingerplay index card file to use as a prompter, though you should memorize the fingerplays you use

Use fingerplays for transitions

Remember, fingerplays are for fun

Teach fingerplays by using the mirror technique (face the children and use your right hand if you want them to use their left)

Jack in the Box	Chester
My Turtle	My Rabbit
Open, Shut Them	Zoo Fun
The Apple Tree	I Wiggle
Where is Thumbkin?

Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box Sitting so still.	(hide face in hands and crouch to floor OR bury thumb in fist),
Won't you come out Jack? Yes, I will!	(jump up OR pop thumb out)

My Turtle
This is my turtle,	(make fist: extend thumb)
He lives in a shell. He likes his home very well.	(hide thumb in fist)
He pokes his head out when he wants to eat	(extend thumb)
And pulls it back in when he wants to sleep.	(hide thumb in fist)

Open, Shut Them
Open, shut them; open, shut them
Give them a clap.
Open, shut them; open, shut them
Lay them in your lap.
Creep them, creep them, slowly upward To your rosy cheeks.
Open wide your shining eyes, Through your fingers peep.
Open, shut them; open, shut them,
To your shoulders fly
Let them, like the little birdies Flutter to the sky.
Falling, falling, slowly falling, Nearly to the ground.
Quickly raising all your fingers Twirling them around.
Open, shut them; Open, shut them
Give them a clap.
Open, shut them; Open, shut them
Lay them in your lap.

The Apple Tree
Way up high in an apple tree	(hands above head)
Two red apples smiled at me	(hands form apples)
I shook that tree as hard as I could	(shaking motion)
And down came the apples
Were they good!	(Rubbing tummy)

Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbin?	(hold both hands behind back)
Here I am. Here I am.	(hold up thumb of one hand and then the other.)
How are you this morning? Very well, I thank you. *Go away. Go away.	(have each thumb bend as if talking as you say the lines. Put each hand behind back again.)
Where is Pointer? Where is Pointer? (Repeat all starred lines.)	(Hold up first finger.)
Where is Tall Man? Where is Tall Man? (Repeat all starred lines.)	(Hold up second finger.)
Where is Ring Man? Where is Ring Man? (Repeat all starred lines.)	(Hold up third finger.)
Where is Pinky? Where is Pinky? (Repeat all starred lines.)	(Hold up fourth finger.)
Where are all the men? Where are all the men? (Repeat starred lines using plurals as needed.)	(Hold up all fingers and thumbs.)

Point to the parts of the body for the following words:

Chester

Chester - chest	I - eye
hear - ear	knows - nose
Harry - hair	back - back
Hip! - hips	Army - arms
Hooray! - sky
Hey Chester
Did you hear about Harry?
He just got back from the Army.
I hear he knows how to wear his clothes.
Hip! Hip! Hooray! for the Army.

My Rabbit
My rabbit has two big ears	(hold up index and middle fingers)
And a funny little nose	(join other three fingers for nose)
He likes to nibble carrots	(move thumb away from other fingers)
And he hops wherever he goes.	(move whole hand jerkily)

Zoo Fun
One, one, the zoo is lots of fun! Two, two, see the kangaroo! Three, three, see the chimpanzee! Four, four, hear the lions roar! Five, five, watch the seals dive! Six, six, there's a monkey doing tricks! Seven, seven, elephants eleven! Eight, eight, a tiger and his mate! Nine, nine, penguins in a line! Ten, ten, I want to come again.

I Wiggle
I wiggle my fingers, I wiggle my toes, I wiggle my shoulders, I wiggle my nose, Now, no more wiggles are left in me. So I will be still.

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