What are fingerplays for preschoolers and why are they beneficial? Fingerplays are simple hand movements combined with songs or chants that engage preschoolers in a fun and interactive way.
They are typically performed to help children develop fine motor skills, language skills, and cognitive abilities. Classic examples of fingerplays include “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Five Little Monkeys,” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” These activities are not only enjoyable but also highly beneficial for a young child’s development. Let’s find out how!
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Benefits of Fingerplays for Preschoolers
Fine Motor Skills: Fingerplays help children develop fine motor skills by encouraging precise hand and finger movements.
Language Development: The repetitive nature of fingerplays helps children learn new words and understand sentence structures.
Memory and Sequencing: Children improve their memory and ability to follow sequences as they learn the words and movements.
Coordination: Coordinating words with actions helps enhance overall body coordination.
Listening Skills: Fingerplays require children to listen carefully and follow instructions, boosting their listening skills.
Social Skills: Performing fingerplays in a group setting helps children learn to interact and cooperate with others.
How to Use Fingerplays in Homeschooling
Daily Routine: Incorporate fingerplays into your daily routine, such as during Morning Time/Circle Time or transition periods.
Thematic Learning: Use fingerplays that match the themes or topics you are teaching. For example, use animal-themed fingerplays when learning about animals and holiday-themed ones for different holidays throughout the year.
Story Time: Enhance story time by adding fingerplays that relate to the story being read.
Music Time: Combine fingerplays with music sessions to create a more engaging and dynamic learning experience.
My Top 10 Favorite Fingerplays for Preschoolers
Here is My Turtle
Here is my turtle, he lives in a shell
He likes his home very well
He pokes his head out when he wants to eat
And pulls it back in When he wants to sleep.
Here is a Beehive
Here is the beehive But where are the bees?
They’re hidden away Where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 bzzzzzz! They’re alive!
Round and Round the Garden
Round and round the garden,
Went the teddy bear,
One step, two step,
Tickle under there.
Five Little Pumpkins
5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, “Oh my it’s getting late.”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air.”
The third one said, “But we don’t care.”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run.”
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun.”
Ooo ooo went the wind and out went the lights.
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!
Two Little Blackbirds
Two little dickie birds sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill
Two little dickie birds sitting on a cloud
One named soft the other named loud
Fly away soft, fly away loud
Come back soft, come back loud
Two little dickie birds sitting in a row
One named fast and one named slow
Fly away fast, fly away slow
Come back fast, come back slow
Two little dickie birds sitting in a car
One named near and one named far
Fly away near, fly away far
Come back near, come back far
Two little dickie birds sitting at a port
One named long and one named short
Fly away long, fly away short
Come back long, come back short
Two little dickie birds sitting in a tree
One named you and one named me
Fly away you, fly away me
Come back you, come back me
Five Green and Speckled Frogs
5 green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs!
One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool
Now there are 4 green speckled frogs, glub, glub!
4 green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs!
One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool
Now there are 3 green speckled frogs, glub, glub!
3 green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs!
One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool
Now there are 2 green speckled frogs, glub, glub!
2 green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs!
One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool
Now there’s just 1 green speckled frogs, glub, glub!
1 green and speckled frog, sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs!
He jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool
Now there are no green speckled frogs, glub, glub!
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes. Eyes and ears and mouth and nose, Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes.
Six Little Ducks
Six little ducks that I once knew, (hold up six fingers)
Tall ones, short ones, fluffy ones too (hold a hand high, then hold it down low)
But the one little duck with the feathers on her back (hold up one finger)
She led the other with a quack quack quack (put hands under arms and flap once for each quack)
Quack quack quack Quack quack quack
She led the others with a quack quack quack
Down to the river they would go (walk two fingers forward)
Wibble wobble wibble wobble to and fro (wriggle bottom side to side)
But the one little duck with the feathers on her back (hold up one finger)
She led the other with a quack quack quack (put hands under arms and flap once for each quack)
Quack quack quack Quack quack quack
She led the others with a quack quack quack
Home from the river they would go (walk two fingers forward)
Wibble wobble wibble wobble to and fro (wriggle bottom side to side)
But the one little duck with the feathers on her back (hold up one finger)
She led the others with a quack quack quack (put hands under arms and flap once for each quack)
Quack quack quack Quack quack quack She led the others with a quack quack quack
Pat-a-Cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Pat it, And roll it And mark it with a “B”
And throw it in the oven for baby and me!
Five Little Monkeys
5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, 1 fell off and bumped his head
Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumpin’ on the bed”
4 little monkeys jumping on the bed, 1 fell off and bumped his head
Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumpin’ on the bed”
3 little monkeys jumping on the bed, 1 fell off and bumped his head
Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumpin’ on the bed”
2 little monkeys jumping on the bed, 1 fell off and bumped his head
Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumpin’ on the bed”
1 little monkey jumping on the bed, She fell off and bumped her head
Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said, “put those monkeys straight to bed”
Tips for “Fingerplays for Preschoolers” Success
Start Simple: Begin with simple fingerplays and gradually introduce more complex ones.
Repetition: Repetition helps children learn and remember the movements and words.
Be Enthusiastic: Your enthusiasm will encourage children to participate and enjoy the activity.
Use Props: Sometimes, using props like finger puppets can make fingerplays even more engaging.
Fingerplays for preschoolers are a wonderful tool to incorporate into your homeschooling curriculum, providing a fun and educational way to engage preschoolers and support their development.
10 Songs All Preschoolers Should Know
Whether you remember these from your own childhood or not, your kids will adore them!
Another homeschool year is just around the corner! Many homeschooling moms are busy preparing, planning, and finalizing their curriculum choices for the upcoming school year. Many are also trying to stretch every last penny of their homeschool budget to afford all the necessary books and resources.
Whether you’re living on a single income or buying curriculum for multiple children, homeschooling can put a financial strain on a family. That’s why I’ve teamed up with a wonderful group of homeschool bloggers to offer you a chance to win a gift card to a major online homeschool retailer. We hope to bless a few homeschool families (though we wish we could help many more) by alleviating some of the financial stress and helping them purchase the curriculum and supplies they need.
What You Win
Three people will win a $250 gift card to either Rainbow Resource Center or Christianbook.com, two great places to shop for homeschool curriculum and resources, with the best prices around!!
How to Enter
To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below. Now I know this is quite a few entries, but each of these bloggers has generously chipped in their own money to make this giveaway possible, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries. And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning!
Giveaway ends July 19, 2024 at 11:59pm. Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a resident of the U.S. or Canada to enter. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers (see the Terms & Conditions on the Rafflecopter form).
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