My Top 10 Cherished Fingerplays for Preschoolers and the Profound Benefits for Enhancing Your Homeschool

What Are Fingerplays?

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

1. Fine Motor Skills: Fingerplays help children develop fine motor skills by encouraging precise hand and finger movements.
2. Language Development: The repetitive nature of fingerplays helps children learn new words and understand sentence structures.
3. Memory and Sequencing: Children improve their memory and ability to follow sequences as they learn the words and movements.
4. Coordination: Coordinating words with actions helps enhance overall body coordination.
5. Listening Skills: Fingerplays require children to listen carefully and follow instructions, boosting their listening skills.
6. 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.

Related Posts:

• Top Resources for Learning Folk Songs in Your Homeschool or Classroom
• Piano for Preschoolers with KinderBach
• Why and How to do “Music and Movement” With Your Preschoolers
• 5 More Ways to do Preschool Music at Home

Giveaway:

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What You Win

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How to Enter

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Giveaway ends July 19, 2024 at 11:59pm. Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a resident
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