Fingerplays are something I’ve always enjoyed sharing with my children from the time they were very young.
Since almost all children find singing so entertaining and enjoyable, fingerplays are a perfect first activity.
Fingerplays can teach rhythm, counting skills, establish fine motor skills, and work on memory skills, all while capitalizing on children’s natural desire to imitate.
Favorite Fingerplays For Children
1. Itsy-Bitsy Spider:
The itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again
2. The Wheels On The Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep
All through the town
The doors on the bus go open and shut
Open and shut, open and shut
The doors on the bus go open and shut
All through the town
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish
Swish, swish, swish
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish
All through the town
The windows on the bus go up and down
Up and down, up and down
The windows on the bus go up and down
All through the town
The people on the bus go up and down
Up and down, up and down
The people on the bus go up and down
All through the town
The babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah
Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah
The babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah
All through the town
The mommies on the bus go shh, shh, shh,
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh
The mommies on the bus go shh, shh, shh
All through the town
The daddies on the bus go snore, snore, snore
Snore, snore, snore
The daddies on the bus go snore, snore, snore
All through the town
The wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town
3. Five Little Hot Dogs
5 little hot dogs frying in a pan
Pan got hot and 1 went BAM!
4 little hot dogs frying in a pan
Pan got hot and 1 went BAM!
3 little hot dogs frying in a pan
Pan got hot and 1 went BAM!
2 little hot dogs frying in a pan
Pan got hot and 1 went BAM!
1 little hot dog frying in a pan
Pan got hot and it went BAM!
No more hot dogs frying in the pan
4. Five Little Monkeys
Five little monkeys swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Alligator
Can’t catch me
Along came Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be
SNAP
Four little monkeys swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Alligator
Can’t catch me
Along came Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be
SNAP
Three little monkeys swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Alligator
Can’t catch me
Along came Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be
SNAP
Two little monkeys swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Alligator
Can’t catch me
Along came Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be
SNAP
One little
Teasing Mr. Alligator
Can’t catch me
Along came Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be
SNAP
No more monkeys swinging in a tree
5. Six Little Speckled Frogs
Six little speckled frogs
Sitting on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are only 5
Five little speckled frogs
Sitting on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are only 4
Four little speckled frogs
Sitting on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are only 3
Three little speckled frogs
Sitting on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are only 2
Two little speckled frogs
Sitting on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now there is only 1
One little speckled frog
Sitting on a speckled log
Eating the most delicious bugs
He jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Now there are no more speckled frogs
I usually only started with a verse
I used flannel boards and puppets at different times as well, to make them even more fun.
Fingerplays are so beneficial for children and a lot of fun for us, as adults, to share with the special little ones in our lives.
Do you have any favorite fingerplays?
This was my absolute favorite book when I worked in a
For some of my favorite picture books for children, check out this blog post:
https://learningisawayoflife.com/read-to-me/
I’ve never heard the speckled frog one. I’m so excited to share that one with my twins.
My girls really love singing and playing 😍 The speckled frogs and hot dog songs are new to us, but we’ll give them a go tomorrow! We’ve taken a lot of our songs from YouTube, super simple songs, absolutely love them!