The Mom I Want to Be

There are a myriad of games to help your child develop coordination and language skills. Some of the most fun are action rhymes. Your little one will find the rhymes amusing and will want to play along with you. This leap from passive to active is an important step in your child’s development.   
 
Open/Close Them

Sing Open, Shut Them to the tune of Frere Jacques:

Open eyes now,
Close your eyes now,
Give a wink, give a wink.
Look at what’s around you,
Peek-a-boo, I found you!
Blink, blink, blink,
Blink, blink, blink.
Open arms now,
Close your arms now,
Hug yourself, hug yourself.
Open up your arms, then
Close your arms around, then
Hug, hug, hug,
Hug, hug, hug.
Open fingers,
Close your fingers,
Clap, clap, clap,
Clap, clap, clap.
Open up your fingers,
Now close all your fingers,
Clap, clap, clap,
Clap, clap, clap.
Open mouth now,
Close your mouth now,
Kiss, kiss, kiss,
Kiss, kiss, kiss.
Open up your mouth now,
Close it up again and
Kiss, kiss, kiss,
Kiss, kiss, kiss.
Open knees now,
Close your knees now,
Click, click, click,
Click, click, click,
Open up your knees now,
Close them back again now,
Click, click, click,
Click, click, click.
Open eyes now,
Close your eyes now.
Give a wink,
Give a wink.
Look at what’s around you,
Peek-a-boo, I found you!
Blink, blink, blink,
Blink, blink, blink.
Little Mouse

     Here comes a little mouse,
     Looking for a little house.
     Here?  No!
     Here?  No!
     Here!

In this traditional rhyme, “Mouse”  looks for a home.  Begin by walking your mousy fingers up from your child’s tummy.  Mouse looks for a home under each arm.  You can increase the suspense by speaking slowly and raising the tone of your voice.  The rhyme ends “Here!” with a tickle under the chin.

Slowly Creeps the Garden Snail

Creep your fingers slowly up each of your child’s arms in turn as you imitate the snail.  Then dance your fingers over the child’s body quickly as you end the rhyme, pretending to be a mouse.  This jingle often culminates in a big laughing hug as your child collapses giggling in your arms.

     Slowly, slowly, slowly, up the garden rail,
     Slowly, slowly, slowly, creeps the garden snail.
     Quickly, quickly, very quickly, all around the house,
     Quickly, quickly, very quickly, goes the little mouse!
Baby Parts

0-3 months, Development, Phonological Awareness, Finger Plays

Your baby’s body parts will provide the topic for many of the conversations the two of you will carry on as you interact.  You’ll find your newborn is not much of a conversationalist—most of the burden of small talk will fall to you.  Your repetition of words such as body parts will start your baby on a lifelong learning process.

Knock Knock

Knock, knock (knock on baby’s forehead)
Peek In (Open eyes wider)
Open the latch (push up the tip of her nose)
And walk right in (walk fingers into mouth)
How do you do, Ms Chin-chin-chin? (wiggle baby’s chin)

Thumbkin, Pointer

Thumbkin, pointer, middleman big. (point to each finger)
Silly man (ring finger), wee man (pinky)
Rig-a-Jig-Jig (Roll baby’s hands around each other).

Months from now, when your baby becomes well-versed in the names of the body parts, you can purposely slip in a wrong word or two so she can correct you.
Little Flea     (creep fingers over baby starting at toes)

Creeping, creeping, little flea
Up my leg and past my knee
To my tummy, on he goes
Past my chin and to my nose
Now he’s creeping down my chin
To my tummy once again
Down my leg and past my knee
To my toe that little flea
GOTCHA!     (tickle baby’s foot)

Five Little Ducks

5 little ducks went out to play    (hold up 5 fingers)
Over the fields and far away   (arc hand up and down)
When mother duck said
Quack! Quack! Quack!     (clap hands like a duck’s bill)
4 little ducks came waddling back  (wiggle body or four fingers)
– repeat with 4, 3, 2, 1
Sad mother duck went out one day
Over the fields and far away   (arc hand up and down)
When mother duck said 
Quack! Quack! Quack!    (say loudly & clap using whole arm)
5 little ducks came waddling back    (wiggle body or fingers)

 

Little Turtle

I had a little turtle
Who lived in a box (draw a square in the air)
He swam in the puddles (pretend to swim)
And climbed on the rocks (pretend to climb)
He snapped at a mosquito (pinch with fingers)
He snapped at a flea
He snapped at a minnow
And he snapped at me!
He caught the mosquito (clap hands)
He caught the flea
He caught the minnow
But he didn’t catch me! (shake head “no”)

Open them shut them

Open them shut them
Open them shut them, give a little clap
Open them shut them
Open them shut them, put them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them, right up to your chin
Open up your little mouth, but do not put them in
Open them shut them
Open them shut them, give a little clap
Open them shut them
Open them shut them, put them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them right up to your nose
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them right down to your toes
Open them shut them
Open them shut them, give a little clap
Open them shut them
Open them shut them, put them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them right up to your cheek
Cover up your little eyes,
And through your fingers peek
My Big Blue Boat (rock back and forth)

*can be sung to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

I love to row in my big blue boat
My big blue boat, my big blue boat
I love to row in my big blue boat
Out on the deep blue sea
My big blue boat has two red sails
(wave arms over head like sails)
Two red sails, two red sails
My big blue boat has two red sails
Out on the deep blue sea
So come for a row in my big blue boat
My big blue boat, my big blue boat
So come for a row in my big blue boat
Out on the deep blue sea

Color Glove
 
Materials: White work gloves;  red, yellow, green, blue and orange paint.
Description: Take the white gloves and paint the fingers only of both hands. Paint them red, yellow, blue, green, orange, so that you have two of each color.  Then, sing this song.

Tune: “Are You Sleeping”
Where is red? (bring one hand up with all fingers showing)
Where is red? (repeat with other hand.)
Here I am,  (wave one hand)
Here I am (wave other hand)
Show me if you can, (Hold hands up)
Show me if you can.
Where is red?
Where is red?

Repeat this with all the colors allowing the toddlers to show you the colors.

Here are Grandma’s Glasses

Here are Grandma’s glasses, (make little circles with fingers over eyes)
Here is Grandma’s hat, (circle your head and pretend you are tying it underneath your chin)
This is the way she holds
her hands and sits like that. (fold your hands sweetly on your lap)
Here are Grandpa’s glasses (make them bigger that grandma’s)
Here is Grandpa’s hat (make a big hat overhead with your arms)
This is the way he folds
His arms and sits like that (fold arms across chest, relax back in chair and fold knee over other)

Five Little Monkeys

(Begin with 5 fingers splayed and palm away from you, swinging hand to rhythm of verse…)
Five little monkeys swinging from a tree,
teasing mr. alligator, you can’t catch me, you can’t catch me.
(whisper) Along comes mr. alligator, (Put palms together and slither hands like an alligator)
quiet as can be, and
SNAPPED THAT MONKEY RIGHT OUTTA THAT TREE. (louder, and clap hands with the word SNAP)
(Repeat with 4,3,2,1 monkeys)

Ram Sam Sam

(A nonsense song that 1-2 yrs old love. On Ram Sam Sam hit one fist on top of other)
A ram sam sam
A ram sam sam
Goolie Goolie Goolie (Roll hands)
and a Ram Sam Sam (Hit fists again)
A Raffy A Raffy (Lift arms)
Goolie Goolie Goolie (Roll hands again)
and a RAM SAM SAM!(Hit fists again)

Five Little Puppies

Five little puppies were playing in the sun. (hold up hands,fingers extended)
This one saw a rabbit, and he began to run. (bend down first finger)
This one saw a butterfly,and he began to race. (bend down secind finger)
This one saw a cat,and he began to chase. (bend down third finger)
This one tried to catch his tail,and he went round and round. (bend down fourth finger)
this one was so quiet,he never made a sound. (bend down thumb)

Little Robin Red Breast

(hold up thumb and baby finger, and curl down rest of fingers)
Little robin red breast, stay upon a rail
niddle, noodle went his head (wiggle thumb for head)
wibble, wobble went his tail (wiggle baby finger for tail)
Little Turtle

There was a little turtle (Make fist like turtle)
That lived in a box (Draw a box in the air)
He swam through the puddles (Pretend to swim)
And climbed on the rocks (Walk finger’s across child’s hair)
He snapped at a mosquito (Make snapping motion)
He snapped at a flea (Make snapping motion)
He snapped at a minnow (Make snapping motion)
And he snapped at me (Snap at yourself)
He caught the mosquito (Tickle child)
He caught the flea (Tickle child again)
He caught the minnow (Tickle child yet again)
But he didn’t catch me !!!!

Three Little Hot Dogs

(Place 3 fingers from your right hand into the palm of your left, patting them up and down, saying…
Three little hot dogs frying in the pan,
the pan got hot and one (hold up 1 finger)
went BAM! (clap on “BAM”)
(Place 2 fingers from your right hand into your left hand…)
Two little hot dogs frying in the pan,
the pan got hot and one (hold up 1 finger)
went BAM!(clap)
One little hot dog frying in the pan,
the pan got hot and one went
“‘Wait, Wait! Put me on your plate and eat me!”
(If the child is in your lap this is your cue to pretend to “eat her up” and tickle.
Or, if the child doesn’t like to be tickled she can pretend to “eat up” her finger in an exaggerated fashion.)

Five Little Snowmen

Five little snowmen riding on the sled (pretend five fingers are sledding)
One fell off and bumped his head (pretend one finger falls off… rub head)
I called Frosty and Frosty said (dial imaginary telephone)
“No more snowmen, riding on that sled!” (Say in deep voice)
Four little snowmen…etc.
The Beehive

Here is the bee-hive, (close fist)
Where are the bees?
Hiding away where nobody sees.
They are all coming out now,
They are all alive.
One! Two! Three! Four! Five!
(Stick thumb, first finger, second, etc. on last line.)
The Church

Here is the church, (fingers interlaced and folded underneath palms, thumbs together on the outside)
Here is the steeple. (index fingers together, sticking up)
Open the doors (thumbs seperate)
And see all the people! (turn hands over and wiggle interlaced fingers)

Wind the Bobbin

Wind, wind, wind the bobbin, (rolling hands)
wind, wind wind, the bobbin,
Pull, pull, Clap! Clap! Clap! (pull arms out and clap)
Round and Round the Garden

Round and round the garden like a teddy bear
(swirl your index finger around palm of child’s hand)
One step, Two step (walk fingers up child’s arm)
Hidden under there! (tickle child’s underarm)

Roundabout Wee Mousey
 
Roundabout, roundabout, little wee mousey
(swirl your index finger around palm of child’s hand)
Up the tree, up the tree,(walk fingers up child’s arm)
Into the housey!(tickle child’s underarm)

Finger Friends

• Clean, light-colored knit glove
• Permanent felt-tip pens

1. Find a clean, light-colored glove that fits snugly.
2. Draw funny faces on the fingertips with permanent felt-tip pens. The faces can represent anyone you like—mom and dad, sister and brother, baby, other favorite relatives, the family pet, and so on.
3. Slip the glove onto your hand, and give your baby a puppet show, sing some songs, and do some fingerplays, such as “Where Is Thumbkin?”

Fingers, Toes, Hair, Nose *

• Floor or infant seat
• Your voice
 
1. Seat your baby on the floor or in her infant seat, and sit facing her.
2. Sing the following song, and move your baby’s finger to the appropriate body parts.

Put Your Finger in the Air
Put your finger in the air, in the air,
Put your finger in the air, in the air,
Put your finger in the air, then put it in your hair,
Put your finger in your hair, in your hair.
Put your finger on your nose, on your nose,
Put your finger on your nose, on your nose,
Put your finger on your nose, then put it on your toes,
Put your finger on your toes, on your toes.
(repeat with arm/leg, cheeks/chin, lip/hips, neck/back, then)
Put your finger on your finger, on your finger,
Put your finger on your finger, on your finger,
Put your finger on your finger, and then in your lap,

At the end of the song, give a clap!
Finger Play – 10 Fingers

I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me. (Hands upright)
I can make them do things, would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight;(shut them up into fists)
Or open them wide. (Open them wide)
I can put them together, or make them all hide. (Close fists together)
I can make them jump high. (Swing hands down low)
I can fold them up quietly and hold them just so. (Place in lap)

 

Finger Play – Gobble Gobble

Wee wiggle, (wiggle baby toe)
Two tickle, (wiggle next toe)
Three giggle, (wiggle next toe)
Four sniggle, (wiggle next toe)
Five gobble! (pretend to gobble up your baby’s foot)

Finger Play – I have a Little Heart

I have a little heart and it goes thump, thump, thump.
It keeps right on beating when I jump, jump, jump.
I get a special feeling when I look at you.
It makes me want to give you a kiss or two!
Finger Play – Thumkin

Where is thumbkin?
Where is thumbkin? (Hide hands behind back)
Here I am (Bring out one hand)
Here I am (Bring out the other)
How are you today, sir? (Nod one thumb)
Very well, I thank you. (Nod the other thumb)
Run away, run away. (Hide thumbs again behind back)
(Repeat using “pointer”, “Tall Man”, “Ring Man”, and “pinkie” instead of Thumbkin.)

Finger Play – Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on the hill
(hold up the pointer finger of each hand)
One named Jack and one named Jill
(wiggle “Jack” and then wiggle “Jill”)
Fly away, Jack
(wiggle your finger the put it behind your back in a flying motion)
Fly away, Jill
(wiggle your other finger and then put it behind your back)
Come back, Jack (bring back Jack)
Come back, Jill (bring back Jill)