Here are a few finger plays, rhymes, and songs that I enjoy sharing with children in my library. I hope you enjoy them to!  Just click the RIGHT ARROW BUTTON to advance through this slideshow and see this lesson.  Scroll down for MORE!

[More Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs]
[Downloadable, Printable Finger Plays] [Finger Play Links]

More Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs

Animals

Chickadees

• Five little chickadees sitting in a door (hold up hand)
• One flew away and then there were four (put down finger).
• Four little chickadees sitting in a tree.
• One flew away and then there were three (put down finger).
• Three little chickadees looking at you.
• One flew away and then there were two (put down finger).
• Two little chickadees sitting in the sun.
• One flew away and then there was one (put down finger).
• One little chickadee sitting all alone.
• He flew away and then there were none (put down finger).

Corduroy Was a Bear (Popular Book Series)
Tune: This Old Man

• Corduroy was a bear,
• He had no friends anywhere.
• He lost his button and he was all alone,
• Until a girl named Lisa took him home.

Honey Bee

• Brown and yellow honeybee (hold up index finger)
• Settle on a bloom (Set index on tip of opposite hand's middle finger).
• Sip a little nectar, (make sipping noises, tap middle finger several times)
• Smell the sweet perfume (Inhale loudly and deeply).
• Brown and yellow honeybee (index finger still on middle finger)
• Fly from flower to flower (Tap other fingertips with index).
• Then fly away, for you don't like (index flies behind back)
• The rain of a summer shower (Drum fingers on a table).

There Was a Little Turtle

• There was a little turtle (hold out rounded hand, like turtle shell)
• Who lived in a box. (place other hand, flat, underneath)
• He swam in the puddles, (make swimming motions with hands)
• And he climbed on the rocks. (make climbing motions)
• He snapped at the mosquito, (emphasize the word "snapped," and clap hands)
• He snapped at the flea, He snapped at the minnow, And he snapped at me!
• He caught the mosquito, He caught the flea, He caught the minnow,
• But he didn't catch me! (point both thumbs at self)

Math Concepts

Five Little Children

• Five little children on a sunny day (hold up right hand, fingers straight)
• One had a take a nap, there were only four at play (put down one finger).
• Four little children playing a game of ball
• One had to leave when mother gave a call (put down another).
• Three little children tried to climb a tree
• One went home when he scraped his knee (put down another).
• Two little children making a big mud pie
• One went home when he got mud in his eye (put down another).
• Only one little child playing all alone
• There was a loud clap of thunder (clap hands together) and he ran home.

Five Little Mice

• Five little mice were hungry as could be
• "Let's go to the kitchen and see what we can see!"
• The first little mouse found a tasty cookie crumb.
• He ate it right up and said, "Yum Yum!"
• The second little mouse found a piece of jelly bread.
• "That snack was pretty good" he said. 
• The third little mouse said
• "For goodness sake Just look at that delicious chocolate cake!"
• The fourth little mouse found a big piece of cheese.
• All of a sudden he started to sneeze!
• The fifth little mouse hollered,
• "We'd better scat! Here comes Tommy that big old cat!"

Five Little Teddy Bears

• Five little teddy bears standing in a line.
• The first one said, "I'm feeling fine".
• The second one said, "Let's go and play".
• The third one said, "Let's play all day!".
• The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run".
• The fifth one said, "Isn't Pre-K fun?"

I Can Count

• I can count. Want to see? Here's my fingers, 1 2 3. (hold up one hand, count fingers with other hand)
• Four and five, this hand is done. Now I'll count the other one!
• Six, seven, eight and nine. Just one more, I'm doing fine. (using other hand to count)
• The last little finger is number ten. Now I'll count them all again: 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10.

One, Two

(Child stand follows directions)

One

• Show me one hand.  Show me one finger. Wiggle one nose
• Touch one arm. Shake one head. Sit one body down.

Two

• Show me two hands. Wiggle two fingers. Shake two arms
• Touch two eyes. Cover two ears. But sit one body down.

Ten Little Fingers (Finger Play)

• I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me (hold up fingers).
• I can make them do things, would you like to see?
• I can shut them tight (make a fist).
• Or open them wide (open them).
• I can put them together or make them all hide (interlace fingers).
• I can make them jump high (put hands above head).
• I can make them go low (put hands on the floor).
• I can fold them up quietly and hold them just so! (fold hands together and place on lap).

Ten Little Fingers (Song)
Tune: Ten Little Indians

• One little, two little, three little fingers.
• Four little, five little, six little fingers.
• Seven little, eight little, nine little fingers.
• Ten little fingers on my hand.
• One little, two little, three little piggy toes....etc.
• Ten little toes on my feet.

Please check back soon, we'll be adding more!

[More Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs]
[Downloadable, Printable Finger Plays] [Finger Play Links]
[Top]
[Library Lessons Home] [Lesson Plans] [Parts of a Book]
[Book & Library Rules] [Curriculum] [Dewey for Kids]
[Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs] [Library Media Resources]
[Kindergarten Links] [First Grade Links] [Second Grade Links]
[Downloadable, Printable Lesson Plans & Resources]

Downloadable, Printable Finger Plays (.pfd files)

Big Black Bear.  Here's a set of activity (including finger plays) for using the picture book, A BLACK BEAR.  Its about a bear with no manners that comes to visit a little girl at home and makes a terrible mess, but another visitor helps him see the error of his ways.

Family Finger Plays.  This handout has 3 finger plays about families.

Favorite Finger Plays.  From the Mesa Public Library, here are 18 finger plays suitable for young children.

Picture Book Suggestions and Finger Plays About Cloths.  Here are some books, finger plays, rhymes, and ideas to share with children when talking to them about clothes.

Snow is Drifting.  Sung to the tune of London Bridge, This song is written to help children experience snow with all their senses. It might be sung inside the house first, with hand and arm movements then out of doors to enhance the experience of a snowy day.

Songs, Games, and Finger Plays.  This handout, from Grace W. Greene, Children's Services Consultant, contains 8 pages of children's books to share with children.  Check with your local library to locate these books.

Songs, Rhymes and Finger Plays:  An activity guide for under-fives.  Active Movement is just as important for newborns as it is for older children. By helping your child to get active, you help their body to develop, you help them to learn and to feel safe, and you show them they are loved.

Mice are Nice: Traditional Songs and Finger Plays.  Here are some activities about mice to share with children.

[More Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs]
[Downloadable, Printable Finger Plays] [Finger Play Links]
[Top]
[Library Lessons Home] [Lesson Plans] [Parts of a Book]
[Book & Library Rules] [Curriculum] [Dewey for Kids]
[Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs] [Library Media Resources]
[Kindergarten Links] [First Grade Links] [Second Grade Links]
[Downloadable, Printable Lesson Plans & Resources]

Finger Play Links

Children's Songs & Finger Plays.  Nice collection, 5 pages of activities to share with children of different age groups.

Dinosaur Finger Plays.  Children are fascinated by the ancient beasts that used to rule the earth.  Here is a collection of finger plays to share.

Early Childhood Site:  Resources for Educators.  This Web contains links for finger plays and action verses for children.

English Finger Plays.  Great resource, links to finger plays and songs with additional links to audio files (midi) that can be used for "sing alongs."

Finger Play Resources.  Here are some suggestions for print and non-print resources to share finger plays with children.  Ask at your local library to see if they can locate the books, CDs and videos for you.

Finger Plays.  Here are a dozen finger plays that children will enjoy.

Finger Plays:  Natural Learning.  This collection of activities is organized alphabetically.  Simply select a letter of the alphabet below for a corresponding finger play.

Finger Plays and Action Rhymes for Young Learners.   Finger plays and action rhymes captivate young students and help teachers channel their natural energy and enthusiasm into meaningful learning experiences. Finger plays and action rhymes also help even beginning English language learners associate words and phrases with meaning.  Be sure to check the Pull-Down menus for more resources.

Finger Plays and Action Verses for Children:  Music & Movement.  A large collection of short rhymes and finger plays to share with young children.

Finger Plays and Action Verses for Children:  National Network for Child Care.  This is a large collection of rhymes, finger plays, and songs to share.

Finger Plays and Songs from KinderNature.  A service of the Story County Conservation Board and a REAP-CEP grant from the Iowa DNR, these activities all have a nature theme.

Finger Plays for Kids.  Select a Fun Fingerplay and Share it with Someone by choosing a finger play from the pull-down menu and clicking the Show Me button.

Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten.  Here are eighteen finger-plays presented as an online-book.  Some of the plays are for the babies in the nursery, others are more suitable for older children.

Finger Plays Index Page.  Finger plays are a fun way of introducing poetry to children. Finger plays are also useful tools for practicing fine motor skills, following directions and introducing concepts. Actual finger plays are stored here on a secondary server. Links will bring you back to the main page, however.

MoJo's Musical Mouseum Song Lyrics:  Action Songs & Finger Plays.  Organized alphabetically, here are the lyrics and audio files of each song's melody.  The melody files are embedded into the Webpage so that you can hear them from your PC's browser.

Poems, Rhymes, Raps, Finger Plays, and Chants to Use With Young Children.  Nice collection of resources, organized by popular subject areas.  This site invites people to submit materials to add to the growing list.

Preschool Finger Plays.  This collection of finger plays and rhymes features a variety of topics including animals and seasons.  There are also links for other thematic units and resources.

Preschool Finger Plays, Action Poems, Nursery Rhymes and Songs.  Finger plays and rhymes come to life during circle and large group times as preschool children show word meaning through simple actions and finger movements. Preschoolers develop memory and recall skills as they sing and recite the songs and poems in this curriculum resource collection.

Preschool Nursery Rhymes about Animals.  Early childhood education and preschool education lesson plans and activities are enhanced by this resource collection of nursery rhymes, fingerplays and action songs about animals. Many of these poems and songs have withstood the test of time and are still popular with preschool children and their teachers.

Preschool Songs and Finger Plays.  Here's a large collection, from various contributors, of songs to share with preschool children.

Preschool Songs and Finger Plays:  Cyberschool.  This Web presents activities organized by November, December, January, and February themes.

Rhymes and Finger Plays.  Huge collection that is organized by theme (animals, people, counting, etc.) - many ideas to share here.

Songs and Fingers Plays.  Little hands tapping, little feet stomping, little voices singing and little bodies moving.   This online "songbook" was created for children to inspire us to sing to them and with them. This site includes links so that you can hear the songs (mp3 files).

Suggested Finger Plays, Rhymes, and Action Songs.  From Center for Learning and Literacy, here are 5 activities to share with children.  Be sure to check out their other literacy activities too.

Using Rhymes, Finger Plays, and Action Songs.  Finger plays and action songs give an opportunity to have fun! And for this reason alone they are very valuable. However; the benefits do not stop there. Finger plays and action songs help children develop an understanding of rhythms, both the rhythms of speech and music. Finger plays and action songs can also help build a child's vocabulary and aid in language development.

[More Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs]
[Downloadable, Printable Finger Plays] [Finger Play Links]

[Library Lessons Home] [Lesson Plans] [Parts of a Book]
[Book & Library Rules] [Curriculum] [Dewey for Kids]
[Finger Plays, Rhymes & Songs] [Library Media Resources]
[Kindergarten Links] [First Grade Links] [Second Grade Links]
[Downloadable, Printable Lesson Plans & Resources]