Finger Plays

Here are some Finger Plays that you may not have heard of. This will give your playtime a little originality.

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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)
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!”
Along comes mr. alligator, quiet as can be, (whisper and put palms together- slither hands like an alligator)
and SNAPPED THAT MONKEY RIGHT OUTTA THAT TREE! (Clap hands with the word “SNAPPED”)

(Repeat with 4,3,2,1 monkeys)

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

(Begin with 5 fingers splayed and palm away from you, bouncing hand to rhythm of verse…)

Five little monkeys Jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head (hold up one finger, then rub head)
Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said,
“NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!” (Index finger out, shaking in chastising manner)

Four little monkeys… etc.

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)

A Pizza Hut

A Pizza hut, A Pizza hut (Make triangle with arms)
Kentucky Fried Chicken (Flap arms like wings) and a Pizza hut!

McDonald’s, McDonald’s (Make “M” in air)
Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut

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 went BAM! (hold up 1 finger then 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 went BAM! (hold up 1 finger then clap on “BAM”)

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.