What Are Your Favorite Fingerplays?

Fingerplays to Use With Preschoolers

A fingerplay is a rhyme to sing using our fingers or hands with the words of the song. Preschool songs and rhymes offer many life-long benefits to children. Fingerplays develop fine-motor co-ordination, sequential memory, and body awareness.  Be sure to teach the young children you care for preschool fingerplays, action rhymes, counting rhymes, and games with rhythm.

Here are some popular finger plays:

Twinke, Twikle, Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, (wiggle fingers like they are shining like a star)
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky. (make a diamond with fingers above head)
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.

I'm a Little Teapot
I'm a little teapot, short and stout
Here is my handle (one hand on hip),
here is my spout (other arm out straight)
When I get all steamed up, hear me shout
Just tip me over and pour me out!
(As song ends, lean over and tip arm out like a spout)

Eensy Weensy Spider
Eensy weensy spider
Went up the water spout (Have fingers climb up)
Down came the rain (Wiggle fingers down from head to waist)
And washed the spider out (Throw arms to sides)
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain (Raise hands above head, make circle for sun)
Then the eensy weensy spider
Went up the spout again. (Climb fingers up the spout again)

Bunny Puppet
Here is a bunny, with ears so funny. (Raise two fingers)
And here is a hole in the ground. (Make hole with fingers of the other hand)
At the first sound she hears, she pricks up her ears. (Straighten “ear” fingers)
And pops right into the ground. (Put fingers in hole)

Where Is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin? (Start with hands behind back)
Here I am. (Bring right hand to front, with thumb up)
Here I am. (Bring left hand to front, with thumb up)
How are you this morning?
Very well, I thank you. (Wiggle thumbs as if they are ‘talking’ to each other)
Run away, run away. (Have each hand go back behind your back one at a time)