Fingerplay: “Wide-Eyed Owl”

There’s a wide-eyed owl (circle your eyes with your hands)
With a pointed nose (make a beak with your fingers)
Two pointed ears (make ears with your fingers)
And claws for toes (wiggle your “claws”)
He lives way up in the tree (point way up)
And when he looks at you (point to children)
He flaps his wings (flap your wings)
And says, “Whoo! Whoo!” (say “whoo whoo”)

Credit: Wilmette Public Library
Via StoryTimeKatie

Leaves

The leaves are dropping from the trees, (flutter fingers up and down)
Yellow, brown, and red (flutter fingers up and down)
They patter softly like the rain (tap fingers on lap)
One landed on my head (tap head)

-Marmalade Days: Fall by Carol Taylor Bond, 1987, p. 209

Chook, chook, chook

Chook, chook, chook
Good morning, Mrs. Hen. (Hold up both thumbs)
How many chickens have you got?
Madam, I’ve got ten. (Show ten fingers)
Four of them are yellow. (Show four fingers on one hand)
And four of them are brown (Show four fingers on the other hand)
And two of them are speckled red (Show two fingers)
The nicest in the town.

-From the blog Silly Librarian

A Delicious Cake

Mix the batter, stir the batter (make stirring motion)
Shake some flour in (make shaking motion)
Mix the batter, stir the batter (make stirring motion)
Place it in a tin (make pouring motion)
Sprinkle little raisins on (sprinkle motion)
Pop it in to bake (make motion)
Open wide the oven door, (make motion)
and out comes a cake! (open palms)

Soft Kitty

 (Make fist of left hand for kitty. Pet kitty with right hand)
Soft kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur.
Lazy kitty, pretty kitty,
"Purr, purr, purr.."

5 Fat Sausages

Five fat sausages frying in a pan (hold up 5 fingers and bounce them)

All of the sudden  (open arms wide)

One went BAM (clap hands together fast)

Four fat sausages frying in a pan (hold up 5 fingers and bounce them)

All of the sudden  (open arms wide)

One went BAM (clap hands together fast)

Three fat sausages frying in a pan (hold up 5 fingers and bounce them)

All of the sudden  (open arms wide)

One went BAM (clap hands together fast)

Two fat sausages frying in a pan (hold up 5 fingers and bounce them)

All of the sudden  (open arms wide)

One went BAM (clap hands together fast)

One fat sausages frying in a pan (hold up 5 fingers and bounce them)

All of the sudden  (open arms wide)

One went BAM (clap hands together fast)

And there were no sausages left!

Where is Thumbkin?

Sing to the tune of Frere Jacques:
Start with hands behind your back

Where is thumbkin?
Where is thumbkin?
Here I am!
Here I am!
How are you today sir?
Very well I thank you
Run away, run away

Go though with Pointer, Tall Man, Ring Man, Pinkie, and Family (all 5 fingers)

Tommy Thumbs

Tommy thumbs up and
Tommy thumbs down
Tommy thumbs dancing
All around the town
Dance them on your shoulders,
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees and
Tuck them into bed!

My Little Turtle

I had a little turtle, he lived in a box.
He swam in the water and he climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at a minnow, he snapped at a flea, he snapped at a mosquito, and he snapped at me.
He caught the minnow, he caught the flea, he caught to mosquito, but he didn't catch me!

Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill (use pointer fingers, bounce up and down)
One named Jack and the other named Jill (bring pointer up higher than other finger when each name is spoken)
Fly away Jack (put finger behind back)
Fly away Jill (put finger behind back)
Come back Jack (bring finger back)
Come back Jill (bring finger back)
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill

VARIATION:

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill (use pointer fingers, bounce up and down)

One named Soft and the other named Loud (bring pointer up higher than other finger when each name is spoken, say each name in either a loud or soft voice)

Fly away Soft (put finger behind back, say name softly)

Fly away Loud (put finger behind back, say name very loudly)

Come back Soft (bring finger back, say name softly)

Come back Loud (bring finger back, say name very loudly)

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill

Goosey Gander

Goosey, goosey gander, where do you wander?
Upstairs, downstairs, and in my lady's chamber. (use fingers to go upstairs and downstairs)

Action Rhyme: I am a Volcano

I am a volcano ( squat down with hands around knees)
Hear me rumble (tremble and rumble)
The lava deep down in me,
Is beginning to bubble.
Something is going to happen,
Happen very soon!
I'm erupting with a
Big gigantic BOOM!!! (jump up and extend arms upward)

Fingerplay: Monkeys in a Tree

Five Little monkeys
Sitting in a tree (hold up 5 fingers)
Teasing Mr. Crocodile (make teasing motion with thumbs against temples)
"You can't catch me."
"You can't catch me."

Along comes Mr. crocodile (stretch arms out in front of body, using hands to form mouth of crocodile)
As quiet as can be
SNAP!!! (shut hands with a clap!)

Continue till all monkeys are gone then

Away swims Mr. Crocodile
As full as he can be!!!

Here is my book

Here is my book
I open it wide
To see the pictures inside

The Goldfish

My darling little goldfish
Hasn’t any toes.
(point to toes)
He swims around without a sound
(make wavy motions with right hand)
And bumps his hungary nose
(tap nose with right hand)
He Can’t get out and play with me
(right hand swimming motion)
Nor I get in to him.
(left hand stands upright)
Although I say, “Come out and play”
(left hand beckons to right hand)
He says “come in and swim”
(right hand beckons to left hand)

FINGERPLAY: The Beehive

Here is the beehive, but where are the bees
(make fist, palm down)
Hidden away where nobody sees
(peek into hand)
Now out they come creeping
1,2,3,4,5
(take beehive hand and slowly open it up using each finger to count a number)
buzzzz…………………
(shake fingers away from you)

5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
5 little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
and Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed”

4 little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
and Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed”

3 little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
and Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed”

3 little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
and Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed”

2 little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
and Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed”

1 little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
and Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed”

My Friendly Caterpillar

My friendly Caterpillar(Fingers crawl up arm)
Made its cocoon one day.
(close hands together)
It turned into a butterfly
(Open hands with thumbs hooked together)A
nd quickly flew away.
(flap hands)

Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock
(clap each word)
The mouse ran up the clock
(run fingers up arm)
The clock struck 1
The mouse ran down
(run fingers down arm)
Hickory Dickory Dock.

Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck 2
The mouse said “boo”
Hickory dickory dock
(clap each word)

Hickory Dickory Dock,
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck 3
The mouse said “Wheeeee!”
Hickory Dickory Dock,
Tick Tock!

5 Little Monkeys

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head and
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed

One fell off and bumped his head and
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."

Three little monkeys jumping on the bed

One fell off and bumped his head and
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed

One fell off and bumped his head and
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."

One little monkey jumping on the bed

He fell off and bumped his head and
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."