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Hands on Shoulders My Toothbrush

Follow the actions  A self help rhyme
described in each line
I have a little toothbrush
Hands on shoulders,  I hold it very tight
hands on knees. I brush my teeth each morning,
Hands behind you,  And then again at night
if you please; (preschoolers perform the actions)
Touch your shoulders, 
now your nose,  Head and   Shoulders 
Now your hair and now your toes; 
Hands up high in the air, Touch each body part   with both hands and follow the action
Down at your sides, and touch your hair; described.
Hands up high as before,  Head and shoulders, knees and toes.
Now clap your hands, one-two-three-four! Knees and toes, knees and toes
Head and shoulders, knees and toes
Hands Make your feet go stamp, stamp, stamp.

My hands upon my head I'll place, Nose and elbows, feet and waist
Upon my shoulders, on my face, Feet and waist, feet and waist
At my waist and by my side, Nose and elbows, feet and waist
Then behind me they will hide. Make your hands go clap, clap, clap.
Then I'll raise them way up high,  I Have Two Eyes
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly,
Then clap, clap, clap them-- I have two eyes to see with,
One - Two - Three! I have two feet to run,
Now see how quiet they can be. I have two hands to wave with,
And nose I have but one.
I have two ears to hear with,
And a tongue to say "Good day". 

My Head
Action Poem

Family This is the circle that is my head

Let the words describe the actions   make large circle with both hands
This is my mouth with which words are said
Here's a ball for baby, big and soft and round   point to mouth
Here is baby's hammer, see how he can pound. These are my eyes with which I see
Here's the baby's music, clapping, clapping so   point to eyes
Here's the baby's soldiers, standing in a row. This is my nose that's a part of me
Here's the big umbrella to keep the baby dry   point to nose
And here is baby's cradle, to rock the baby bye.  This is the hair that grows on my head
  point to hair
And this is my hat all pretty and red
  place hands on head, fingers pointing up and touching 

Ready for School  Five Fingers

Perform the actions that the words suggest. A fingerplay

When I get ready to come to school, Five fingers on this hand.   hold up one hand
I jump right out of bed, Five fingers on that: hold up the other hand
I wash my face, brush my teeth, A dear little nose. point to nose
Pull my clothes over my head, A mouth like a rose. point to mouth
I run down stairs, drink my milk, Two cheeks so tiny and fat. point to each cheek
And eat my breakfast so slow, Two eyes, two ears point to each
And ten little toes; point to toes
Then I wave good-bye as I walk down the street
That's the way the baby grows. 
I'm so happy (smile) that I can go.
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A Very Nice Place Hokey  Pokey

In a circle
The fish lives in the brook  palms together tightly
and wiggle  forward  You put your right hand in
You put your right hand in
The bird lives in the tree  bend forearms at elbows You put your right hand in
and extend them upwards, cup hands and spread And shake it all about,
them open  You do the Hokey Pokey  wiggle
And you turn yourself about,
But homes are the very nicest place That's what it's all about.
For a little girl (boy) like me.    Point to self
Continue by putting in all the other parts of the body, and finish
up with your whole self!

Homes Point to the Right

Easy fingerplay Use both arms to point for all the movements.
Point to the right of me. 
Point to the left of me.
This is a next for Mr. Bluebird  cup both hands Point up above me.
This is a hive for Mrs. Bee fists together Point down below.
This is a hole for bunny rabbit  fingers Right, left, up.
And this is a house for me         finger tips together Increase speed in    pointing
for a roof peak  And down so slow.
   Decrease speed.
Transportation

Airplane The Bus

I press on the starter, There is a painted bus,

The propeller whirls around With twenty painted seats,
My airplane and I It carries painted people
Brush over the ground. Along the painted streets.
I lift from the field, They pull the painted bell,
The motor roars out loud, The painted driver stops,
Far below is the earth, And they all get out together
Above me a bright cloud. At the little painted shops.
I dip and I drop  
I swoop and I rise--
Oh, it's fun to be flying Way up in the skies!
 
Airplanes Trains
Oh, look, see our airplanes Here's a little choo-choo train
  look up Chugging down the track
Away up in the sky Now it goes forward
  point Now it goes back
Watch us gliding through the air Now the whistle blows
 fly around the room Whooooo, Whooooooo!
This is how we fly. What a lot of noise it makes
Everywhere it goes
Chooo-chooo-chooo!
The train comes running back.
The Little Train   Little Red Caboose

The little train, Little red caboose,

Goes up the track. Chug!  Chug!  Chug!
It says, "Toot, toot", Little red caboose,
And comes right back. Chug!  Chug!  Chug!
  Little red caboose,
  Behind the train,
Train, Train, Train,
Smokestack's on his back,
Tugboat
Back, Back, Back.
Comin' around the track,
Chug, chug, chug, Track, Track, Track.
I'm a little tug. Little red caboose,
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I pull a big boat, Behind the train.

Chug, chug, chug. Woooooo!   Woooooo!
The Train

Choo choo choo choo choo choo choo choo!

Billy and Johnny, Maria and Sue,
All of them watch for the train to pass through.
  Substitute the names of children in your group

Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong ding!

See the engine puffing, hear the bell ring.
Click clack, click clack, click clack clack,
Tell me please, will you come back?
 
Engine On The Track

Here is the engine on the track hold up thumb

Here is the coal car, just in back pointer
Here is the box car to carry freight middle
Here is the mail car. Don't be late. ring
Way back here at the end of the train. little
Rides the caboose through the sun and rain.
 
Windshield Wipers

The windshield wipers on our car are busy in the rain

hold hands with palms turned out and move them from side to side
They swing and swing,
Clup - clup - clup - clup
Then back and forth again.
 
 
 

Get A Ticket

Get a ticket, ticket, ticket for the train.

Get a ticket, ticket, ticket for the train.
Don't stand out in the wind and rain.
Get a ticket, ticket, ticket for the train.

Additional verses make the following substitutions:

Bus; Climb aboard, you can ride with us.
Plane; Don't stand out in the wind and rain.
Boat; The water's too cold to swim or float.
Bike; It's way too far to walk or hike.
 
Community Helper

Carpenter Playmates
Begin with closed fists
The carpenter's hammer goes knock, knock, knock,
From a window in this house
And his saw goes see, saw, see, open one fist, fingers point up
He planes and measures From a window in this house
He hammers and he saws  other fist open, fingers point up
While he build something for me. Playmates wave at each other
 close fists, then thumbs wag at each other
The Mail Carrier They jump
 hands go up and down  quickly
And have such fun!
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See the mail carrier  hands together and clap

Dressed in blue
He's walking, walking, walking
Do you think he'll bring to you
Some postcards and a letter too?

Five Little Firefighters

A fingerplay

Five little fire fighters sit very still

 hold up five fingers
Until they see a five on top of the hill
Number one rings the bell, ding-dong.
  bend down thumb
Number 2 pulls his big boots on.
 bend down pointer finger
Number 3 climbs on the truck right away.
 bend down middle finger
Number 4 joins him, no one can wait.
  bend down ring finger
Number 5 drives the truck to the fire.
  bend down little finger
The big yellow flames go higher and higher.
  spread arms
Whooo-ooo!  Whooo-ooo!  Hear the fire truck say
  imitate siren
As all of the cars get out of the way.
Shhh!  goes the water from the fire hose spout,
  rub palms together
And quicker than a wink the fire is out!
     clap hands. 
 
Policeman
A fingerplay

This is a car driving down the street

  right fist travels down extended left arm
Here's a policeman walking his beat
  right index and middle fingers walk down left arm
Now he is checking the stores at night
To see that the stores are locked up tight
  right index finger and thumb turn key in keyhole formed   by crook of little
finger of left hand, other fingers in a fist.
And this is the friendly traffic cop,
  left hand in fist, index finger straight up
Who tells the cars when to Go and Stop!
  on Go index finger beckons, on Stop, raise fist up
When cars get in a traffic jam
  jam fists together
He help them better than anyone can.
  left index finger as cop stands erect 
 
Pat-A-Cake
Preschool children use hands to perform the actions

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Roll it and pat it, mark it with a "B"

Put it in the oven for Baby and me.
Insects and Bugs

Little  Miss Muffet A Beetle

Traditional nursery rhyme Action poem
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I know a beetle
Little Miss Muffet, Who lives dow a drain
Sat on her tuffet, His coat's very shiny
Eating her curds and whey. But terribly plain
Along came a spider, When I take a bath
Who sat down beside her, He comes up the pipe
And frightened Together we wash
Miss Muffet away.
Together we wipe

The Ants Go Marching

Traditional action song

The ants go marching one by one,

Hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one,
Hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to such his thumb,
And they all go marching down
Into the ground to get out of the rain,
BOOM!  BOOM!  BOOM!

Two...tie his shoe...

Three...climb a tree...
Four...shut the door...
Five...take a dive...
Six...pick up sticks...
Seven...pray to heaven...
Eight...shut the gate...
Nine...check the time...
Ten...say "THE END"

The Beetle
Judy W. contributes this cute rhyme.

Beetle, beetle up in the tree,

Fly down and show your armor to me!
Shiny brown, black, or green,
You're the toughest bug I've ever seen!
 

Fuzzy  Wuzzy, Creepy Crawly

Encourage preschool children to act out the words of this poem by Lilian Schulz.

Fuzzy wuzzy, creepy crawly

Caterpillar funny,
You will be a butterfly
When the days are sunny.

Winging, flinging, dancing, springing

Butterfly so yellow,
You were once a caterpillar,
Wiggly, wiggly fellow.
 

  Flutterby
Judy W. offers this lovely rhyme

 If you ever watched a butterfly,

 You would think the same;
 To call him rather "flutterby",
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 Is more a fitting name.

 For what he has to do with butter
 I cannot understand.
 But he can surely flutter better
 Than any insect can!
Caterpillar
Let the words describe the actions

Little fuzzy caterpillar

In your warm cocoon
The cold winter's over and you'll be hatching soon.
Then you'll spread your wings
On a warm summer's day
And wave us all goodby
As you fly, fly away. 
Little  Black Bug
Encourage preschoolers to add the appropriate sound effects to this poem by
Margaret Wise Brown

Little black bug,

Little black bug
Where have you been?
I've been under the rug,
Said little black bug.
Bug-ug-ug-ug.

Little green fly,

Little green fly,
Where have you been?
I've been way up high,
Said little green fly.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Little old mouse, 

Little old mouse,
Where have you been?
I've been all through the house
Said little old mouse.
Squeak-eak-eak-eak-eak.
 
Lady Bugs
Ask preschool children to perform the actions that the words suggest.

I saw a little lady bug flying in the air,

But when I tried to catch her, two bugs were there.

Two little lady bugs flew up in a tree.

I tiptoed very quietly, and then I saw three.

Three little lady bugs--I looked for one more.

I saw one sitting on the ground, that made four.

Four little lady bugs--another one arrived.

I saw her sitting on a flower, and that made five.

Five little lady bugs, all red and black--

I clapped my hands and shouted, and they all flew back!
 
Insects  All  Around
Improvise a tune or sing to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

Lady bugs and butterflies,

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Buzzing bees up in the sky.

Teeny, tiny little ants,
Crawling up and down the plants
Many insects can be found
In the sky and on the ground.
 
Transition rhyme

Let's Clean Up It's Time To Cleanup

To the tune of  (Tune:  Frere Jacques)
"Farmer In the Dell" Are you helping, 
are you helping
Pick up toys, Pick up toys
Let's clean up today
Let us all be helpers,
Let's clean up today
Let us all be helpers.
We've had our fun
Girls and boys, girls and boys.
Our day is done.
So, let's clean up today.
  Clean-up Song
  Improvise a tune
  Clean-up, clean-up
Everybody get some toys.
Clean-up, clean-up
Quiet Time
All the little girls and boys.
This is my quiet time
Clean-up, clean-up
My feet are flat and still
Everybody do your share.
My hands too are still
Clean-up, clean-up
My hands are in my lap
Everybody, everywhere.
My head is limp
My body is limp
Now head rest on my knees Hands
My head comes up The words describe the actions
Now I am ready to listen. My hands upon my head I'll place.
  Upon my shoulders, on my face,
At my waist and by my side,
Then behind me they will hide.
Jimmy Through the Forest
Then I'll raise them way up high,
Improvise a tune
And let my fingers fly, fly, fly,
Then clap, clap, clap them--
Soft-ly on his tip-tip-toes One - Two -Three!
Jimmy through the for-est goes. Sh! Sh! Sh! Now see how quiet they can be.
(repeat)  
substitute  the children's names.
Where Is Linda
(tune:  Frere Jacques)
A morning song or for circle time.

Teacher:  Where is Linda?  Where is Linda?

Linda:       Here I am, Here I am.
Teacher:  How are you this morning:
Linda:       Very well, I thank you.
Teacher:   Hop away. Hop away.
                (Linda hops away)
Repeat using other children.  Also vary the final action:  walk, skip, or jump
away, etc.
 
It's Time To Sit On The Rug
(Improvise a tune)

It's time to sit on the rug;

It's time to sit on the rug.
It's time to sit on the rug
And clap your hands!

It's time to clap like this;

It's time to clap like this.
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It's time to sit on the rug

And clap like this!
 
Mary's Here Today
(Improvise a tune)

Mary's here today, Mary's here today,

We'll all clape our hands and say,
Mary's here today.
(Repeat with other children's names.  This is a nice welcoming song after a
child has been absent)
 

If You're Wearing Red Today

(Tune:  Muffin Man)

If you're wearing red today,

Red today, red today,
If you're wearing red today,
Stand up and say "Hoo-ray!"

Repeat: for other colors

For Story Time

Sometimes my hands are at my side

  hold hands at side
The behind my back they hide
  put hands behind back
Sometimes I wiggle my fingers so
  wiggle your fingers
Shake them fast, shake them slow
  shake fingers fast and slow
Sometimes my hands go clap, clap, clap
  clap hands
Then I rest them in my lap
Now they're quiet as can be.
  sit down and rest hands in lap
 
I Wiggle Two
Wiggle the body parts as 
they are mentioned.
Two eyes to see the things to do
Two lips to speak clearly the whole day through
I wiggle my fingers, Two ears to hear what others say
I wiggle my toes, Two hands to put the toys away.
I wiggle my nose,  
I wiggle my shoulders,
Now no more wiggles are left in me,
 
So I will sit as still as can be.
 
Two Little Feet Going Downstairs (Upstairs)
by Connie Walters
Melody: Down By the Station
Two little feet go stamp, stamp, stamp 

Hand on the handrail

stamp
We'll go down together
Two little hands go clap, clap, clap
Walking very carefully
clap 
All in a row
One little body stands up straight 
We'll walk very slowly
stand straight
We're not in a hurry
One little body goes round and round 
Let's be quiet
turn
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One little body sits quietly down.  sit

As we go!

(Substitute up for down)

Special Ocassion

My Valentine
Sing this song to the tune of "The Muffin Man

Oh, will you be my valentine?

My valentine?  My valentine?
Oh, will you be my valentine?
And love me every day?

Oh, yes, I'll be your valentine,

Your valentine, your valentine.
Oh, yes, I'll be your valentine,
And love you every day.

There's an entire Valentine Activity Theme in the Rainbow Resource Room.

A Birthday
An action rhyme
Today is (insert the name of the child)'s birthday,
Let's make her/him a cake.
Mix and stir
   action of stirring
Stir and mix,
Then into the oven to bake
  pretend to hold cake in two hands
Here's our cake so nice and round,
   make a circle with arms
We frost it pink and white
   action of spreading frosting
We put five (any number) candles on it,
To make a birthday light. 

Birthday Activities are in the Rainbow Resource Room.

 
Autumn
 Preschool children can act out the words to this seasonal rhyme.

In autumn when the trees are brown

The little leaves come tumbling down
They do not make the slightest sound
But lie so quietly on the ground
Until the wind comes puffing by
And blows them off towards the sky.
 
 
 

Jack-0-Lanterns
A preschool number rhyme
Five little jack-o-lanterns sitting on a gate.
The 1st one said, "It's getting late."
The 2nd one said, "I hear a noise."
The 3rd one said, "It's only some boys."
The 4th one said, "Let's run, let's run."
The 5th one said, "It's Halloween fun."
Then oooooooo went the wind, and out went the light.
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And away ran the jack-o-lanterns on Halloween night. 

There is an entire Halloween Activity Theme in the Rainbow Resource Room.

 
Pumpkins

Little Jack Pumpkin Face lived on a vine

Little Jack Pumpkin Face thought it was fine
First he was small and green
Then he was big and yellow.
Little Jack Pumpkin Face is a fine fellow. 
 
Five Little Pumpkins
A preschool education counting rhyme. 
Point one by one to fingers on a hand.  On the last line, make a fist.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate

The first one said, "My, it's getting late.
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said,  "I don't care."
The fourth one said,  "We'll have a lot of fun.
Let's run and run and run."
"Woo-oo-oo" went the wind.
And out (clap) went the light
And the five little pumpkins rolled right out of sight. 
 
Thanksgiving

Mr. Turkey went for a walk on a bright sunshiny day.

And on the way he met Mr. Duck
Gobble, Gobble.....Quack, Quack.
And they both went on their way. 

Five Turkeys
Early childhood education teachers can develop this rhyme into a  preschool theatrical presentation.

Five big turkeys sitting on the gate

The first one said,  "It's getting late."

Chorus:
Gobble, gobble, gobble
Fat turkeys, fat turkeys
Gobble, gobble, gobble
Fat turkeys are we.

The second one said,  "Who goes there?"

Chorus

The third one said,  "There are farmers everywhere."

Chorus

The fourth one said,  "Let's run, run, run."

Chorus

The fifth one said,  "It's just Thanksgiving fun."

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Chorus

Five fat turkeys are we.

We slept all night in a tree.
When the cook came around,
We couldn't be found,
And that's why we're here, you see.

Thanksgiving Activities are in the Rainbow Resource Room.

 
Santa's  Reindeers
A preschool education fingerplay for Christmas

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 little reindeer
   hold fingers up one at a time
Stand beside the sleigh.
"Hurry, Santa," said the five
"So we will not be late!" 
   make a fist
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 little reindeer,
   pop fingers up one by one
Santa said,  "Please wait!
Wait for three more little reindeer,
And then that will make eight."
   hold up three more fingers.
Santa's Clhimney
A fingerplay

Here is the chimney

(make fist, enclosing thumb inside fist)
Here is the top.
(place palm of other hand on top of fist)
Open the lid,
(remove top hand quickly)
Out Santa will pop.
(pop up thumb).

The Christmas Activity Theme is in the Rainbow Resource Room.

Snowmen
A counting fingerplay for winter.
Five little snowmen standing round my door.
This one melted and then there were four.
Four little snowmen beneath a green pine tree.
This one melted and then there were three.
Three little snowmen with caps and mittens blue.
This one melted and then there were two.
Two little snowmen standing in the sun.
This one melted and then there was one.
One little snowman started to run.
But he melted away and then there was none.

Take a look at the Winter Theme for snowmen activities.

 

The Three M and M's

Deloras J . wrote this little song to celebrate
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month.
To the tune of "The Farmer In the Dell"

The three M and M's

The three M and M's
Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Marthin Luther King.
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( repeat)

Take a look at the Black History Theme for activities.

 
Kites
Try these two preschool rhymes outside on a windy day.

Five little kites flying high in the sky

Said, "Hi" to the cloud as it passed by,
Said, "Hi" to the bird, said "Hi" to the sun,
Said, "Hi" to an airplane--oh what fun!
Then whish went the wind,
And they all took a dive:
One, two, three, four, five. 

Kites Go Up
Young preschoolers can act out the words of this simple rhyme.

The kites go up, the kites go down,

In and around, all over the town
The children run and jump and play,
Because they love a windy day.

Windy & Rainy Weather Activities are in the Rainbow Resource Room.

  Easter Eggs
A counting and color rhyme for Easter

Five little Easter eggs, lovely colors wore,

Mother ate the blue one, then there were four.

Four little Easter eggs, two and two you see,

Daddy ate the red one, then there were three.

Three little Easter eggs, before I knew,

Sister ate the yellow one, then there were two.

Two little Easter eggs, oh what fun,

Brother ate the purple one, then there was one.

One little Easter egg, see me run,

I ate the green one, then there were none.
 
A Rabbit
Preschool children act out this rhyme
Can you make a rabbit
With two ears, so very long
   hold up fingers
And let him hop, hop, hop about
    hop
On legs so small and strong?
He nibbles, nibbles carrots
   act out
For his dinner every day;
As soon as he has had enough
He scampers fast away!
   hop on all fours 
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A Bunny
A traditional fingerplay
Once there was a bunny.
  Double left fist and extend two fingers for ears.
And a green, green cabbage head,
    Double fist on the right hand.
"I think I'll have some breakfast," the little bunny said.
     Move bunny toward cabbage head.
So he nibbled and he nibbled.
     Move fingers on the left hand.
Then he turned around to say,
"I think this is the time I should be hopping on my way!"
    Make hopping movements with the left hand.
 

Easter Rabbits
A counting fingerplay for Easter

Five little Easter rabbits

   Hold up five fingers
Sitting by the door,
One hopped away, and then there were four.
   Bend down one finger.

Refrain
Hop, hop, hop, hop,
   Clap on each hop.
See how they run!
Hop, hop, hop, hop,
   Clap on each hop
They think it is great fun!

Four little Easter rabbits

   Hold up four fingers
Under a tree,
One hopped away, and then there were three.
   Bend down one finger
Repeat refrain.

Three little Easter rabbits

   Hold up three fingers
Looking at you,
One hopped away, and then there were two.
   Bend down one finger
Repeat refrain.

Two little Easter rabbits

   Hold up two fingers.
Resting in the sun,
One hopped away, and there was one.
   Bend down one finger.
Repeat refrain.

One little Easter rabbit

Left all alone,
He hopped away, and there there were none.
   Hand behind back.

Hop, hop, hop, hop!

   Clap on each hop.
All gone away!
Hop, hop, hop, hop!
   Clap on each hop
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They'll come back some day.

Counting and Number rhymes

Five Fat Peas

A counting fingerplay especially
useful in the spring and summer.

Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed

(children hold hand in a fist)
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest.
(put thumb and fingers up one by one)
They grew and grew
 (raise hand in the air very slowly)
And did not stop,
Until one day
The pod went POP!
(children clap hands together)

One Potato, Two Potato

An activity for this counting
rhyme is in the Counting and Number Theme

One potato, two potato,

Three potato, four,
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more!

One, Two, Tie My Shoe One Little Flower,

One Little Bee
Nursery Rhyme
One little flower, one little bee.
1,2  Tie my shoe One little blue bird, high in the tree.
3,4  Shut the door One little brown bear smiling at me.
5,6  Pick up sticks One is the number I like,
7,8  Lay them straight you see.
9, 10  A big fat hen.
Let's get up and count again! Five Cookies
Action poem
Monkeys On the Bed
Action poem Five little cookies in the bakery shop.
Shinning bright with the sugar on top.
Five little monkeys jumping  Along comes (child's name) with a nickel to pay.
on the bed He/she buys a cookie and takes it away.
One fell off and bumped  (continue with four, three, two and one).
his head
Mama called the doctor and 
the doctor Said,
" No more monkeys 
jumping on the bed!"

Four little monkeys jumping 

on the bed, three little monkeys jumping on the bed,
(and so on).

Ten Fingers
A fingerplay

I have ten fingers    hold up both hands, fingers spread

And they all belong to me,  point to self
I can make them do things-
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Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight   make fists

I can open them wide    open hands
I can put them together   place palms together
I can make them all hide   put hands behind back

I can make them jump high   hands over head

I can make them jump low   touch floor
I can fold them up quietly   fold hands in lap
And hold them just so.
 

Uno, Dos Y Tres

A bilingual counting song in Spanish and English

Uno, dos, y tres,

Cuatro, cinco, seis.
Siete, ocho, nueve,
Cuento hasta diez.
La la la la la;  La la la la la,
La la la la la;  La la la la la.
La la la la la;  La la la la la.

One, two, and three,

Four, five and six.
Seven, eight, and nine,
I count to ten.
La la la la la;  La la la la la.
La la la la la;  La la la la la.
La la la la la;  La la la la la.

For an entire Spanish Rhyme Theme go to the Resource Room

Three Balls
Action poem

Here's a ball     make ball with thumb and index finger

And here's a ball   make ball with other thumb and index
A great big ball, I see   put arms up and touch fingers

over head 

Shall we count them?

Are you ready?
One, Two, Three    make all three balls in succession 

Three Little Nickels

A fingerplay

Three little nickels in a pocketbook new,

   hold up three fingers
One bought a peppermint, and then there were two,
   bend down one finger
Two Little nickels before the day was done,
One bought an ice cream come, and then there was one
   bend down another finger
One little nickel I heard it plainly say,
"I'm going into the piggy bank for a rainy day!" 
 
 16

Turtles Birds
Poem Poem

One baby turtle alone and new. There was one little bird in a little tree,
Finds a friend, and then there are two. He was all alone, and he didn't want to be.
Two baby turtles crawl down to the sea. So he flew far away, over the sea,
They find another, and then there are three. And brought back a friend to live in the tree.
Three baby turtles crawl along the shore.
They find another, and then there are four. Substitute two, three, etc. for one as you finish the verse.
Four baby turtles go for a dive.
Up swims another, and then there are five. 
The Bird Activity Theme is in the
Rainbow Resource Room.

Here is a Beehive
A fingerplay

Here is the beehive, where are the bees?

     clench fist and bring out fingers quickly one by one
Hidden away were nobody sees
Watch and you will see them come out of their hives,
One, two, three, four, five,
Buzz, buzz, buzz. 
 

Five Little Bees

One little bee blew and flew.

He met a friend, and that made two.

Two little bees, busy as could be--

Along came another and that made three.

Three little bees, wanted one more,

Found one soon and that made four.

Four little bees, going to the hive.

Spied their little brother, and that made five.

Five little bees working every hour--

Buzz away, bees, and find another flower.
 

Five Little Birdies

A fingerplay

Five little birdies, flying around our door,

 five fingers one hand up in the air, as verse is said other hand bends down each finger

The blue one flew away and then there were four.

Four little birdies sitting in a tree,

The yellow one flew away and then there were three.

The little birdies didn't know what to do,

So the red one flew away, and then there were two.

Two little birdies sitting in the sun, 

The Brown one flew away, and there was one.
 17

The little green birdie felt so all alone,

He/she flew away and then there was none.
Later on that very day,
five little birdies came back to play.
 

The Bird Activity Theme is in the Rainbow Resource Room.

Ten In A Bed
Action poem

There were ten in a bed and the little one said, 

"Roll over, roll over."   rolling motion
So they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were nine in the bed and the little one said, 
"Roll over, roll over."
So they all rolled over and one fell out....

  This is repeated until you get to the number one.  Each time "roll over" is said, rolling motion is dramatized.

There was one in the bed and the little one said, 
"Good night!" 

Counting  Apples
A fingerplay

Five red apples

Hanging on a tree    five fingers held up
The juiciest apples you ever did see!
The wind came past
And gave an angry frown     shake head and look angry
And one little apple came tumbling down.
Four red apples, etc. 

An entire Apple Theme is in the Rainbow Resource Room!

Monkeys  Squirrels
In A Tree  Counting poem
Action poem
Five little squirrels sitting in a tree.
Five little monkeys The first one said, "What do I see?"
Sitting in a tree The second one said, "Some nuts on the ground."
Teasing Mr. Crocodile-- The third one said, "Those nuts I found."
"You can't catch me." The fourth one said, "I'll race you there."
"You can't catch me." The Fifth one said, "All right, that's fair."
 Along comes Mr. Crocodile So they shook their tails and ran with glee.
As quiet as can be-- To the nuts that lay at the foot of the tree.
SNAP!!!
Continue until all monkeys
are gone

Away swims Mr. Crocodile

As full as he can be!!!

Dinosaurs
Subtracting Numbers
 18

Five enormous dinosaurs

Letting out a roar--
One went away, and
Then there were four.

Four enormous dinosaurs

Crashing down a tree--
One went away, and 
Then there were three.

Three enormous dinosaurs

Eating tiger stew--
One went away, and 
Then there were two.

Two enormous dinosaurs

Trying to run--
One ran away, and then there was one.

One enormous dinosaur, 

Afraid to be a hero--
He went away, and
Then there was zero.

Animal rhyme

Five Little Ducks

5 little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 4 little ducks came back.

4 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 3 little ducks came back.

3 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 2 little ducks came back.

2 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 1 little duck came back.

1 little duck went out one day

Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But  no little ducks came wondering  back.

No little  ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
And 5 little ducks came wandering back.

Tiny Tim
Wanda L. contributes this rhyme
There was a little turtle,
 His name was tiny tim.
 19

 I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.

 He drank up all the water,
 He ate up all the soap,
 And now he is in the bathtub,
 With a bubble in his throat.
 Bubble, bubble,bubble,
 Bubble, bubble, bubble,
 Bubble, bubble, bubble,
 Bubble, bubble, pop!

Birds
If I were a bird, I'd sing a song
And fly about the whole day long
And when the night came
Go to rest, up in my cozy little nest. 

 
Bluebird, Bluebird
Bluebird, bluebird,  through my window.
Bluebird, bluebird, through my window.
Bluebird, bluebird, through my window .
Oh, Johnny I'm so tired.
 
 
 

Five Little Blue Birds

Preschoolers use fingers to represent the birds.

Five little blue birds, hopping by my door

One went to build a nest, and then there were four

Four little blue birds singing lustily

One got out of tune, and then there were three

Three little blue birds, and what should one do,

But go in search of dinner, leaving only two.

Two little blue birds singing for fun

One flew away, and then there was one.

One little blue bird sitting in the sun

He took a little nap, and then there was none.
 

Two Little Black Birds

  A simple action rhyme

Two little black birds

Sitting on the wall,
(hold up one finger of each hand)
One named Peter,
The other named Paul.
Fly away Peter!
(put a hand behind your back)
Fly away, Paul!
(put the other hand behind you back)
Come back, Peter!
(bring the first hand from behind your back)
Come back, Paul!
 20

(bring the second hand from behind your back)

The entire Bird Activity Theme is in the Rainbow Resource Room.

 
 
 

Ten Little Fishes

Ten little fishes were swimming in a school,
Preschoolers hold up ten fingers and then make swimming motions with  their hands. For the rest of
the lines, wiggle each finger in turn.

This one said, "Let's swim where it is cool."

This one said, "It's a very warm day."
This one said, "Come on, let's play."
This one said, "I'm as hungry as can be."
This one said, "There's a worm for me."
This one said, "Wait, we'd better look."
This one said, "Yes, it's on a hook."
This one said, "Can't we get it anyway?"
This one said, "Perhaps we may."
This one, so very brave, grabbed a bite and swam away.
 
 
 

Five  Little Fishes

For this fingerplay first make swimming motions with both hands then hold up one hand and wiggle a
different finger as each line is said.

Five little fishes swimming in a pool

This one said,  "The pool is cool."
This one said,  "The pool is deep."
This one said,  "I'd like to sleep."
This one said,  "I'll float and dip."
This one said,  "I see a ship."
The fishing boat comes.
The line goes splash.
All the little fishes swim away in a flash!
 
Fish
Pretty little goldfish
Never can talk.
All it does is wiggle
When it tries to walk.

One, two, three, four, five,

I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
I let him go again!
Why did I let him go?
Because he bit my finger so.
Which finger did he bite?
The little one on the right.
 
Pollito, Chicken
Improvise a tune for this bilingual song
(Spanish-English)

Pollito, chicken;  Gallina, hen.

Lapiz, pencil, y Pluma, pen.
Ventana, window;  Puerta, door.
 21

Maestra, teacher, y Piso, floor.

Use this version if the teacher is a woman,  If a man, change "maestra" to

"maestro".

For an entire Spanish Rhyme Theme go to theRainbow Resource Room

Five Little Piggies

A Counting Fingerplay

"It's time for my piggies to go to bed."

The great big mother piggy said.
"So I will count them first to see
If all my piggies came back to me.
One little piggy, two little piggies, three little piggies dear
Four little piggies, five little piggies
Yes, they're all here!" 
This Little Piggy Pop Goes the Weasel

This little piggy went to market. All around the Cobbler's

This little piggy stayed home. bench
This little piggy had roast beef. The monkey chased the
This little piggy had none. weasel.
This little piggy cried, "Wee, wee, wee, wee." The monkey thought 'twas all
All the way home. in fun.
Pop!  Goes the weasel.

Little Bo-Peep

Little Bo Peep has lost her

sheep,
And can't tell where to find
them,
Leave them alone, and they'll
come home
Wagging their tails behind
them. 

Sammy  Snail
Try using this poem as a movement activity for preschool children

Sammy snail is slowly moving

See him slide across the grass
He leaves a silver path behind him
We all know when he has passed.

Sammy snail is never worried

Though he wanders far and wide
For on his back his house he carries
And when he's tired he pops inside.
 
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Traditional preschool song

Old MacDonald had a farm

EIEIO
And on that farm there were some ducks
EIEIO
With a quack-quack here
And a quack -quack there
Here a quack, there a quack
Everywhere a quack-quack
 22

Old MacDonald had a farm

EIEIO

   start again substituting another animal for the duck, but repeat the last four lines,
singing the duck sound before you start the song again.

pig:  oink-oink               chickens:   peep-peep

dog:  bow-bow               lambs:  baa-baa
cow:  moo-moo               horses:  neigh-neigh
crows:  caw-caw             cats:   meow-meow  etc.

An entire Farm Theme is in the Rainbow Resource Room!

 
Five Little Chickadees
A fingerplay or whole body movement activity

Five little chickadees, sitting by a door

One flew away, and then there were four

Chorus:
Chickadees, chickadees, happy and gay,
Chickadees, chickadees, fly away.

Four little chickadees, sitting in a tree

One flew away, and then there were three.
   Repeat the Chorus

Three little chickadees, looking at you

One flew away, and then there were two.
   Repeat the Chorus

Two little chickadees, sitting in the sun

One flew away, and then there was one.
   Repeat the Chorus

One little chickadee, sitting all alone

That one flew away, and then there was none.
 
The Zoo
A good poem to use with body movements and to begin discussions about animals

At the zoo we saw a bear

He had long, dark fuzzy hair
  pretend to walk etc. like a bear

We saw a lion in a cage.

He was in an awful rage.
  pretend to be a angry lion

We saw the big, long-necked giraffe,

And the silly monkeys made us laugh
   everybody laugh

But my favorite animal at the zoo

Is the elephant--how about you?
 
The Elephant
The elephant has a trunk for a nose,
And up and down is the way it goes,
 23

  Clasp hands together, extend arms and raise and lower them

He wears such a saggy, baggy hide!

   relax body
Do you think two elephants would fit inside?
   hold up two fingers

Elephants At Work and Play

A fingerplay with numbers

As 5 little elephants marched through the grass

   march fingers of right hand
They decided to stop and have a music class,
The first blew his trumpet and announced he'd be teacher.
   make a trumpet of fists and blow
The next gave a call of the wild jungle animal
   cup hands to mouth, make a low eerie sound
The third and fourth elephants trumpeted a song,
   make a trumpet and blow twice
But the last little elephant just followed along,
Then he left the others as he didn't care to play,
And he carried tree logs the rest of the day.

   link the little finger under two fingers of the left hand and carry them away

A Elephant
When people call this beast to mind
They marvel more and more
At such a little tail behind
So large a trunk before.

Circus Elephants
Improvise a tune for this rhyme

Elephants walking along the trails

Are holding hands by holding tails.

Trunks and tails are handy things,

When elephants walk in circus rings.

Elephants work and elephants play.

And elephants walk and feel so gay.

And when they walk it never fails

They're holding hands by holding tails.

Circus and Clown Activities are in the Rainbow Resource Room.

Galloping Chant
Preschool children gallop around, fast at first then slower

Galloping, galloping, galloping,

How fast my pony can go,
When he's tired we'll come home,
Slow, slow, slow.
 
 24

Squirrels
Wisky, frisky,. hippity, hop
Up he climbs to the tree top.
Whirly, twirly, round and round
Down he scampers to the ground.
Where's his supper?
In a shell
Snappy, cracky, out it fell. 

The Frog
A little green frog once lived in a pool
The sun was hot and the water cool,
He sat in the pool the whole day long,
And sung a dear little, queer little song,
"Juaggery do, Quaggery dee,
No one was ever so happy as me."

A Green Frog
Said the little green frog as he sat on a log
Nobody really likes me
A duck came along
And said,  "You are wrong."
And gobbled him up for tea.

Five Little Speckled Frogs

Ask preschool children to perform these actions as they have fun with subtracting
numbers.

There's a creative activity contributed by Karen M. that can be used with this
rhyme located in 
Counting and Number Theme

Five little speckled frogs,

Sitting on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs...yum, yum.
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool.
Then there were four speckled frogs.

Continue until only one frog is left

One little specked frog.

Sitting on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs...yum,yum.
He jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool.
Now there are no speckled frogs.
 

Five Little Froggies

A preschool body movement activity

Five little froggies sitting on a well

One looked up, and down he fell.
Froggies jumped high,
Froggies jumped low.

Four little froggies sitting on a well

One looked up, and down he fell.
Froggies jumped high.
Froggies jumped low.
 25

   continue with  two and three froggies then.....

One little froggy sitting on a well

He looked up and down he fell.
 
Frogs
A fingerplay
This little froggy broke his toe
This little froggy said,  "Oh, oh, oh!"
This little froggy laughed and was glad.
This little froggy cried and was sad,
This little froggy did just what he should
He ran for the Doctor as fast as he could. 

The Little Turtle

This nursery rhyme is done with appropriate hand gestures, then the preschool
children can all run about after the last verse.

There was a little turtle,

He Lived in a box
He swam in a puddle,
He climbed on the rocks.

He snapped at a mosquito,
He snapped at a flea,
He snapped at a minnow,
And he snapped at me.

He caught the mosquito,

He caught the flea,
He caught the minnow,
But he didn't catch ME!
 
Turtle
Preschool children perform the actions that the words describe.

Mr. Turtle round and low

   shade eyes...look
I know why you move so slow
   nod
You carry such a heavy load
   act out
Moving your house down the road.
               The Reason
Recite this little poem by Dorothy Aldis when young  children are disappointed
because of a trip etc. that  must be canceled because of a rainy day

Rabbits and squirrels 

Are furry and fat,
And all of the chickens
Have feathers, and that
Is why when it's raining
They need not stay in
The way children do who have
Only their skin.

Baby Kangaroo
A preschool fingerplay or movement activity

Jump, jump, jump goes the big kangaroo,

 26

   make jumping motion with index finger:  other fingers and thumb are folded

I thought there was one, but I see there are two.

The mother takes her young one along in a pouch

   index of left hand slips up between thumb and fingers of right hand

Where he can nap like a child on a couch.

  incline head on folded hands
Jump, Jump, Jump,
Jump, Jump, Jump
   repeat jumping motion