3 More Reasons that Finger Plays are Good Ideas for Little Kids
Learning experiences are enhanced when as many senses are incorporated in that lesson. This is especially true with young children who are learning basic concepts about the world around them.
The use of Finger Plays involves a number of the senses. This post is a continuation of a previous post: Working in Early Childhood Development and Finger Plays go Hand in Hand
Have your little one taught you this poem, yet?
Ten Little Fingers
(Poem)
I have ten little fingers
They all belong to me
I can make them do things
Would you like to see?
I can close them up tight.
I can open them wide
I can press them together
I can make them all hide!
I can hold them up high
I can hold them down low
I can fold them together
And hold them just so!
(This poem is great to do silently when keeping a wiggely chiild quiely busyt in church.)
Three more reasons Finger Plays help children learn.
3. Finger Plays help small children with gasping the concept of number relevance. Numbers can be added or taken away as easily as pointing one finger or hiding another one or 2.
- We can count numbers forwards and backwards for ‘more’ or ‘less’. This is important concept for adding and subracting in a fun way the children can relate to. ( Hopefully not real bee stings! OUCH!)
- When counting monkeys in a tree or bees in bee hive it is especially important to a 4 year old how many bees their 5 or 10 fingers can represent!
4. Finger Plays give opportunities to increase vocabulary with in context of situations using words with different meanings.
- ( Example: In Wee Willie Winkie a ‘cry’ can also mean to ‘call out’. ‘Rap’ could me to knock on something as a door versus a Rapper Rapping a verse.)
Personally, when I taught Englsih as a 2nd language to pre-school children,from a number of foreign countries, Finger Plays helped to draw the interests of all children even if they did not understand a word I spoke – at first.
With reptition, over time, those rhyming words were memorized than incorporated into speaking English with great deal of enthusiasm.
5. Introduces and reinforces concepts as:
- over/ under
- above/ below
- night/ day
- front/ back
- before/ after
- on/ off
- names of animals
- emotions
- ..and more…
…to be continued.
What kids doesn’t like the 3 or 5 Little Monkeys who Jump on the Bed? What concepts does the popular Finger Play teach?
Three Little Monkeys
author unknown
Three little monkeys jumping on the bed,
(Hold up three fingers and dance them on your hand)
One fell off and bumped his head! the back of your other hand.)
(Mommy/Daddy/ Teacher) called the Doctor
(Have one “fall off”, and shake finger)
…and the Doctor said:
NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!
Note from No Non-cents Nanna:I have more of my favorite finger Plays to share in up coming blog posts along with more good s to teach Finger Plays to young children.
Do you need a typed up copy of finger plays?
PM No Non-cents Nanna/ Colorado Srpings on Facebook to request a draft of finger plays I have in files.
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