10 Fun Fingerplays for Preschoolers with Actions

Try these fingerplays for preschoolers and toddlers. They’re fun to sing and act out while supporting a range of early developmental skills.

The lyrics are taken from Dr Jean Feldman's collection and the book “Language and School Readiness”, written by Martie Pieterse. Some of the lyrics in the videos may differ slightly as there are often many variations of popular rhymes.

1. My Rabbit

My rabbit has two big ears,
(hold up two fingers to make ears)
And a funny little nose.
(join all fingers together into a pointy nose)
He likes to nibble carrots,
(make nibbling motions with fingers)
And he hops wherever he goes.
(make hopping movement with entire hand)

2. Grandmother’s Glasses

These are grandmother's glasses,
(hold the fingers around the eyes in the shape of glasses)
And this is grandmother's hat.
(make a hat shape with both hands above your head)
Grandmother clasps her hands like this,
(clasp hands together)
And folds them in her lap.
(fold hands in your lap)

These are grandfather's glasses,
(hold the fingers around the eyes in the shape of glasses)
And this is grandfather's hat.
(make a hat shape with both hands above your head)
This is the way he folds his arms,
(fold arms)
And has a little nap.
(cock head to the side with eyes closed and pretend to sleep)

For this rhyme, use a high-pitched voice for the first verse (grandmother) and a deeper voice for the second verse (grandfather).

3. Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill,
(both index fingers in the air, wiggle both of them)
One named Jack,
(wiggle one index finger)
The other named Jill.
(wiggle the other finger)
Fly away Jack,
(draw the hand with "the Jack finger" behind you and hide it)
Fly away Jill.
(draw the hand with "the Jill finger" behind you and hide it)
Come back Jack,
(bring the "Jack finger" back to the front)
Come back Jill.
(bring the "Jill finger" back to the front)

There are extra verses in the video above if you'd like to teach them to your children, too.

4. 10 Little Fingers

I have 10 little fingers
And they all belong to me
I can make them do things
Would you like to see?

I can squeeze them up tight
I can open them wide
I can clap them together
And make them all hide

I can wave them up high
Wave them down low
I can hold them together
Just like so

I have 10 little fingers
And they all belong to me
Do you have 10 little fingers?
Let’s count and see.
(count fingers)

Your children will enjoy these action songs too.

5. Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive,
(clench fist)
Where are the bees?
(hold other hand out in gesture of wondering)
Hidden away where nobody sees.
(shake index finger of free hand)
Here they come flying out of their hive,
(point to clenched fist with index finger)
One, two, three, four, five.
(bring out fingers of clenched fist one at a time)

Here is the beehive,
(clench fist)
Where are the bees?
(hold other hand out in gesture of wondering)
Flying around all the flowers and trees.
(open fist and wiggle fingers up in the air)
Soon they will come home from their fun,
(lower the wiggling fingers)
Five, four, three, two, one.
(bring fingers back into the clenched fist one at a time)

Here are more counting songs for kids.

6. This Little Piggy

This little piggy went to market.
(hold up thumb)
This little piggy stayed home.
(hold up index finger)
This little piggy had roast beef.
(hold up middle finger)
This little piggy had none.
(hold up ring finger)
And this little piggy went "wee, wee, wee" all the way home.
(hold up baby finger and wiggle it)

Your children will probably already be familiar with this rhyme if you played it on their toes when they were babies, but it also makes a good preschool fingerplay. They will enjoy doing it with their fingers instead.

Say the rhyme with the right hand, then the left hand, then try both at the same time. This is great for developing coordination.

7. Tommy Thumb

Tommy Thumb, Tommy Thumb,
Where are you?
(hold hands behind back)
Here I am!
(bring one thumb forward and wiggle it)
Here I am!
(bring the other thumb forward and wiggle it)
And how do you do?
(wiggle thumbs and bring them behind back again)

Repeat with Peter Pointer (index finger), Toby Tall (middle finger), Ruby Ring (ring finger), Baby Small (small finger) and then all the fingers.

Fingers all, fingers all,
Where are you?
(hold hands behind back)
Here we are!
(bring hand forward and wiggle fingers)
Here we are!
(bring other hand forward and wiggle fingers)
And how do you do?
(clap hands)

8. Here is my Garden

Here is my garden,
(hold out right hand, palm facing up)
I'll rake it with care.
(make raking motion with fingers of left hand)
And then some seeds,
(pinch fingers together of left hand)
We'll plant in there.
(pretend to plant the seeds onto the right hand)
The sun will shine,
(make the shape of the sun with two hands)
The rain will fall.
(wiggle fingers to make the motion of rain falling)
And then my garden will grow big and tall.
(push fingers of both hands together and upwards)

9. Here is a Bunny

Here is a bunny,
(hold up two fingers)
With ears so funny.
(wiggle fingers up and down)
And here is his
Hole in the ground.
(make a hole with the fist of the other hand)
At the slightest noise he hears,
He pricks up his ears.
(wiggle fingers)
Then he hops to his
Hole in the ground.
(wiggle fingers into the hole in the fist)

10. Here is a Turtle

Here is a turtle.
(make a fist)
He lives in a shell.
He likes his home,
Very well.
When he gets hungry,
He comes out to eat.
(stick thumb out and wiggle it)
Then he goes back into
His house to sleep.
(put thumb back inside fist)

I hope you enjoy trying these fingerplays with your children. For more ideas, try these circle time songs for preschoolers or these music and movement activities.

Why Are Fingerplays Important for Child Development?

Fingerplays are a simple way for babies, toddlers and preschoolers to practise a range of developmental skills through rhyme, repetition and movement.

Here are some of the main benefits.

1. Listening Skills

Babies often begin by listening and watching as adults say the rhymes and perform the actions. Over time, they start anticipating familiar words and movements, which is part of developing listening skills.

2. Vocabulary and Language

In order to develop receptive and expressive language, children need to be exposed to language in many formats and contexts.

Fingerplays introduce new words, repetition and simple sentence patterns in an enjoyable way.

3. Fine Motor Skills

Finger rhymes are a simple way to develop fine motor coordination as children practise moving their fingers and hands in different ways.

These small movements help build the control used later for tasks such as drawing, cutting and writing.

4. Auditory Perception

An important early literacy skill is auditory perception – the ability to hear, distinguish, remember and focus on sounds.

Listening to stories, singing songs and playing with sounds all help develop these skills.

The rhyming patterns, sounds and repeated words in fingerplays also give children valuable practice with hearing and producing rhymes.

5. Cognitive Skills

Listening, remembering the words, predicting what comes next and coordinating the actions all involve thinking and memory.

Because fingerplays are repetitive, children also get plenty of opportunities to remember sequences and anticipate the next word or movement.

These are just a few of the developmental benefits of learning finger rhymes.