What are fingerplays?
Fingerplays combine hand movements and gestures with songs or poems! It's using hand or fingers to "act out" the spoken poem or sung song!
What are some common fingerplays?
The Wheels on the Bus! Think about the movements that go with "Beep, Beep, Beep" or the wheels going "Round and round. Round and round."
The Itsy Bitsy Spider! You use hand movements to act out the spider going up the water spout, and the rain washing the spider back out.
Why are fingerplays important?
Oh, so many reasons!
- Engage the child in multisensory learning
- Allow the child to participate in the song/poem in multiple ways
- Encourage direction following
- Helps fine motor development
- Provides concrete visuals for oral language
- Builds receptive language skills
- Promote creativity and imagination
- Supports memory and cognition
Fingerplays are awesome because you don't need to pack anything, bring anything, or buy anything! You just need your memory, voice, attention, and hands!
Here are a couple of fingerplays to check out!