songs/activities with hand movements

[becky1969]

My LO is 24 weeks. he LOVES songs or chants that have accompanying hand movements. The problem is I don't know many! We do patty cake all the time and he nearly pees his pants with delight! When my mom came to visit, she did a bunch more songs that had hand movements, and he giggled his little butt off! I wondered if anyone knew of a good website or book that had songs and handmovements that I could do. I feel like such a dope asking this, but I just don't know any myself and we don't have a gymboree class nearby.

[mari]

At playgroup we do:

Heads shoulders knees and toes,
Incy Wincy Spider
If youre happy and you know it (clap you hand, nod your head etc)
The Music Man

Also, the Tweenies are always doing action songs and we love them (not me and DH, me and LO honest!)

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Don't know of a website but I'll try and explain two that dd loves...

Where is thumbkin? (Sung to the tune of Frere Jacques)

Hold out your two hands in fists with thumbs hidden: Sing "Where is thumbkin, where is thumbkin?"
Pop out one thumb (like a thumbs up) and sing "Here I am!" Pop out second thumb singing "Here I am!" again,
Waggle one thumb up and down and sing "How are you this morning?"
Waggle the other thumb singing "Very well I thank you!"
Then finish by singing "Run away, run away" whislt hiding your thumbs one at a time. 

The other isn't a song but a rhyme...

Hold your lo's hand out palm up and trace circles around on it. While doing this say: "Round and round the garden like a teddy bear"
Then "walk" your fingers up his arm saying "one step, two step..."
Finally tickle him under his arm saying "tickle you under there!"

Hope that makes sense...  

Sharon

[teezee]

at that age my lo LOVED wheels on the bus...she still does now.

at about 10 months we started doing the hokey pokey at first she just laughed but now she does ALL the actions - very cute!

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Ooooh how could I forget wheels on the bus?? lol Still a fan favourite around here!  And when dd was little that was the only thing that would get her to stop crying in the car. 

Sharon

[evanskimberley]

these are more whole body songs than finger songs, but still great fun

Dingle Dangle Scarecrow?

(Lie baby down, and sing softly)
When all the cows are sleeping and the sun has gone to bed,

(hold baby up)
Up jumps the scarecrow and this is what he says,
I'm a dingle dangle scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this, i can shake my feet like that.

Sleeping bunnies?

After wheels on the bus, if you do, the mummies on the bus go shh, you can go in to this, or just do it on its own.

(lie baby down)
See the bunnies sleeping, sleeping through till noon
Shall we try and wake them with a merry tune?
Oh so still are they ill?
Wake up soon.

( Pick baby up)
Hop little bunnies hop hop hop
Hop little Bunnies Hop Hop Hop.
Hop little bunnies hop hop hop
Hop little Bunnies Hop Hop Hop.

[Harrisonsmummy]

Not sure where you are living, but if in the Uk and you get freeview, early mornings have "Fun Song factory" on the new CITV channel (10 minute music shows) they sing all the well known songs and do the actions - really easy to pick up!! I watch it in bed with DS every morning!

Justine

[Harrisonsmummy]

Not sure where you are living, but if in the Uk and you get freeview, early mornings have "Fun Song factory" on the new CITV channel (10 minute music shows) they sing all the well known songs and do the actions - really easy to pick up!! I watch it in bed with DS every morning!

Justine

[teezee]

oh yeah and she still loves 'this little piggy' and don't know if you have heard of it but 'round and round the garden (as you go round the inside of the hand or around the bellybutton) goes the teddy bear'...take steps with your fingers 'one step, two step tickley under there'...

[EmMUK74]

hey Becky, wow where do I start, in order of Rachels preference

twinkle twinkle little star - with the hands being stars and diamonds - Rachel does that with me now

round and round the garden like a teddy bear, one step, two step tickly under there

incy wincy spider with a tickle on the tummy at the end

dingle dangle scarecrow (as pp)

this little piggy - on the toes is really good.

the grand old duke of york, he had 10,000 men, he marched them up to the top of the hill (take hands up or all of them up in the air), and he marched them down again (back down).  when they were up (upwards) they were up, and when they were down (downwards) they were down, and when they were only half way up they were neither up nor down.

wheels on the bus - we make up our own verses for other things like birds on the bus go cheap cheap cheap; tpys on the bus go bang, bang, bang.  and I also use it in different settings like at the supermarket I change it to wheels on the trolley.  I know people think I'm mad but Rachel loves it.

here's a little tea pot, short and stout, here's the handle, here's the spout, where you hear the teacups, hear me shout, tip me up and pour me out.  (become a teapot with a spout on one hand and a handle with the other arm)

old macdonald had a farm, ee, ii, ee, ii, o; and on that farm he had a "pig", ee, ii, ee, ii, o; with a "oink" "oink" here and a "oink" "oink" there, here an "oink", there an "oink", everywhere an "oink" "oink"; old macdonald had a farm, ee, ii, ee, ii, o - then you can do animal noises and signs for the different animals - pig you rub your nose, cow you make horns, horse you swing the reins and rabbit you do the ears.  we make up all sorts of crazy animals - anyone know the noise a giraffe makes?  she has one and so we play with it when we have that as the animal

peter rabbits got a fly upon his nose (fly movement towards nose), peter rabbits got a fly upon his nose (fly movement towards nose), peter rabbits got a fly upon his nose (fly movement towards nose) so he flipped it and he flopped it and it flew away (do a movement of swishing a fly away).   then repeat it with fly upon toes and movement to his feet.

there are more but I have to run.  if you need any more words, tunes or movements for any of these then let me know 

[*Nicola*]

i love the action songs - ciara loved incy wincy, this little piggy and round and round the garden.

A big favourite was 'clap clap your handies' too, which she now plays with teddies!

Clap clap your handies  (clapping)
1,2,3
put your hands upon your knees (hands on each knee)

roll them up to touch the sky (roll hands/arms)
clap clap your handies (clapping)
and away we fly  (flapping hands)

[kgmf123]

My 8 month old dd favourite song at the mo is

Wind the bobbin up....

Wind the bobbin up
Wind the bobbin up
Pull Pull Clap Clap Clap
Wind it back again, Wind it back again
Pull Pull Clap Clap Clap

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor
Point to the window, point to the door
Clap your hands together one two three
Put your hands upon your knees

She also likes pat-a-cake and two little ie birds sitting on a wall!

[becky1969]

Thank you all so much!!!!

I found a music website, and I'm going to look up a lot of your songs, as I don't recognize most of them.  Either I'm a dunce, or most of you are from England and sing different songs than we do! 

We tried "The Wheels on the Bus" this morning, and he giggled his little brains out! It was so fun! He loved the windshield wiper part. Em, I like your suggestion of making up verses for that one! Definitely will make it situational. Embarassed to say I had to look up the words to the song, but the website also had the hand movements in parentheses, so I could figure out what to do!

I feel bad we haven't been doing these songs all along, but better later than never! Thank you all so much! Keep the suggestions coming! I'm writing them down to look up on aforementioned website!

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Don't feel embarrassed that you had to look up the lyrics to the wheels on the bus... enjoy it! It will be soon enough you'll find yourself at the hair salon or at an adult get together humming it to yourself... 

[EmMUK74]

never feel embarassed Becky, we either know the songs or we don't.  great news that you found a website with the words and movements and tunes; you'll be an expert in no time.

oh and don't feel bad that you haven't done these before now because he is really only just getting to the age when he appreciates it, he will just love the fact that you are now doing them for him, you're his fab mummy 

[becky1969]

Aw, thanks Emma! I really appreciate that. I've been so hampered by my stupid allergies that I've been feeling like an awful mommy since I can't really take him out very much right now. The mommy guilt is just awful!

We're doing "Wheels on the Bus" and "Head, Shoulders" every day now. He loves both! I've also tried the teddy bear around the garden thing. He mostly looks perplexed. He's got a real ticklish area that I always hit when I'm taking his shirt on and off, so I tickle that,and he sort of likes it but is kind of like what the hell? We only tickle when we're taking off my shirts! LOL!