Finger and
hand play A2-B
Afloat, afloat in a golden boat
/ Sailing
All fingers and thumbs
All the fish are swimming in
the water
Alligator, alligator long and
green
Alligator and the frog
Animals up the hill
Ant hill
Bear in a cave
Big bugs, small bugs
Birdie, birdie
Bugs are neat
Building up my house
Last updated: 2/28/2022
10:15 AM
These
songs are nursery rhymes and other traditional songs compiled,
illustrated
and with music arranged by Dany Rosevear.
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To listen to music from these
songs click on 🔊
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2013 All rights reserved
You
are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the
following conditions:
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you must give the original author credit
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you may not use this work for commercial purposes
·
for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the
licence terms of this work
·
any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
holder
Your
fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.
|
Afloat,
afloat in a golden boat / Sailing 🔊
‘Sailing’ is a rhyme by Lucy Flitch
Perkins from ‘Boys and Girls Bookshelf, A Practical Plan of Character
Building’ published in 1915. Music by Dany Rosevear. All children need for this rhyme is a box or washing basket for role
play; the hand play below should work well. Line 1. Cup and rock hands.
2. Pull up sail then hands faced down move like the breeze. 3. Steer boat,
put telescope to eye. 4. Hands to cheek. 5. Wave and drink tea. |
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Afloat, afloat, in a golden boat! Hoist the sail to the breeze! Steer by a star to lands afar That sleep in the southern seas, And then come home to our teas. |
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All the fish are swimming in the water 🔊
This song is adapted from the old Dutch nursery rhyme. Sing this song
using other creatures that move in or on the water. Young children will love
to suggest other ideas! 1. With one hand on top of
the other and thumbs out swish; Then (each time) make hands in a circle grow
larger and larger and then give a big clap to POP! 2. Swish with hands together
vertically. Rub tummy. 3. Cross forefingers and make them ‘swim’. 4. Reach
hands up to make them ‘spout’. 5. Flap hands to ‘paddle’. 6. Hands ‘splash’
water. |
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All the fish are swimming in the water, Swimming in the water, swimming in the water, All the fish are swimming in the water, Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble...POP! All the sharks are hungry for their dinner, Hungry for their dinner, hungry for their dinner, All the sharks are hungry for their dinner, Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble...POP! All the little fish are dipping and a-diving, Dipping and a-diving, dipping and a-diving, All the little fish are dipping and a-diving, Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble...POP! Great big whales are spouting in the water, Spouting in the water, spouting in the water, Great big whales are spouting in the water, Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble...POP! All the ducks are paddling in the water, Paddling in the water, paddling in the water, All the ducks are paddling in the water, Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble...POP! All the children are splashing in the water, Splashing in the water, splashing in the water, All the children are splashing in the water, Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble...POP! |
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Alligator, alligator long and green
Talk about the
difference between crocodiles and alligators and where they live. Move arms up and down, stroke length of arm. Repeat
with fingers like teeth. Hands snap the air in different directions. Shake
finger and point to self. |
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Alligator, alligator, Long and green. Alligator, alligator, Teeth so mean; Snapping at a fly, Snapping at a bee, Snapping at a frog, But you can’t catch me! |
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Alligator and the frog 🔊
A reptile and
amphibian hand play. Music by Dany
Rosevear. 1. Stretch right hand open and close thumb and
fingers. 2. Rest right hand on the left arm. 3. Draw a circle with your
finger. 4. Circle fingers round eyes. 5. Make a diving movement with right
hand. 6. Roll arms around each other.
7. Clap hands. 8. Make swimming movements with the hands.
|
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Once there was an
alligator, Sitting on a log; Down in the pool He saw a little frog. In went the alligator, Round went the log, Splash! Went the water, Away swam the frog! |
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Animals up the hill
A folk hand
play game from Malaysia. We lived as a
family in Kuala Lumpur in the 1950s but sadly we did not learn any Malayan
rhymes and songs when we were there. Turtle: Slow fingers creep up arm. Rabbit: Finger rabbit ears bounce up arm Elephant: Fist thumps up arm. Snake:
Fingers slither up arm. Rock: Fingers bounce down arm and land in hand.
Finish with a clap. |
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Here goes the turtle up
the hill, Creepy, creepy, creepy,
creepy. Here goes the rabbit up
the hill, Boing, boing, boing,
boing. Here goes the elephant up
the hill, Thud, thud, thud, thud. Here goes the snake up the
hill, Slither, slither, slither,
slither. Here comes a rock DOWN the
hill, Boom, boom, boom, boom,
CRASH! |
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Ant hill 🔊
Ants are tiny
creatures, always busy doing something to help each other. A classic hand
play set to music and adapted by Dany Rosevear. 1. Curl fingers and keep hidden under the other
hand. 2. Pop up a finger as each number is called. 3. Run fingers up and then
down the opposite arm, hide under the other hand / ant hill. |
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With no ants about, So I said, “Dear little ants, Won’t you please come out?” Then, as if the little ants Had heard my call, One, two, three, four, five came out! And that was all. Then up the tree and down tree, And back they crawled! |
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Bear
in a cave 🔊
A hand play for winter. 1. Cup hand to make a cave,
thumb inside is the bear. 2. Pop thumb up. 3. Fan self. 4. Circle eyes
with thumbs and forefingers, pretend to eat. 5. Hands fall like snow,
bear returns to cave. 6. Flutter snow down over cave. 7. Open hand to show
sleeping bear and the close it.8. Hands push snow aside. Pop thumb up out of
‘cave’. |
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Here is a cave, inside is a bear, Now he comes out to get some fresh air. He stays out all summer in the sunshine and heat, Hunting in the forest for berries to eat. When snow starts to fall, he hurries inside To his warm little cave, and there he will hide. Snow covers the cave like a fluffy white rug, But inside the bear sleeps, all cosy and snug. When Spring comes again, the snow melts away, And out comes the bear, all ready to play! |
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Big
bugs, small bugs 🔊
Not sure where the first verse originated but the two further verses
and arrangement of the music are by Dany Rosevear. It could also be played as
a movement activity Verse 1. Forefingers show
big and small. Hand to heart. Wiggle finger high. Shake finger. Wiggle all
fingers. 2.Repeat first two actions. Cross forefingers and make them fly, fly
high. Whirl forefingers. Open hands under chin. As before. 3 Wiggle
forefingers like worms. Fingers make tears under eyes. Whirl finger up high.
Hands to eyes. Tap ears. Fingers hop. Shake finger, touch knees. Throw out
hands. Wiggle fingers. |
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Big bugs, small bugs, We love all bugs, See them crawl, Up and down the wall. On the ceiling crawling, Never, ever falling Bugs, bugs, bugs, Bugs, bugs, bugs. Big bugs, small bugs, We love all bugs, See them fly, Up, up in the sky. Round the garden zooming, As the flowers are blooming Bugs, bugs, bugs, Bugs, bugs, bugs. Creepy, creepy crawlies, Looking rather poorly; Flying round the light, When it’s dark at night. Buzzing out of doors bees, Hopping on the floor fleas, Not upon my knees please, Who loves bugs? Bugs, bugs, bugs. |
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Birdie,
birdie 🔊
The first verse from ‘Merrily, merrily’ can be found in the ‘Nursing
Mother’s Association of Australia’, the two further verses are by Dany
Rosevear. It could also easily be played as a movement activity, Verse 1. Open and close
thumb and forefinger. Cup hands. Make tree with arm and fingers. Run fingers
up and down. Open and close thumb and forefinger. 2. Cup hands. Make hole
with thumb and forefingers. Cuddle self. Hold up five fingers.Cross wrists
and flap hands. 3.Continue to flap hands. Ring arm as birds fly round. |
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Birdie, birdie where’s your nest? Up in the tree where I love best. Up and down the ivy tree, Come little birdie sing to me! I build my nest in a hollow tree, Cosy and warm as it could be. Five little chicks you soon will see, Then watch how my birdies follow me. Follow, follow, follow me, Watch how my birdies follow me; Round and round the ivy tree, All of my birdies follow, follow me. All of my birdies follow, follow me. |
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Bugs are neat O
A rhyme by Ann
Smith who wrote several bugs poems and rhymes for ‘Bugs Bugs Bugs! Resource
Kit’ an early learning programme for Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia:
https://museumvictoria.com.au/pages/2085/bugs-bugs-bugs-rhymes-music.pdf. Tune arranged
by Dany Rosevear. Line .1 Put up one thumb and then the other. 2. Run
fingers over back of hand. 3. Run fingers up palm of hand and up arm. Link
thumbs and flap hands. 4. Run fingers very fast up arm and over back of head.
5. Hold up six fingers. 6. Interlace fingers, turn upside down and wiggle. 7.
Point to eyes then make four fingers on each hand scuttle. 8. Wiggle
forefingers then hide hands behind the back. |
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Bugs are neat, bugs are
sweet, Bugs are small and tickly, Some can crawl and some
can fly And some can run so
quickly. Beetles always have six
legs, Millipedes have many, Spiders have eight eyes,
eight legs But earthworms don’t have
any! |
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Building up my house 🔊
From BBC’s Playschool, written by Peter Charlton. Listen to the
original here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV18hka3eb4&start_radio=1&list=RDQV18hka3eb4&t=974
1. Use fists to build up
house, slap hands for slurps. Put up four fingers, hands make pointed roof.
2. Make sawing motion then hammer hand.
Fists as before, look proud, point to self. 3. Put up four fingers,
draw windos, doors and chimney. Make finger raindrops. Knock, flat hand for
rug. Wave hands across body for wind. Fists as before, look proud, point to
self. |
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Put a brick on a brick and
a brick on a brick, And I’ll build up my house
so high, Put a brick on a brick
then a brick on a brick, And my house will grow so
high. With a slurp and a slurp
and a slurp slap slurp. And four walls soon
there’ll be. Put a roof on top and a
chimney pot And a very fine house you’ll
see. Then some wood I’ll saw
for the windows and the door And I build up my house so
high, With a hammer and a nail
and you know I’ll never fail To build up my house so
high. With a sh and a sh and
sh-sh-sh I will build up my house
so high, With a rap tap-tap and a
rap-a-tap-tap, It’s a very fine house say
I. ‘Cos I’ve got four walls,
four windows and a door, And a chimney on the roof, When the raindrops fall I
won’t mind at all, For my house is
weatherproof There’s a knocker on the
door and a rug upon the floor, And inside it’s warm and
dry, Let the cold winds blow I
won’t mind I know In my very fine house so
high, high, high, It’s a very fine house say
I. |
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