Why We Love It
Babies and young children love to move their bodies to words, chants, rhymes and music. Hand Rhymes shows the motions for the words. Yet another way to play together, build vocabulary, move to rhythm and learn by doing— all while having great fun.
Follow-Up Fun
• Hand Rhymes can be done with babies old enough to sit on their own up to primary age children. Face your toddler. Demonstrate the hand rhyme while you read it. Repeat with your toddler copying the moves. As your toddler becomes more familiar with the words and motions, they will be able to do this without your help. Expect great enthusiasm for doing Hand Rhymes.
• Once you are familiar with the rhymes and the motions, you can do them whenever you and your toddler are ready for some hand rhyme fun without the book.
• Make up your own hand rhymes based on what you are doing together.
• Make up some motions for songs your child likes or choose one motion and repeat it when you reach that point in the poem/song/chant.
Recommended Read-Alikes
• The Eentsy, Weentsy Spider: Fingerplays and Action Rhymes by Joanna Cole.
• Wee Sing Children’s Songs and Fingerplays by Pamela Conn Beall (Audio CD)
• Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young by Jack Prelutsky