Last week when the
grandchildren were visiting we went to the outlet mall to get new shoes. K.J. is eight and Kalina is almost
three, so with five years between them you’d think they wouldn’t fight in the
back seat. Wrong!! She’d instigate something and then he’d
get her going. I said, “Let’s put
the baby to bed” and we started doing the finger play below. We made this game last about 15 minutes
until we got to the mall because they had to keep coming up with solutions and
inserting them in the rhyme. (Some
of their suggestions were actually funny and nobody wanted to change the stinky
diaper!) Instead of
screeching and poking in the back seat, their hands were busy, their mouths
were under control, and they were using problem solving skills. I could even have tied this into Core
Standards (oral language, retell a story, answer questions) and 21st
Century Skills (critical thinking).
Children of all ages want to be entertained and engaged. And if you don’t focus them with something
positive, then they will poke and prod and entertain themselves in negative
ways. So, if you have a few extra
minutes today, “put the baby to bed” and see what happens!
Put the Baby to
Bed
Now it’s time to
go to sleep (Hold up right index
finger.)
Put the baby to
bed. (Place index finger
on left palm)
Cover the baby in
the bed. (Wrap left
fingers around right index.)
Kiss the baby
good-night.
(Pretend to kiss finger.)
Waaa! Waaa!
(Hold up right index finger and cry.)
The baby’s awake!
What can we do?
(Insert children’s
suggestions and continue the rhyme.
For example, give it a bottle, change its diapers, give it a toy, read a
book, etc.)
*Write the
children’s suggestions on the board.
How many ways can they come up with to pacify the baby?
