What skills can children develop by saying nursery rhymes and finger plays?
Engagement – Doing a finger play is a natural way to engage children’s attention and help them focus.
Oral language – Repetition of finger plays and nursery rhymes builds oral language skills.
Auditory memory – Children activate their short term memory as they memorize rhymes.
Comprehension – Most finger plays and nursery rhymes have a simple story plot for children to follow.
Imagination – With so much time spent in front of a screen, finger plays and nursery rhymes encourage children to make pictures in their brains.
Sequence – Remembering the sequence in finger plays can help children retell stories.
Phonological awareness – Nursery rhymes and finger plays build a foundation for rhyme, rhythm and alliteration.
Eye-hand coordination – Visual connections with finger plays are important for writing and reading.
Small motor skills – Doing finger plays is like sending the fingers to the gym to exercise.
Active Learning - Multiple senses are engaged as children watch and wiggle their fingers and repeat rhymes.
Purposeful Practice for Automaticity (aka repetition) - Children will enjoy saying these rhymes over and over.
Brain Breaks - Children will be oxygenating the brain and crossing the midline as they do finger plays. Memorizing poems and rhymes is also good for short term memory.
Executive function – Children develop self-regulation and impulse control when they participate in finger plays.
Social skills – All children can be successful with finger plays with this group experience.
Transitions - Finger Plays can be used to entertain children during transitions or any time you’ve got a minute or two.
