Grateful for...Our Hands!

Young children learn using their senses - they are very much "hands on" people! We take advantage of this at storytime by sharing many fingerplays and action rhymes. It not only keeps the momentum going (and attentions focused), but it's also a great interactive way to learn all kinds of things. We share fingerplays about colors, counting, seasons, animals...and just about every theme imaginable! This morning at Infant Storytime, Youth Services Librarian Heidi shared part of the following action rhyme with the babies and parents in attendance. Try it out with your little one:

My Hands Wave Hello/Goodbye
My hands wave hello,
My hands wave hello,
Every time I see my friends.
My hands wave hello!

My face gives a smile,
My face gives a smile,
Every time I see my friends.
My face gives a smile!

My fingers blow a kiss,
My fingers blow a kiss,
Every time I see my friends.
My fingers blow a kiss!

My hands wave goodbye,
My hands wave goodbye,
Every time I leave my friends.
My hands wave goodbye!

My face gives a smile...
My fingers blow a kiss...

You could also pair this rhyme with a book or two about hands:

Here Are My Hands! by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

The owner of a human body celebrates it by pointing out various parts and mentioning their functions, from "hands for catching and throwing" to the "skin that bundles me in." (summary courtesy of Syndetics, Inc.)

Hands Can by Cheryl Willis Hudson

Photographs and simple, rhyming text present different things that hands can do, such as hold things, mix things, and wave goodbye.