Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins

Children enjoy all of the silly rhyming in this book while reviewing hands, fingers, and thumbs.

Materials

A paper divided into 10 places for fingerprints.

Vocabulary

Loop, whorl, and arch (kinds of fingerprints-see resources)

Before Reading the Story

Show the children the front of the book and ask the children what the monkey is pointing to (his hand). How many fingers are on his hand? Have the children count with you and then count the fingers on one of their own hands. Tell the children that you are going to play a number game. Hold up a card with a number on it (1-5). Ask the children to show you that many fingers. Play for a few rounds until the children get tired of and then introduce the story.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Reading the Story

Practice reading ahead of time so that when you read it, it flows likes a poem or song. Throughout the story pause occasionally and see if the children can pick up on the rhyming word to end a sentence.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in recognizing matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, stories, and poems.

After Reading the Story

Go over the parts of a hand with the children. Name and point to each part. Have the children show you on their own hands. (palm, fingernail, cuticle, knuckle, joint).

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Discovery

Encourage the children to look at their hands through a magnifying glass. Examine the fingernails and the palms of the hand. Can the children identify which type of fingerprint they have by looking at the loop, whorl, and arch picture?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Music and Movement

Put out your instruments today, especially any drums you have.

Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of musical instruments.

Teach the poem, Wiggle Them. The children can do the actions as you say the poem.

Clap them, clap them, clap them so

Clap them high, clap them low.

Clap them very fast, and Clap them very slow,

Clap them, clap them out of sight.

Wiggle them…

Snap them…

Roll them…

Shake them…

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Sing Open Shut Them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNaiU0jAgbI

Open shut them,

Open shut them

Give a little clap.

Open shut them

Lay them in your lap.

Sing Where is Thumkin? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCTUHe8juoE

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Blocks

Ask the children if they think that it would be easy or difficult to build without thumbs. Then have them give it a try. Remind them that without thumbs many things would be difficult to do. Can the children help think of any? (brushing teeth, coloring, zipping, eating)

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and respect for their bodies and the environment.

Art

Bring out more ink pads and let the children do finger print art. They can make patterns or you can have them decorate a tree (their fingerprints are the leaves), the inside of a flower (their fingerprints are the center), or whatever you decide depending on the season.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Library and Writing

Put out pictures of animals using their hands/paws to do things. Talk with the children about what the animal is doing and how they are different and similar to people.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Sand and Water

Today would be a good day to have the children review their hand washing technique. Call each child up to the sink and add a small amount of glitter to their hands. Have them scrub their hands clean.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Dramatic Play

Add gloves to the center.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing patterns and shapes, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Math and Manipulatives

Explain to the children that every person has their own set of fingerprints that are like no one else’s. Have the children press their fingers and thumb one at a time onto a stamp pad and then carefully and firmly press down on a piece of white paper. Let them compare how theirs is like or different from their friends.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Outdoor Play

Play Elbow to Elbow. Pair the children up. Call out a body part and the children in the pair must touch theirs together (elbow to elbow, hip to hip, finger to finger).

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.