Here are some simple finger games and rhyming games to play with your baby.

Remember your own mom or grandmother playing Pat-a-Cake? This simple finger game has been around as long as Peek-a-boo. Both are natural games a mother can play with her infant as soon as the baby is old enough to respond and make eye contact.

Pat-A-Cake

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, Baker’s man,

Bake me a cake As fast as you can.

Pat it and prick it, And mark it with a B,

And put in the oven For baby and me.

Bonding with your Baby

The actions are not as important as the interaction between parent and child. The baby loves to be talked to and loves repetition of familiar words in rhymes and small poems.

Maybe you don’t recall the little poems or never heard them. You want to build this bond with your child that you may have missed out on. The face to face, voice and eye contact is good for building a bond and helps your child learn to repeat sounds and movements. A musically inclined child will respond enthusiastically, as will any kinesthetic learner.

Try the library or book store for a book of nursery rhymes and lullabies. Most are simple and deal with animals or birds or pets as children are interested in all animals at this stage.

Ride-a-little horsey, (Seat baby on your legs and hold both his hands)

Go to Town; (Bounce baby gently)

Ride-a-little horsey, Go to town.

Get that baby some candy! (Kiss his face)

Pease Porridge and The Church House

Some are just nonsense like Pease Porridge Hot and the actions are as simple as clapping to the beat. Others like Here’s the Church House take some simple motions.

Here’s the church house, (interlock your fingers and stick your thumb up for the steeple)

Here’s the steeple,

Open the door, (Pull palms apart leaving fingers intertwined for the roof)

Where all the people?

Here’s the church house (interlock your fingers so the tips of fingers point down)

Here’s the steeple (stick up thumbs together)

Open the doors

There’s all the people

Here’s the church house, (intertwine fingers as in first verse with fingers outside)

Here’s the steeple (stick up thumbs)

Shhhhhh

The people are praying. (keep hands folded as if in prayer)

Where is Thumbkin?

Here is an easy one to teach little ones and toddlers love it. It goes like this.

Where is Thumbkin? (Hold up both hands with thumbs tucked under fingers)

Where is Thumbkin?

Here I am! (Bring out one thumb)

Here I am! (Bring out the other)

How are you today, Sir? (Wiggle left thumb as you say the words)

Very well, I thank you. (Wiggle the right thumb to answer)

Run and hide. (Wisk hand off behind back)

Run and hide. (Hide other hand.)

Customize Games

Use your imagination to come up with other finger play games special to you and your baby. Remember to move your mouth to enunciate clearly and use familiar and fun nonsense words and sounds to grab the baby’s attention and make him smile.

Sign language can also be put to use and many babies respond to the signs.

Many Sunday school songs you may recall from your childhood with actions can be used as finger games also. For example, Climb Climb up Sunshine Mountain or Zacheaus. These two have climbing actions and you can easily ad-lib those actions the breeze blowing, (Open hands swinging back and forth); faces all aglow (brush open hand over face in circular motion); you and I (point to self and then to baby); a wee little man, (hold thumb and pointer finger to show small size); You come down (shake pointed finger)

Favorite of All

Don’t forget an all time favorite:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

(Put fingertips together and twist them back and forth and up like a spider climbing.)

Climbed up the water spout.

Down came the rain,

(Open hands and spread out fingers and wiggle them down like rain falling.)

And washed the spider out!

(Sweep hands to the side like water was washing the spider away.)

Out came the sun,

And dried up all the rain,

(Form your hands into a circle and then close fingers and make a blinking by opening and closing them.)

So the itsy bitsy spider

Climbed up the spout again. (Repeat the spider climbing.)

Finger games bring you into a closer relationship with your baby. Take some time to play some little nursery rhyme games. Have fun with your baby!

For more baby games for infants read this Baby Play article by Angela England. For babies at different ages try these tips for interacting with babies through playing games.