Body & movement
Action songs
- Builds: Body parts and rhythm
- 10 min
- Ages 1–4
- Energetic
- No mess
From the house
- Nothing, or a song on your phone
How to play
- Sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with the moves.
- Sing it again faster, then super slow.
- Next: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”: clap, stomp, shout hooray.
- Let them choose the song and the moves.
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Hold their hands for “The Grand Old Duke of York”: stand up together on “up” and sit down on “down”.
- Harder: Sing “Head, Shoulders” again, leaving out one more word each time and doing only the action in its place.
Words to use
- head
- shoulders
- knees
- toes
- clap
Why it helps
Doing the moves in time with the words teaches them where each body part is and keeps them moving to a beat.