Knee-bounce rhymes

From the house

• Your lap, on the sofa or a chair

How to play

1. Sit them on your knees facing you and hold them firmly round the middle.
2. Bounce gently to the beat of “Humpty Dumpty”, and on “great fall” part your knees so they dip down, still held tight.
3. Rock forward and back to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.
4. Pause just before the dip and wait for them to ask for more with a look, a sound or a wiggle.

Fit it to your child

• Easier: Hold them close against your tummy, facing out, and keep the bounces tiny.
• Harder: Hold their hands for the small bounces so their own body does more of the balancing, and hold their middle again for the dip.

Words to use

• bounce
• up
• down
• again
• more

Why it helps

Staying upright while you bounce and rock makes their tummy and back muscles work to keep them balanced, and the rhyme gives them a steady beat to feel.