My new favorite fingerplay is 5 Little Fish (Teasing Mr Shark) that I discovered via Pinterest on Developing the Whole Child. I always love ocean-themed programs as there are just so many variations. 5 Little Fish is a variation on one of our all-time favorites 5 Little Monkeys (Teasing Mr. Alligator). As I was trying to get my boys as excited about the little fish as I was, they were just not interested.
Problem solving how I could spark their interest in this fun and engaging poem, I thought of the finger puppets I made of snowmen for a few winter poems. I designed the little fish and then turned to my talented husband to create a shark. I printed off a practice sheet to make sure they were the right size. My boys immediately gave their full attention to the little fish and shark as I cut them out. They could hardly wait for me to finish taping the puppets. They each chose one fish as their own and I was allowed to be the shark.
We spent the next 30 minutes playing with the finger puppets and repeating over and over the poem. Success! We took turns being the fish and or the shark. They loved it so much they brought it back out to show their sisters when they got home from school. These little finger puppets were the ticket to engage them! (This time, at least)
5 Little Fish Finger Puppet Printable
There are two versions of the 5 Little Fish printable, a color version and a black and white version. These versions are combined into one printable which contains the fish, the shark and a reminder card with instructions and the lyrics for the poem. You can also find the lyrics here.
Enjoy your 5 Little Fish (Teasing Mr Shark) finger puppet printable. I hope it sparks the enthusiasm of the little ones in your life.
Mrs Tubbs says
Thanks for this. I’m always looking for craft ideas for the toddler’s group at church. This should go down really well
Kathy Wentworth says
Thank you for the fish puppets – It was a joy to actually be able to print them without having to subscribe or end up with blank papers! Yay, Laptime songs!!!
admin says
You’re welcome! I hope you and the littles enjoy them as much as we have.