Laptime Songs

Nursery Rhymes, Songs, and Fingerplays for Kids

The Duck Says Hello

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The Duck Says Hello

(Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)

The duck says hello, the duck says hello
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
The duck says hello

Can be sung with a variety of animals:

The cow says hello, the cow says hello
Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo
The cow says hello

The horse says hello, the horse says hello
Neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh
The horse says hello

The pig says hello, the pig says hello
Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink
The pig says hello

The cat says hello, the cat says hello
Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow
The cat says hello

The dog says hello, the dog says hello
Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, bark
The dog says hello

The chicken says hello, the chicken says hello
Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck
The chicken says hello

Who Is the Astronaut?

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Who Is the Astronaut?

Who is the astronaut
With ears so long and funny?
She hops around the rocket ship.
She’s a little bunny!

Who is the astronaut
Jumping on a log?
“Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!”
It’s a little frog!

Who is the astronaut
With a long tail, of course?
“Neigh, neigh, neigh!”
It’s a little horse!

Who is the astronaut
With four legs and a horn?
We rarely ever see one.
It’s a little unicorn!

This rhyme is a guessing game. Pause after the third line each time to let children guess which animal is the astronaut.

Find More Astronaut Rhymes:

5 Pigs So Squeaky Clean

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5 Pigs So Squeaky Clean

(Tune: “Five Green and Speckled Frogs“)

Five pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a great big THUD
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs.

Four pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a great big THUD
Then there were three clean squeaky pigs.

Three pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a great big THUD
Then there were two clean squeaky pigs.

Two pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a great big THUD
Then there was one clean squeaky pig.

One pig so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a great big THUD
Then there were no clean squeaky pigs.

Find more rhymes about pigs:

5 Little Pigs

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5 Little Pigs

Five little pigs rolled in the mud.
Squishy, squashy, they need a scrub!
The farmer took one piggy out.
“Oink, oink, oink”that pig did shout!

Four little pigs rolled in the mud.
Squishy, squashy, they need a scrub!
The farmer took one piggy out.
“Oink, oink, oink”that pig did shout!

Three little pigs rolled in the mud.
Squishy, squashy, they need a scrub!
The farmer took one piggy out.
“Oink, oink, oink”that pig did shout!

Two little pigs rolled in the mud.
Squishy, squashy, they need a scrub!
The farmer took one piggy out.
“Oink, oink, oink”that pig did shout!

One little pig rolled in the mud.
Squishy, squashy, it needs a scrub!
The farmer took one piggy out.
“Oink, oink, oink”that pig did shout!

No little pigs rolled in the mud.
They looked so clean after their scrub.
The farmer turned his back and then…
Those pigs rolled in the mud again!

The Frog Lives in the Pond

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The Frog Lives in the Pond

(Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell“)

The frog lives in the pond
Her tongue is oh so long
It reaches high to catch a fly
The frog lives in the pond

More Songs About Frogs

5 Green and Speckled Frogs
I’m a Little Jumpy Frog

More Songs for Spring

Little Ducks Go Quack
There Once Was a Turtle
6 Little Ducks
I’m a Puff of Wind
5 Little Ducks with actions

Caterpillar to Butterfly Songs

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We went to the butterfly house at the zoo this past weekend. Oh my! Such beautiful butterflies. We had fun standing still and watching them flutter around us. We each held out a finger silently hoping a butterfly would land on one of us. Our favorite part of the butterfly house is looking through the window and seeing the caterpillar to butterfly process. All the cocoons of different sizes hung in rows; the newly emerged butterflies trying wings for the first time.

Caterpillar to Butterfly songs for kids

The process of caterpillar to butterfly is a great spring theme for toddlers and preschoolers. Spring brings so many changes to the world around our little ones. Butterflies are just one beautiful example of how spring transforms something plain into something colorful.

I love this list of songs because they all teach the caterpillar to butterfly cycle. Each song captures the beauty of this process in a unique way. These songs are a great way to reinforce the concepts taught in books, poems or activities. They would make a great soundtrack for a crafting session, a butterfly hunt, or free play time. They can also take front stage by letting kids explore instruments while listening.

Caterpillar to Butterfly Songs

Caterpillar to Butterfly Life Cycle

Butterflies begin as an egg. When the egg hatches, a caterpillar emerges. The caterpillar grows, eating leaves. Then the caterpillar spins itself into a cocoon. Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. Once the transformation is complete, the butterfly breaks out of the cocoon. At first the butterfly’s wings are still damp. The butterfly cannot fly until the wings have dried off. Once the wings have dried, the caterpillar to butterfly transformation is complete and the butterfly takes to the sky.

Caterpillar to butterfly life cycle

Find this and more caterpillar to butterfly coloring pages at Super Coloring.

Bari Koral: Anna and the Cupcakes     The Harmonica Pocket: Sundrops     Animal Tales from Key Wilde and Mr Clarke

in-a-heartbeat      in-the-nick-of-time

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5 Little Fish Finger Puppet Free Printable

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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.

5 Little Fish Finger Puppet Printable

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.

5 Little Fish Finger Puppets

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.

5 Little Fish finger puppet printable color version

5 Little Fish finger puppet printable black and white version

Enjoy your 5 Little Fish (Teasing Mr Shark) finger puppet printable. I hope it sparks the enthusiasm of the little ones in your life.

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5 Little Fish

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Five Little Fish

Five little fish
Swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark
“You can’t catch me!
No, you can’t catch me!”
Along comes Mr Shark
As quiet as can be
And SNAP!

Four little fish
Swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark
“You can’t catch me!
No, you can’t catch me!”
Along comes Mr Shark
As quiet as can be
And SNAP!

Three little fish
Swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark
“You can’t catch me!
No, you can’t catch me!”
Along comes Mr Shark
As quiet as can be
And SNAP!

Two little fish
Swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark
“You can’t catch me!
No, you can’t catch me!”
Along comes Mr Shark
As quiet as can be
And SNAP!

One little fish
Swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark
“You can’t catch me!
No, you can’t catch me!”
Along comes Mr Shark
As quiet as can be
And SNAP!

Free Finger Puppet Printable

5 Little Fish Finger Puppet Printable

Click here to get the PDF printable for the 5 Little Fish (Teasing Mr Shark). Comes both in color and in black and white.