Laptime Songs

Nursery Rhymes, Songs, and Fingerplays for Kids

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!

5 Fast Rockets

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5 Fast Rockets

Five Fast Rockets

One fast rocket blasting off to space.
Here comes another one.
Now they can race.

Two fast rockets blasting off to space.
Here comes another one.
Now they can race.

Three fast rockets blasting off to space.
Here comes another one.
Now they can race.

Four fast rockets blasting off to space.
Here comes another one.
Now they can race.

Five fast rockets; Let the race begin.
They’ll circle the moon,
Then home they’ll zoom!
Who do you think will win?

Find More Outer Space rhymes:

This rhyme was found at LibraryLand as part of the Friday Flannel series.

10 Warm Mittens

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10 Warm Mittens

Ten warm mittens, hanging on the line,
One blows away and then there are nine.

Nine warm mittens, one without a mate,
A squirrel carries one away and that leaves eight.

Eight warm mittens bathed in sunshine that comes from heaven
One gets buried in the snow and that leaves seven.

Seven warm mittens, cold hands they will fix.
I’ll pick the red one and that leaves six.

Six warm mittens then one takes a dive,
A fox grabs it from the ground and that leaves five.

Five warm mittens, we had ten before!
A fluffy bunny needs one and that leaves four!

Four warm mittens, two for you and two for me
I lost one on the ski slope and that leaves three.

Three warm mittens, looking very new,
One falls into the mud and that leaves two.

Two warm mittens, drying in the sun,
A bird comes down and snatches it and that leaves one.

One warm mitten, what good is one?
A little mouse can have a bed, and that leaves none!

5 Train Engines

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5 Train Engines

5 train engines rolling down the track.
One little engine is very, very black.
4 train engines admiring the view.
One little engine is very, very blue.
3 train engines see a mountain up ahead.
One train engine was very, very red.
2 train engines now going very slow.
One little engine is very, very, yellow.
1 train engine, the prettiest that I’ve seen.
That little engine is very, very green!

Free Train Printable

Download this free printable to use in your next train-themed program. Each train is a different color: black, gray, white, red, orange, yellow, blue, green & purple. Print two copies to create a matching game!

Download Now

1 Little Penguin

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One Little Penguin

One little penguin in the snow
Waddles fast and waddles slow,
Flaps his wings and calls, “Come on,
Join me for some winter fun!”

Give each child a penguin. Have a child bring up the penguin at the beginning of each repetition. Count all the penguins and then repeat again. Can be sung to the tune “Five Little Ducks“

Looking for More Winter Rhymes?

6 Little Penguins

Winter’s Coming

Frost

5 Little Snowmen Standing Round My Door

Dance Like Snowflakes

6 Little Penguins

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Six Little Penguins

Their suits are black and their vests are white.
They waddle to the left and they waddle to the right.
They stand on the ice and they look very neat.
As they waddle along on their little flat feet.

Six little penguins off an iceberg did dive.
One bumped his beak, then there were five.

Five little penguins swam the ocean floor.
One chased a whale, then there were four.

Four little penguins spun around, whee-ee!
One spun away, then there were three.

Three little penguins with nothing to do,
One went fishing, then there were two.

Two little penguins having lots of fun.
One fell off, then there was one.

One little penguin, when the day was done,
Went home to sleep, then there were done.

Looking for More Winter Rhymes?

A Chubby Little Snowman

Snowflakes Falling Down

Jack Frost

5 Little Snowmen

15 Flower Poems for May

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Last month it was April showers and now we have moved on to May flowers. In honor of May Day (although I know I’m a few days late) I’ve collected 15 flower poems for you. I’ve tried to vary them so you have flower fingerplays, flower poems, and flower songs. There are also poems about flowers in general as wells as ones about tulips, daffodils and daisies. There is even a great bedtime poem. I’ve included it at the end of the list.

Flower PoemsIn addition to the flower poems you can teach your little ones and use in storytime programs, I’m also excited to share with you a new album from Charity and the JAMband. This album, Earth, has a great message for kids and families about taking care of the earth and showing kindness to each other.

Flower Poems

  1. Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
  2. Growing
  3. If I Were a Little Flower
  4. Little Flowers
  5. Five Spring Flowers
  6. Daffodil
  7. I’m a Little Daisy
  8. Tulips
  9. Flower Garden
  10. The Flower Song
  11. A Song of Flowers
  12. I’m a Little Flower Pot
  13. Relaxing Flowers
  14. Five Little Flowers
  15. Bedtime

Be sure to click on the title of the poem to find the full lyrics. With 15 flower poems you will find something to work with any flower storytime program, or enough to create several programs around this theme.

I have heard that talking to plants encourages their growth. I thought of that nugget when I first heard “Sing a Summer Song” on the album Earth from Charity and the JAMband. The song speaks of singing a song for summer, singing a song for flowers, singing a song for dirt and singing a song for you and me. Music has such power to reach little ones. Music can guide them in their learning. Music can also broaden their understanding. This song would be a great addition to a storytime program. You could play it as a welcome song while little ones gather before storytime starts. Or it could be used as a song to play while little ones played with instruments.

Earth from Charity and the JAMbandYou can read more about the story of “Sing a Summer Song” on Charity’s blog. You can also connect with the band on their website or on Twitter (@jamband). You can also pick up a copy of Earth on Amazon or download it from iTunes.

5 Little Flowers

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Five Little Flowers

Five little flowers growing in a row,
The first one said, “I’m purple you know!”
The second one said, “I’m pink as pink can be.”
The third one said, “I’m blue like the sea.”
The fourth one said, “I’m a very red fellow.”
And the fifth one said, “My color is yellow.”

Then out came the sun, big and bright.
And five little flowers smiled in delight.

5 Spring Flowers

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Five Spring Flowers

Five spring flowers, all in a row.
The first one said, “We need rain to grow!”
The second one said, “Oh my, we need water!”
The third one said, “Yes, it is getting hotter!”
The fourth one said, “I see clouds in the sky.”
The fifth one said, “I wonder why?”

Then BOOM went the thunder
And ZAP went the lightning!
That springtime storm was really very frightening!
But the flowers weren’t worried–no, no, no!
The rain helped them to grow, grow, GROW!

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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