Nursery Rhymes, Songs, and Fingerplays for Kids
Three jellyfish, three jellyfish. (hold up hands by head)
Three jellyfish sitting on a rock.
One fell off. (drop one hand)
Two jellyfish, two jellyfish. (wave hand by head)
Two jellyfish sitting on a rock.
One fell off. (drop other hand)
One jellyfish, one jellyfish. (wiggle head)
One jellyfish sitting on a rock.
One fell off. (fall to the floor)
No jellyfish, no jellyfish.
No jellyfish sitting on a rock.
(Tune: “Down by the Station”)
Down in the ocean Early in the morning.
See the little lobster. Crawling around.
See the little lobster. Crawling in the ocean.
Crawl, crawl, pinch, pinch. Off it goes.
Down in the ocean. Early in the morning.
See the little octopus. Waving around.
See the little octopus. Waving in the ocean.
Wave, wave, squirt, squirt. Off it goes.
Down in the ocean. Early in the morning.
See the little dolphin. Jumping around.
See the little lobster. Jumping in the ocean.
Jump, jump, splash, splash. Off it goes.
Down in the ocean. Early in the morning.
See the little diver. Looking around.
See the little diver. Looking in the ocean.
Look, Look, swim, swim. Off she goes.
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)
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.
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!
Click here to get the PDF printable for the 5 Little Fish (Teasing Mr Shark). Comes both in color and in black and white.
This is a simplified version of the original lyrics to A Slippery Fish (Octopus Song). In the original lyrics, each creature moves through the water in a different way. For example, the octopus squiggles through the water or the tuna fish flashes through the water. This simplified version is perfect for babies and young toddlers and their caregivers!
A slippery fish, a slippery fish,
Swimming in the ocean.
A slippery fish, a slippery fish,
Glub. Glub. Glub.
Oh no, I’ve been eaten by an octopus!
An octopus, an octopus,
Swimming in the ocean.
An octopus, an octopus,
Glub. Glub. Glub.
Oh no, I’ve been eaten by a tuna fish!
A tuna fish, a tuna fish,
Swimming in the ocean.
A tuna fish, a tuna fish,
Glub. Glub. Glub.
Oh no, I’ve been eaten by a great big shark!
A great big shark, a great big shark,
Swimming in the ocean.
A great big shark, a great big shark,
Glub. Glub. Glub.
Oh no, I’ve been eaten by a humongous whale!
A humongous whale, a humongous whale,
Swimming in the ocean.
A humongous whale, a humongous whale,
Glub. Glub. Glub.
Oh no, I’ve been eaten by a human!
Was it you?
Slippery fish: hold hands together, palms touching, and move hands like a fish swimming in the water
Oh no! I’ve been eaten by…: Clap hands to your face making a surprised looked
Octopus: 1) lock thumbs together and wiggle 8 remaining fingers as legs or 2) place fist of one hand on back of the other and wiggle the second hand’s fingers as legs
Tuna fish: Keep hands together, palms touching. Keep fingers connected while moving hands from close together to making a circle or bowl shape, like a puffed up fish. Move them back and forth during this verse.
Great big shark: Extend arms out long spread apart then bring them together clapping hands like a giant mouth closing
Humongous whale: Place hands on hips with arms rounded out, taking up as much space as possible. Rock from side to side while singing this verse.
Was it you? Point at a child and ask them if they ate the whale. If this is a smaller, more personal group or with your own child, this is a great tickle opportunity.
You can find the book on Amazon (affiliate link): Slippery Fish in Hawai’i by Charlotte Diamond