Fingerplay essay

Fingerplays can become a family legacy to hand down from generation to generation. To learn more finger plays visit the Ms. Rhymetime Channel. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

It is wonderful to see the pure delight of a child engaged in a finger play when they either watch or try to imitate it. Fingerplays became a go-to method for calming my children when they were upset or for on the spot entertainment during waits at the doctors office or while traveling.

The finger rhyme “Grandma’s Glasses” and “Mother's Knives and Forks” are excellent examples where you can see a child learning to use their body to create symbols for sounds. These children will move more easily into reading letters with this solid foundation of learning finger rhymes than children that have not been exposed to them.

The Waldorf Method of education believes that Nursery Rhymes and Fingerplays not only offer one of the best methods of teaching young children, they also help create a bond between caregiver and child. Fingerplays are an integral part of the Early Childhood Waldorf Classroom.