Fine motor development
Toddlers practice clapping their hands as part of a song.
None
Be Prepared: Learn the words of the first verse and tune to “Clap Your Hands” by Little Fox. Sources include the internet and CDs.
[Invite toddlers to join you to sing some songs. Use one of the Informal Gathering Starters from the ELM User Guide: Birth–36 Months. Kneel or sit facing the toddlers.]
I have a fun song to sing. We listen to songs with our ears.
[Point to your ears.]
You can watch me with your eyes.
[Point to your eyes.]
Our song is going to tell us to clap. When we clap, one hand pats our other hand.
[Demonstrate clap in a pronounced way using your arms while also saying clap.]
Would you like to clap with me?
[Wait. Comment on toddlers’ responses. Example: “I heard clapping sounds! One hand patted the other hand!”]
Please listen to the song I will sing.
[Sing “Clap Your Hands.” Smile and clap your hands. Encourage toddlers to clap their hands. At this age toddlers are not expected to clap in unison.
Repeat the first verse. Encourage toddlers to clap again. Invite toddlers to sing along with you.]
Today we learned a new song. Our song told us to clap. You listened to the song, and you watched me. We all clapped our hands.
The song and clapping are likely to be of interest to toddlers. Emphasize clapping and anticipate differences across toddlers in clapping abilities. This fine motor action involves several skills, including spatial awareness, and requires supportive practice to develop. Although the activity plan suggests inviting toddlers to sing with you, probably most will not do so. With repeated experience, many toddlers will begin to join you in singing according to their ability. At this age toddlers are not expected to sing in an organized activity or to clap in unison.
Extra support
Enrichment
Fine motor development
A toddler practices clapping his/her hands along with a puppet as part of a song.
Be Prepared: Learn the words of the first verse and tune to “Clap Your Hands” by Little Fox. Sources include the internet and CDs.
Sit on the floor with one toddler during playtime. Introduce a puppet. Explain that our puppet would like to sing a song with us. Example: “Let’s sing a song with our puppet.” Animate the puppet by moving the head and arms. “I think our (name of puppet) can clap!”
Begin singing “Clap Your Hands” by Little Fox and move the puppet’s arms as if it is clapping. Encourage the toddler to watch and imitate the puppet. Emphasize slow and quick clapping included in the song.
As a follow-up activity, sit next to the toddler with the book Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley. Read the text and point to the pictures. Toddlers will enjoy the opportunity to point to pictures and respond to the humorous pictures in a book that connects to their clapping practice.
Notice whether the toddler wants to interact with the puppet before you sing the song. Encourage the toddler to touch the puppet gently. A toddler may not want to clap along with the puppet. Watching the clapping action of the puppet can be beneficial. The follow-up book segment provides the toddler an opportunity to connect the book pictures and information to his/her experience in clapping (or watching the puppet clap).
Extra support
Enrichment
Fine motor development
Toddlers watch and participate in a sequence of hand motions as part of a song.
None
Be Prepared: Learn the words and actions for the “Bubble, Bubble Pop” song. Internet sources are available. The activity introduces one new action for toddlers to make with two hands.
Invite toddlers to join you to sing a fun song about a fish that also involves our hands. Example: “We have a fun song to sing. Our song is about a fish. We will do some things with our hands when we sing the song.”
Explain that we can put our hands together and move them side to side when we sing about the fish. Demonstrate putting the palms of your hands together and moving them (when next to each other) to pretend a fish is swimming. Example: “Let’s make our hands move like a fish swimming.”
Then our song says “bubble, bubble pop!” We clap our hands to pop the bubbles! Demonstrate clapping your hands while saying “pop!”
Sing the song all the way through with the actions. Repeat the song and encourage the toddlers to watch and imitate your hand movements.
The activity promotes fine motor skills through different hand positions and actions plus the sequence of two different sets of hand actions. Repeated exposure to and experience with the song and actions will support toddlers’ eventual participation. Some toddlers may make their own hand movements for the fish and enjoy making a clap at the end. Learning a sequence of actions for a song fosters the mental skill for learning ordered steps for skills, such as toileting, handwashing, and getting onto a riding toy.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: *2 display pictures as shown, bubbles, Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley or, if available Clap Your Hands by Kay Widdowson
Display two pictures of adults and young toddlers clapping. Sit on the floor with one or two toddlers at a time to look at and talk about the pictures. Offer one of the suggested books. Recite rhymes you think will be of interest to the children in your gathering. If toddlers seem especially interested in a particular rhyme, set aside the book and repeat the rhyme with your own hand motions. Toddlers will enjoy looking at the pictures and hearing the rhymes. Outdoors, blow bubbles and encourage toddlers to clap their hands to pop the bubbles.
*Printables provided
Gather toddlers and infants for 5–10 minutes of singing time. After a familiar song, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with the actions, introduce the new clapping song. Repeat several times. Babies will enjoy the melody and may kick their feet. Older children may enjoy demonstrating a clapping action. Vary the activity by singing softly and encouraging the children to clap quietly. Also, sing the song with extra enthusiasm and encourage the children to clap their hands a bit harder. Help children notice the difference.
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