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Head, Shoulders,
Knees and Toes
An Activity from Great Games for Young Children (Gryphon House, 2006) by Rae Pica
This body-part identification game requires children to listen carefully as they move from body part to body part.
For cognitive development:
Identifying body parts
Improving listening skills
For social/emotional development:
Increasing self-awareness
For physical development:
Practicing bending and straightening
Improving flexibility
As you call out "head," "shoulders," knees" and "toes," children touch the corresponding part of their bodies. First, follow the order of the title, and then mix it up!
Change the tempo at which you call out the body parts, sometimes doing it slowly and sometimes quickly. You can also start very slowly and gradually increase the tempo until the children dissolve into fits of giggles!
Substitute a sound for the word "head" (for example, a hand clap, a click of the tongue, a foot stomp or a kissing sound). Tell the children to touch their heads when they hear that sound. With each successive verse, substitute a different sound for one more body part, until you've replaced all four parts with four different sounds. Do any of the above while chanting or singing the song of the same title, which incorporates additional body parts. Here are the lyrics:
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes!
Want to see more?
- Baby Play: Games to Promote
Baby's Development - A Roll of the Dice: Is Your Child Ready for Board Games?
- Learning Experiences for Kindergartners: Activities from The Giant Encyclopedia of Kindergarten Activities: Over 600 Activities Created by Teachers for Teachers
- Check out our Article Library.
- Talk about it!
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