Nursery rhymes are one of the best tools that a teacher or parent can have to help teach their children about so many different aspects of life. With so many nursery rhymes floating around the internet, it can become difficult to find the nursery rhymes on the topic that you are looking for. So, here are our choice for the best nursery rhymes that teach body parts.
Some of the best nursery rhymes that you can use to teach body parts include Baby Bumble Bee, Brush Your Teeth, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, Hokey Pokey, If You’re Happy And You Know It, Ten Little Fingers, Tommy Thump is Up, The Body Parts Song, along with so many more!
These are only a few that are on this list; there are plenty more, so keep reading to find the one that best suits your needs and the ones that are best suited for your children’s ages.
Nursery Rhymes that Teach the Parts of the Body
- Open Shut Them
- Baby Bumble Bee
- Brush, Brush, Brush Your Teeth (Toothbrush Song)
- Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
- Hand Washing Song
- Brush Your Teeth-Song
- Hokey Pokey
- If You’re Happy And You Know It
- It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
- One Finger, One Thumb (Keep Moving)
- Ten Little Fingers
- Tommy Thump is Up
- The Body Parts Song
- Tommy Thumb Where Are You?
- Where Is Thumbkin?
- DEM BONES – The Skeleton Song
- When To Start Teaching About Body Parts
Which Nursery Rhymes Teach Body Parts?
Nursery rhyme can be used by teachers, parents and carers to teach children about many different aspects of life, and body parts are no exception. There are a large number of nursery rhymes that exist today that you can utilize when teaching body parts to children.
Some of these nursery rhymes are similar to each other, but each one can still be useful to teach to children, as the more songs they know about the body, the better their understanding will be, so it is recommended to teach as many different nursery rhymes to a child that you possibly can.
Below are a great list of nursery rhymes that you can useto help teach your children or class about all the different body parts that we have.
Open Shut Them
This nursery rhyme is a favourite with my three year old and he loves opening and closing his hands and the creeping part at the end. Although the body parts are not explicity said, when teaching the movements you will be saying to your child open your hands and fingers, now close them, clap your hands etc…
Lyrics to Open Shut Them:
Open, Shut them, (Open hands, close hands)
Open, Shut them,
Give a little clap.
Open, Shut them,
Open, Shut them,
Lay them in your lap.
Creep them, Creep them (slowly creep hands from lap to the chin)
Creep them, Creep them
Right up to your chin.
Open wide your little mouth,
but do not let them in.
There is an alternative set of verses that can be sung instead of or Creep them, Creep them or inbetween the two sections which is:
Shake them, Shake them (shake/wiggle your hands)
Shake them, Shake them
Shake them just like this.
Roll them, Roll them (roll your hands around each other)
Roll them, Roll them
Blow a little kiss.
Baby Bumble Bee
This nursery rhyme is a highly popular song about a child who got stung by a bee, this song is not only a good song to use in the teaching of body parts, but it is also has a good lesson in it about not touching bees.
In this nursery rhyme, you can switch up the body part that the bumblebee stings to incorporate more than just the hand.
Lyrics to Baby Bumble Bee:
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee
Buzz-a-buzz-a-buzz-buzz
Ouch! It stung me on the …………………..
I’m squishing up the baby bumblebee
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
I’m squishing up the baby bumblebee
Buzz-a-buzz-a-buzz-buzz
Ooh! It’s yucky!
I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee
Now my mommy won’t be mad at me
Repeat the rhyme from the beginning with a different body part being stung. Act out the words with your hands and emphasise the location where you got stung.
Brush, Brush, Brush Your Teeth (Toothbrush Song)
This is a nice and short nursery rhyme that you can teach to children to help them understand what teeth are as well as the importance of brushing your teeth every day. This little nursery rhyme is sung in the same tune as Row, Row, Row Your boat, so it is quite easy to remember.
You can also do a tooth brushing movement with this song to make it a bit more interesting for the children.
Here are the lyrics to this nursery rhyme:
Brush Brush Brush Your Teeth,
Brush it every day!Father,
Mother, Brother, Sister,
Brush it every day!
Repeat the verse over and over. You can also change the lyrics to be brush your hair, or wipe your face, or clean your hands etc…
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
This nursery rhyme is extremely popular and is used all over the world to teach children about their body parts. This song is really fun for the children to sing, and it has movements that you can have the children follow to make it more interesting.
The movements for this nursery rhyme are quite simple as you just touch the different body parts on yourself as they are mentioned in the song. Not only is this song fun for the children, but it also helps train and develop their coordination skills.
Here are the lyrics to this nursery rhyme:
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes
Then you can repeat the whole verseand try to go faster each time. How fast can you sing it/do it? Alternatively you can choose different body parts to point to each time for example, neck, chest, arm and leg, arm and leg etc..
Hand Washing Song
This is a good little song to help teach children about their hands and how to keep them clean. This is a good nursery rhyme to sing after playtime to help encourage the children to wash their hands properly before they continue to their next activity.
Here are the Hand Washing Song lyrics for you to use:
Wash hands well each day,
To keep germs away.
Scrub with soap and water,
And be on your way.
Wash hands well each day,
To keep germs away.
Scrub with soap and water,
And be on your way
Repeat the verse but next time you might say fingers instead of hands or if you are having a bath you could focus on each body part such as wash knees well each day, to keep the germs away etc…
Brush Your Teeth-Song
This is another very popular nursery rhyme that is used to teach children about teeth and how to take care of them. You can also add a tooth brushing movement into this song to help make it more fun for the children to learn it, or you can even make up your own little dance to make it more entertaining.
Here are the Brush Your Teeth song lyrics:
When you get up in the morning at a quarter to one
and you want to have a little fun
You brush your teeth ch ch ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch ch ch…
When you wake up in the morning at a quarter to two
and you want something to do
You brush your teeth ch ch ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch ch ch…
When you wake up in the morning at a quarter to three
and you wanna flash your smile at me
You brush your teeth ch ch ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch ch ch…
When you wake up in the morning at a quarter to four
and you think you hear a knock on the door
You brush your teeth ch ch ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch ch ch…
When you wake up in the morning at a quarter to five
and you just can’t wait to come alive
You brush your teeth ch ch ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch ch ch…
Repeat the verses again but this time you can also change the lyrics to be brush your hair, or wipe your face, or clean your hands etc…
Hokey Pokey
The Hokey Pokey is a highly popular song among both the children and the teachers alike, as it is very entertaining, and it helps to get rid of excess energy that the children may have.
This is a sing and dance nursery rhyme that helps with the development of various aspects in children, for example, balance, listening skills, and coordination.
The movements for this song are easy to remember and do. When the song says the name of a body part, you simply place that body part in front of you.
Here are the lyrics to this popular children’s song:
You put your right foot in
You put your right foot out
You put your right foot in
And you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Pokey, and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!
You put your left foot in
You put your left foot out
You put your left foot in
And you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Pokey, and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!
Oh the hokey pokey
Oh the hokey pokey
Oh the hokey pokey
That’s what it’s all about!
Repeat with some of the following
You put your right hand in
You put your right hand out
You put your left hand in
You put your left hand out
You put your head in
You put your head out
You put your whole self in
And you shake it all about
Here’s a Tip:You can also have fun with making up your own verses! How about “You put yourhipsin”? Orknees? Or maybe eventoes? Good luck!
If You’re Happy And You Know It
This is a repetitive nursery rhyme that can be used to teach children what various different body parts are called. This song is used in schools all around the world, and it is a fun and exciting song for children.
The actions for this song are easy; you simply do the action that the song says with the name of the body part in the song.
Here are the lyrics to this well-known children’s song:
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it (or then your face will surely show it)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
Then you can start to change up the verses a bit with, i.e.:
If you’re happy and you know it, tap your toe…
If you’re happy and you know it, nod your head…
If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet…
You can also make up your own verses. Have fun!
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
This nursery rhyme is an old traditional English song that can be used to teach children various things. There are no official movements for this nursery rhyme; however, you can make up your own to add a new dynamic to the song if you need to.
Here are the lyrics for this nursery rhyme:
It’s raining, it’s pouring.
The old man is snoring.
He bumped his head and went to bed
And he couldn’t get up in the morning.
It’s raining, it’s pouring.
The old man is snoring.
He bumped his head and went to bed
And he couldn’t get up in the morning.
Repeat by swapping out the word ‘head’ and use many different body parts in the song to teach other body parts too.
One Finger, One Thumb (Keep Moving)
This song is a very popular children’s nursery rhyme/song and dance that is perfect for smaller children. This can be very entertaining for younger children and can help to start getting them familiar with their different body parts.
The dance is easy to do as you just move your body parts as they come up in the song; you can move them however you like. This can help develop the children’s listening skills as well as their coordination.
Here are the lyrics for this fun nursery rhyme:
One finger, one thumb, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, keep moving!
We’ll all be merry and bright.
One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, one arm, keep moving!
We’ll all be merry and bright.
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, keep moving!
We’ll all be merry and bright.
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, keep moving!
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, keep moving!
We’ll all be merry and bright.
You can add in or on any other body parts you wish to this rhyme!
Ten Little Fingers
This little nursery rhyme can be used as an interactive song to teach children about body parts, or itcan be used as a lullaby for childrento help get them to sleep. This nursery rhyme does have some movements that you can incorporate into your lessons.
The movements for this song are simple and easy to remember as you just touch or point to each body part as they are mentioned throughout the song.
Here are the lyrics for this nice little nursery rhyme:
Ten little fingers, ten little toes,
Two little ears and one little nose
Two little eyes that shine so bright
And one little mouth to kiss mother goodnight.
Ten little fingers, ten little toes,
Two little ears and one little nose
Two little eyes that shine so bright
And one little mouth to kiss mother goodnight.
Once you have sung the song, you can then begin to teach the children the correct names of each finger.You can also bring math into the equation as you can then count your fingers and even your toes once you are done with the song.
Tommy Thump is Up
This cute little nursery rhyme is very similar to another nursery rhyme that is lower down on this list; however, the lyrics do have some nice differences to them that allow you to do some different actions to the song.
This song is a really fun way to help teach body parts to children. The movements are easy to follow along with, so you can start singing this nursery rhyme with younger children too. For the movements to this song, you just point or touch your thumb (or the stated finger) to the different body parts as they come up in the song.
Here are the lyrics for this cute little nursery rhyme:
Tommy Thumb is up,
And Tommy Thumb is down.
Tommy Thumb is dancing,
All around the town.
Dancing on your shoulders,
Dancing on your head,
Dancing on your knees,
Then tuck him into bed.
Peter Pointer’s up,
And Peter Pointer’s down.
Peter Pointer’s dancing,
All around the town.
Dancing on your shoulders,
Dancing on your head,
Dancing on your knees,
Then tuck him into bed.
Middle Man is up,
And Middle Man is down.
Middle Man is dancing,
All around the town.
Dancing on your shoulders,
Dancing on your head,
Dancing on your knees,
Then tuck him into bed.
Ruby Ring is up,
And Ruby Ring is down.
Ruby Ring is dancing,
All around the town.
Dancing on your shoulders,
Dancing on your head,
Dancing on your knees,
Then tuck him into bed.
Litttle Finger’s up,
And Little Finger’s down.
Little Finger’s dancing,
All around the town.
Dancing on your shoulders,
Dancing on your head,
Dancing on your knees,
Then tuck him into bed.
Finger Family’s up,
And Finger Family’s down.
Finger Family’s dancing,
All around the town.
Dancing on your shoulders,
Dancing on your head,
Dancing on your knees,
Then tuck them into bed.
You can change the body part of should, head or knees to any other body part you may be focused on teaching!
The Body Parts Song
This is a nice little nursery rhyme that you can use to start introducing the names of different body parts to small/younger children. This is a good rhyme to encourage children to stretch and move to get their joints moving well.
This song is sung to the tune of ‘Where Is Thumbkin,’ and for the actions, you just follow along with the song and point out body parts and then do the action that the song tells you to do.
Here are the lyrics to this nursery rhyme:
Here’s my head,
Here’s my nose,
See my hands,
Touch my toes,
Reach up with my fingers,
High as they can go,
Wave them back,
To and fro.
Tommy Thumb Where Are You?
This little nursery rhyme is a bit of a simpler version of another nursery rhyme we have already gone through. This version is for smaller children that you have only just started introducing the names of body parts to.
With this song, you will bring up each finger as they are mentioned in the song and they can bow or wiggle as if to say the words here I am and how do you do.Here are the lyrics to this easier version of the nursery rhyme:
Tommy Thumb,
Tommy Thumb,
Where are you?
Here I am,
Here I am,
How do you do? (or How are you?)
Peter Pointer,
Peter Pointer,
Where are you?
Here I am,
Here I am,
How do you do? (or How are you?)
Toby Tall,
Toby Tall,
Where are you?
Here I am,
Here I am,
How do you do? (or How are you?)
Ruby Ring,
Ruby Ring,
Where are you?
Here I am,
Here I am,
How do you do? (or How are you?)
Baby Small,
Baby Small,
Where are you?
Here I am,
Here I am,
How do you do? (or How are you?)
Where Is Thumbkin?
This is another similar nursery rhyme to another one that we have gone through already; however, this is the most popular version probably used around the world. This song is considered a ‘finger play’ song as you pretend each finger in their respected verses is singing the song.
This song is sung in the same tune as the French classic nursery rhyme ‘Frere Jacques.’You begin with your hands behind your back.
Here are the lyrics to Where is Thumbkin:
Where is Thumbkin?
Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am! (bring out one thumb)
Here I am! (bring out your other thumb)
How are you today, Sir?
Very well. I thank you!
Run and hide! (or Happy day, or Run and play) – Put your hand back behind your back
Run and hide! (or Happy day, or Run and play) – Put your other hand back behind your back
Where is Pointer?
Where is Pointer?
Here I am. (bring out a pointer finger)
Here I am. (bring out another pointer finger)
How are you today, Sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run and hide! (or Happy day, or Run and play) – Put your hand back behind your back
Run and hide! (or Happy day, or Run and play) – Put your other hand back behind your back
DEM BONES – The Skeleton Song
This is a song was written by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson and first recorded in 1928 by the Myers Jubilee Singers. But it has such an easy melody to sing and a wonderful nursery rhyme feel that it needed to be included in this list!
Here are the lyrics to Dem Bones or The Skeleton Song:
The Toe bones connected to the foot bone
The Foot bones connected to the heel bone
The Heel bones connected to the ankle bone
Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bones
The Ankle bones connected to the shin bone
The Shin bones connected to the knee bone
The Knee bones connected to the thigh bone
Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bones
The Thigh bones connected to the tail bone
The tail bones connected to the hip bones
The hip bones connected to the back bones
Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bones
The back bones connected to the shoulder bone
The shoulder bones connected to the neck bone
The neck bones connected to the head bone
Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bones
The words have slightly changed from the original to make it easier for children to follow along as the original goes through the whole body in one verse. Feel free to make up each part or start at the head and go down to the feet. You don’t need to remember the rhyme exactly just go from toe to head or head to toe!
When To Start Teaching About Body Parts
There is no particular age when you should start teaching childrenabout the different parts of the body. On occasion, children might just start to pick up the names of different body parts by themselves through listening to the people around them or to songs.
Children are really good at learning through mimicking different sounds and gesturesthat they have around them, so they may be able to identify specific body parts already, but they might not know what the part is called. If your child has begun to do this, then it is a good idea to start teaching them a bit more proactively about body parts.
With this in mind, however, children that are 15 months old should at leastbe able to identify three different body parts by their actual names.
Now you know the words it’s your turn to teach them!
You can use any of these nursery rhymes to help teach your child about the different parts of their body. The fun thing is that you can always change the words to many of the rhymes to include new or different parts especially to songs like the Hokey Pokey or Head, shoulders, knees and toes for example!
So have fun with them and start your journey into teaching your child about their body in a fun and interactive way! Good luck!
