3.2

Using songs and rhymes to learn single 

words/the names of body parts

Why is this important?

The names of body parts are part of a child’s early vocabulary. At first children learn to understand the word on its own and then phrases using the word (e.g. ‘Mummy’s hand’, ‘Tommy’s eyes’).

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What to do
• Sing lots of action songs together relating to body parts. Examples include:
★ ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.’
★ ‘Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush’

(e.g. this is the way we ‘wash our teeth’, ‘brush our hair’).
★ ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It …’
• As you sing, point to each body part together.
• Encourage the child to join in with the actions

and point to body parts as you sing.
• Make up songs using well-known tunes

(e.g. ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ could be adapted to ‘Katie on the bus, she claps her hands’ or ‘The children on the bus they touch their toes’).
• During everyday routines (e.g. getting dressed, bath-time) ask the child to ‘Point to nose’, ‘Wash tummy’, ‘Put sock on foot’).

Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes 

https://nurseryrhymescollections.com/lyrics/head-shoulders-knees-and-toes.html

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

https://nurseryrhymescollections.com/lyrics/here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush.html

If You're Happy And You Know It 

https://nurseryrhymescollections.com/lyrics/if-youre-happy-and-you-know-it.html

One Finger One Thumb

https://nurseryrhymescollections.com/lyrics/one-finger-one-thumb.html

This Little Piggy Went To Market

https://nurseryrhymescollections.com/lyrics/this-little-piggy-went-to-market.html