“What a child imitates,” says Froebel, “he begins to understand. Let him represent the flying of birds and he enters partially into the life of birds. Let him imitate the rapid motion of fishes in the water and his sympathy with fishes is quickened. Let him reproduce the activities of farmer, miller and baker, and his eyes open to the meaning of their work. In one word let him reflect in his play the varied aspects of life and his thought will begin to grapple with their significance.”
Emilie Poulsson’s finger plays were widely used at the turn of the 20th century when they were published in the popular magazine “Babyland”. Music by Cornelia C. Roeske, and illustrations are by L.J.Bridgman Later they were compiled into book form, which has now reached the Public Domain, and is available here. More activities and learning videos are in the making and will be added to this page, we are having so much fun with these! Color-coded sheet music available at https://teaching-children-music.com/join
The Lambs
The mini-book printable I made for The Lambs really helped Ruth (almost 3) learn this song. She colored the pictures and was singing the song so I paused to help her practice. She asked me to do it again and again for about 45 minutes, and now she knows it! My husband heard me singing these songs when I originally found them and he wondered if they would be too hard for tiny children, but he has now changed his mind.
The Lambs mini-book (Free Printable!)
All For Baby
This booklet is designed to help you teach your child to read. Print double-sided, cut on the black line, and crease on the blue line. Fold pages together and staple to make a reading book. Point to the words as you read/sing them, then turn the page to do the hand action and look at the pictures.
