Learning the parts of the body starts at a pretty early age. I remember marveling when NHV could point to her cute little nose or lift her shirt to find her belly button. I read somewhere that a two-year old may be able to point to about ten different body parts and perhaps name many of them.Through the toddler years, it is important to continue to build upon that knowledge. Learning the Parts of the Body increases vocabulary as well as self-awareness. "As an infant moves into toddlerhood, he works on figuring out who he is in relation to the outside world, and his body is his point of reference."
With all that said, let's get to the SONGS!
So there are the basics:
- Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes - personally, I can't do another rendition of this song. I am so over it. But it is effective.
- If You're Happy and You Know It - definitely an old standard with tons of possibility. Go (way) beyond "Clap your hands" and "Stomp your feet" - you can customize this song in an endless number of ways: tap your knees, rub your tummy, touch your head, honk your nose, wiggle your fingers. And if you really want to shake things up, use an appropriate adjective other than "happy." For example, if you're hungry and you know it, rub your tummy ... you get the idea :)
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On the other end of the spectrum, here are some funky options from Sesame Street:
We have a few "old-school" Sesame Street DVDs; they were gifts from my SIL. One of them is called What Makes Music, and a scene includes a bunch of kids dancing around and singing, "The Body Dance." I was able to track it down on YouTube, but the quality is awful. Unfortunately, I can't find just an audio version. But I will tell you that Natalie loves this song. She dances all around and can even sing some of the lyrics. Finding this video on YouTube led me to another, so I included it, too. You are forewarned, they are a little funky fresh - very Fresh Prince back in the day!
We have a few "old-school" Sesame Street DVDs; they were gifts from my SIL. One of them is called What Makes Music, and a scene includes a bunch of kids dancing around and singing, "The Body Dance." I was able to track it down on YouTube, but the quality is awful. Unfortunately, I can't find just an audio version. But I will tell you that Natalie loves this song. She dances all around and can even sing some of the lyrics. Finding this video on YouTube led me to another, so I included it, too. You are forewarned, they are a little funky fresh - very Fresh Prince back in the day!
(Because of the poor quality, I didn't embed the videos; you'll need to click the links and head over to YouTube.)
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And finally, somewhere in the middle, these are songs that are sung and used in preschools. I did a lot of searching online, and these were the only two that I could really see myself using with my toddler.
- Song 1: Everybody Knows
- Everybody knows I love my toes
Everybody knows I love my toes
I love my nails, my knees
My neck and my nose
But everybody knows I love my toes! - Everybody knows I love my eyes
Everybody knows I love my thighs
I love my legs, my lips
My neck and my nose
But everybody knows I love my toes! - Everybody knows I love my feet
Everybody knows I love my seat
I love my skin, my chin
My knees and my nose
But everybody knows I love my toes! - Everybody knows I love my toes
Everybody knows I love my toes
I love my nails, my knees
My neck and my nose
But everybody knows I love my toes! - Song 2: Parts that Bend
Sung to: "B-I-N-G-O" - My arms have parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
And this is how I move them! - My legs have parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Knee, ankle, heel and foot
Knee, ankle, heel and foot
Knee, ankle, heel and foot
And this is how I move them! - My trunk has parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Neck, back, waist and hips
Neck, back, waist and hips
Neck, back, waist and hips
And this is how I move them! - I'm made of parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand..
Knee, ankle, heel and foot.
Neck, back, waist and hips
And this is how I move them!
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Okay, your turn to share. What songs do you sing with your toddler to help teach and reinforce the Parts of the Body?
6 comments:
E loves showing off his body parts...his favorite, of course, being the belly button. Aren't you proud? We will have to try out some of these songs!
Hadn't really thought about Happy and you know it! How did I forget that one??? While I don't have another song to sing, it has been fun to watch B point out all the body parts on T. We have to remind him to be gentle when he does her eyes, but overall it is so cute! I think it is great that he can do his own body and recognize them on someone else, too!
There is a Leap Frog CD we got free with a toy for Tucker. There is a great song called "Get your body moving". Also, we love Imagination Movers "Shakable You" and Laurie Berkner's fish song and how they wash their hair, and they wash their face...so on.
There is another Elmo SS one called: Elmo has two (let me expand) Hands, Ears, & Feet :-)
My 2 little munchkins love "Ding Dong" by Brady Rymer on his "I Found It" album! Sing loud, Quince
Or what about "Babies Little Self" on Caspar Babypants' debut album "Here I Am"? Sing loud, Quince
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