Action songs
Throughout our play section you’ll find lots of references to using the sensory play items alongside nursery rhymes and action songs. We’ve included a few with lyrics and links to the music to get you started.
Throughout our play section you’ll find lots of references to using the sensory play items alongside nursery rhymes and action songs. We’ve included a few with lyrics and links to the music to get you started.
Even if you don’t consider yourself the best singer, your child will benefit from hearing you sing in the voice they are connected to and comforted by. Find out more about introducing action songs to your vision impaired child here >
Row your boat
Great for: face to face interaction | tugging game with chiffon scarf | incorporating the exercise ball | fun with different lyrics
(You can sit on the floor with your knees up and your child resting on them facing you, gently hold their arms and row them back and forward)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile… snap! (snap hands together)
Don’t forget to scream (fun scream and laugh together)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the river
If you see a polar bear
Don’t forget to shiver (hold and shiver together)
Row, row, row your boat
Gently to the shore
If you see a lion
Listen to him roar (fun roar and laugh together)
Row, row, row your boat (row arms slowly)
Gently to the bay
If you see a pirate ship
Row the other way! (row arms quickly)
Listen on YouTube
5 little monkeys
Great for: counting game with instruments | bouncing with the exercise ball
(You can sit your child on their exercise ball and bounce them along with the song. Use your shaker to help count out the monkeys while you sing and dance)
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Four little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Three little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Two little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said
“no more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
One little monkeys jumping on the bed
one fell off and bumped his head
Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said
“time for monkeys to go to bed!”
Listen on YouTube
Sleeping bunnies
Great for: vestibular movement | bouncing with the exercise ball | expressive movement with the chiffon scarf | shaking instruments along to the lively parts
(You can sit your child on their exercise ball and bounce them along with the song. Or do the actions as they engage in the song – your child lies down and sleeps while the bunnies sleep and then jumps up and hops, shakes instruments, waves scarf when the bunnies wake up.)
See the little bunnies sleeping til it’s nearly noon
Shall we wake them with a merry tune?
They’re so still, are they ill?
No! Wake up bunnies!
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop.
Listen on YouTube
Dingle dangle scarecrow
Great for: vestibular movement | learning body parts | shaking instruments along to the lively parts
(Do the actions along with the song – your child lies down and sleeps while the animals sleep and then jumps up, wiggles and shakes hands and feet with the lyrics. You can use your scarf and egg shaker to shake along too)
When all the cows are sleeping
And the sun had gone to bed
Up jumped the scarecrow
And this is what he said
“I’m a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy, floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
I can shake my feet like that”
When all the hens were roosting
And the moon behind a cloud
Up jumped the scarecrow
And shouted very loud
“I’m a dingle, dangle scarecrow
With a flippy, floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this
I can shake my feet like that”
Listen on YouTube
Wind the Bobbin Up
Great for: vestibular movement | learning actions and directions | counting
(Do the actions along with your child on your knee)
Listen on YouTube
Twinkle twinkle
Great for: calming visual breaks | dark den and light toy play
(Lie in your dark den or dark space and use a light-up toy to help bring the concept of the star to life.)
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Listen on YouTube
Horsey horsey
Great for: face to face interaction | using instruments for sounds | incorporating chiffon scarf as a swishy tail | using the exercise ball for bouncy horse movement
Horsey, Horsey don’t you stop
Just let your feet go clipity clop
Your tail goes swish and the wheels go round
Giddy up we’re homeward bound
Listen on YouTube
A smooth road
Great for: introducing different describing words | incorporating the exercise ball
(Do the actions along with your child on your knee or on their exercise ball)
A bumpy road, a bumpy road (bounce them gently)
A rough road, a rough road (bounce a bit faster and side to side)
Uh oh… a hole!
Listen on YouTube
Head shoulders knees and toes
Great for: vestibular movement | learning body parts | using the chiffon to run over body parts for younger babies
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Listen on YouTube
Ring-a-ring-a-roses
Great for: vestibular movement | incorporating chiffon scarf as a swishy fish
Ring-a-ring-a-roses
A pocket full of posies
A-tishoo, a-tishoo
We all fall down.
Fishes in the water
Fishes in the sea
We all jump up
With a one two three.
Listen on YouTube
Hickory Dickory Dock
Great for: counting the numbers with a shaker | using the chiffon scarf to demonstrate the mouse’s movement and peekaboo
Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock (run the chiffon scarf up the body)
The clock struck one (shake instrument once or tap them once)
The mouse ran down (run the chiffon scarf down the body)
Hickory Dickory Dock… tick tock… tick tock
Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock (run the chiffon scarf up the body)
The clock struck two (tape or shake twice this time)
The mouse went “boo!” (use the chiffon scarf for peekaboo)
Hickory Dickory Dock… tick tock… tick tock
Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock (run the chiffon scarf up the body)
The clock struck three (count out three beats)
The mouse went “weeee!” (zoom the scarf back down)
Hickory Dickory Dock… tick tock… tick tock
Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock (run the chiffon scarf up the body)
The clock struck four (count out four beats)
The mouse said “no more!” (clap hands)
Listen on YouTube
I had a little turtle
Great for: using bubbles for full body tactile play | singing with water play | using the chiffon scarf for water
His name was Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim
He drank up all the water (action to the mouth)
And ate up all the soap
And now he’s lying ill in in bed
With bubbles in his throat
Bubble, bubble, bubble
Bubble, bubble, bubble
Bubble, bubble, bubble
Bubble… bubble… pop! (clap hands)
Listen on YouTube
The grand old Duke of York
Great for: vestibular movement | actions up and down with a shaker
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again
And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down
Listen on YouTube
Wiggly Woo
Great for: vestibular play doing animal actions | using the chiffon scarf as a wiggly worm
There’s a worm at the bottom of the garden
And his name is Wiggly Woo
There’s a worm at the bottom of the garden
And all that he can do
Is wiggle all night
And wiggle all day
The people round here they all do say
There’s a worm at the bottom of the garden
And his name is Wiggly Woo
Listen on YouTube
Jelly on a plate
Great for: using the exercise ball and wobbling your child as the jelly | balancing a ball on a plate | using the egg shaker
Jelly on a plate, jelly on a plate
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate
Jelly on a plate, jelly on a plate
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate
Sweeties in the jar, Sweeties in the jar
Shake and rattle, shake and rattle, sweeties in the jar
Sweeties in the jar, Sweeties in the jar
Shake and rattle, shake and rattle, sweeties in the jar
Sausage in a pan, sausage in a pan
Sizzle sizzle, sizzle sizzle, sausage in a pan
Sausage in a pan, sausage in a pan
Sizzle sizzle, sizzle sizzle, sausage in a pan
Jelly on a plate, jelly on a plate
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate
Jelly on a plate, jelly on a plate
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate
Listen on YouTube
5 little men in a flying saucer
Great for: counting | learning directional movements | incorporating the exercise ball
Five little men in a flying saucer
Flew around the world one day
They looked left and right but they didn’t like the sight
So one man flew away
Four little men in a flying saucer
Flew around the world one day
They looked left and right but they didn’t like the sight
So one man flew away
Three little men in a flying saucer
Flew around the world one day
They looked left and right but they didn’t like the sight
So one man flew away
Two little men in a flying saucer
Flew around the world one day
They looked left and right but they didn’t like the sight
So one man flew away
One little man in a flying saucer
Flew around the world one day
He looked left and right but he didn’t like the sight
So that man flew away
Listen on YouTube
Other songs to move and play your instruments along to on YouTube
Sticky kids action song
Great for: vestibular movement | learning directions | shaking instruments along to the instructions
Simon says action song
Great for: vestibular movement | learning directions | shaking instruments along to the instructions
Noisy noisy shaker
Great for: learning directions | shaking instruments along to the instructions
Shake-a my egg
Great for: learning directions | shaking instruments along to the instructions
Peek a boo
Great for: incorporating the chiffon scarf | full body tactile play
Can you play at peek boo?
Great for: incorporating the chiffon scarf | full body tactile play
Somewhere over the rainbow
Great for: incorporating the chiffon scarf for relaxation time
Jiggle your scarf
Great for: following actions with the chiffon scarf | vestibular movement
Scarf dance
Great for: following actions with the chiffon scarf | vestibular movement
Shake your sillies out
Great for: following actions with the chiffon scarf or shaker | vestibular movement
Five little speckled frogs
Great for: bouncing on the exercise ball to the rhythm and counting | vestibular movement
The roly poly roll
Great for: rolling and bouncing the exercise ball | vestibular movement
