Top 23 finger-focused games that preschool teachers should know to engage children

How to play:

• One finger forms a mountain
• Two fingers make glasses (place two fingers on your eyes)
• Three fingers become cat whiskers (make whiskers with the fingers on both sides of the cheeks)
• Four fingers become a jellyfish, and five fingers become a ghost

How to play:

• The rabbit's ears are wiggling, the rabbit's ears are wiggling
• The rabbit goes into the forest, the rabbit goes into the forest
• The rabbit searches for a carrot, the rabbit searches for a carrot
• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
• The rabbit eats the carrot, the rabbit eats the carrot
• I am the old fox... After reading the last line, run to the chair and pretend to catch a child in your arms. While reading, make the corresponding hand gestures as well.

How to play:

• Where's the bubble?
• Let's blow some bubbles!
• Where's the needle, where's the needle?
• 1, 2, 3, pop the bubble (clap both hands together), and the bubble bursts

How to play:

• The teacher raises one finger and sings: “One finger wiggles here (twice). One finger wiggling is enough to make us happy!” – When raising two fingers, the teacher sings the same but counting from one finger to two. For one finger, sing the wiggling song twice, for two fingers, sing four times... continue until all fingers are wiggling on the hand
• If a player misses the count, they will be penalized.

The teacher guides the children to perform actions in rhythm with the following poem:

“Plant the Seed Fragrance in the air
Sprout and grow, Fragrant and fair
One tree, One fruit
Two trees, Two fruits
One bud, the Wind blows
Two buds, the tree drops
One flower, the leaves fall
Two flowers, many leaves....”

How to play: The teacher guides the children to hold hands and form a circle, performing the actions while reciting each line of the poem.

• Plant the seed: Have the children slowly sit down and move both hands close to the ground, mimicking the act of planting a seed.
• Sprout: The children slowly rise up to a standing position.
• One tree: Ask the children to raise their left hand high.
• Two trees: Ask them to raise their right hand high.
• One bud: Have the children lower their left hand and turn their palm downward.
• Two buds: Lower the right hand and turn the palm downward as well.
• One flower: The children turn their left palm upward and spread their fingers wide.
• Two flowers: The children turn their right palm upward and spread their fingers wide.
• Fragrance in the air: The children gently place both hands near their nose and take a deep sniff, mimicking the action of smelling flowers.
• One fruit: The children position their hands at chest height, turning their left palm upward.
• Two fruits: The children position their hands at chest height, turning their right palm upward.
• Wind blows: The children spread their arms straight above, forming a 'V' shape, and lean to the left.
• Tree shakes: They then lean to the right.
• Leaves fall: The children squat down.
• Many leaves: The children shake their wrists and loudly shout: A!..A..A.

(From the book 100 Kindergarten Games - Publisher: Trẻ)

Rules: Guide the children to perform the movements in sync with the rhythm of the following poem:

The blue balloon

Flies fast with the wind

Gentle hands, gentle hands

Or the balloon will fly away

And burst

Bang!

The red balloon

Flies fast with the wind

Gentle hands, gentle hands

Or the balloon will fly away

And burst

Bang!

How to play: The teacher guides the children to hold hands and form a circle. They will walk while reciting each line of the poem:

• The blue balloon (have the children walk slowly)
• Flies fast with the wind (have them speed up, raise their hands high, and move toward the center of the circle. Stop when their hands come close together)
• Gentle hands, gentle hands (ask the children to lower their hands)
• Or the balloon will fly away (have the children walk backward, gradually widening the circle)
• And burst (instruct the children to squat down)
• Bang! (everyone releases hands and spreads their arms wide, raising them toward the sky as if the balloon has burst)
• For the second stanza, the game continues with the line “The red balloon” and the same actions as in the first stanza.

Objective:

• Practice saying short sentences describing the features of hands and feet
• Practice finger movements and develop small muscles

Instructions: The children sit comfortably on the floor. Both hands are clenched and held out in front. The children listen, observe the movements, read, and perform the actions together with the teacher.

• "Can you hop on one foot?" (Raise the index fingers.)
• "I can!" (Place the index fingers on the ground and demonstrate hopping.)
• "Can you wave one hand?" (Hold both hands in front, fingers extended, and face the palms toward each other. While saying the sentence, wave the right hand as if asking the left hand.)
• "I can wave one hand!" (Wave the left hand in response to the right hand.)
• "Can you wave both hands?" (Wave the left hand as if asking the right hand.)
• "I can wave both hands!" (Wave both hands in unison.)

From the National Education Publishing House

Objective:

• Practice saying short sentences combined with movement
• Practice expressing emotions through appropriate gestures

Instructions: The children sit comfortably on the floor, listen, observe, read, and perform the actions with the teacher

• "When I smile, it means I am happy." (Point to the corner of the mouth.)
• "When I frown, it means I am sad." (Use two fingers to pull the corners of the mouth down.)
• "When I shrug my shoulders and shake my head, it means I don’t know." (Shrug the shoulders, shake the head, wave the hand.)

Objective:

• Practice saying short sentences
• Express emotions through appropriate gestures

Instructions: The children sit comfortably on the floor, listen, observe, read, and perform the actions with the teacher

The two hands can speak

In their own way

When meeting a dear friend

The hands help me speak:

• "Hello!" (Extend a hand to shake and wave.)
• "Come here!" (Extend the hand toward oneself.)
• "I agree!" (Form a circle with the thumb and index finger.)
• "Stop here!" (Extend a hand open to signal stop; the fist clenches and the index finger points down to the ground.)
• "Look here!" (Point with the index finger to the eyes.)
• "Listen up!" (Use both hands to pull the ears forward.)
• "Let’s have fun!" (Both children face each other and smile brightly.)

From the National Education Publishing House

Objective:

• Practice saying short sentences expressing personal emotions
• Use the index finger to point at body parts

Instructions:

• The children sit comfortably on the floor, listen, observe, read, and perform the actions with the teacher
• Look into the bright mirror
• See the bright, shining eyes (Point with two index fingers at the eyes.)
• A bright and radiant smile (Point with two index fingers at the corners of the mouth.)
• A cheerful and happy face
• That’s when I’m feeling happy
• Eyes looking downward (Point with two index fingers at the eyes.)
• Some tears begin to fall
• A sad, twisted smile (Point with two index fingers at the corners of the mouth.)
• That’s when I’m feeling very sad.

From the National Education Publishing House

Objective:

• Practice finger movements
• Correctly identify the raised fingers

Instructions:

• The children sit comfortably on the floor in pairs (two children per group).
• One child raises their hand in front and crosses the fingers tightly together.
• The palm should face forward, while the fingers remain tightly clenched.
• The child sitting across from them points to the fingers of the other child and calls out the name of the finger.
• The child being pointed to must raise the correct finger as requested and call out the finger’s name.
• If the wrong finger is raised, the child faces a small penalty. After five rounds of pointing to fingers, roles are reversed: the pointer becomes the one twisting their hand while the other points to the fingers.

From the National Education Publishing House

Objective:

• Practice saying short sentences
• Exercise finger movements to demonstrate actions

Instructions:

• The children sit comfortably on the floor, listen, observe, read, and perform the actions with the teacher
• I have a small toothbrush (Extend an index finger.)
• I hold it tightly (Clench the fist tightly.)
• I brush my teeth every morning
• And again before going to bed (Use the index finger to mimic brushing teeth.)

From the National Education Publishing House

Cách chơi: Đập bàn tay xuống đất, giơ bàn tay lên cao, phủi phủi phủi cho khỏi dơ áo quần, mau mau cái tay này mỏi quá, em giơ tay lên cao đon nắng hồng ban mai.

How to play:

• Crab crawl to the left
• Crab crawl to the right
• Crab crawl upwards
• Crab crawl into the hole

How to play:

• A mosquito buzzing around, buzzing around
• It bites your hands, bites your legs
• Ouch, ouch, ouch!
• Spread your arms wide and give it a slap
• The mosquito flattens out...

How to play:

• The goldfish swims, the goldfish swims
• The snail curls up, the snail curls up
• The shrimp jumps, the shrimp jumps
• The crab walks sideways, the crab pinches.

How to play:

• Hide your hand behind your back when asked where it is -> Hide your hand behind your back when asked where it is here
• Hide your eyes behind your hand when asked where your eyes are? -> Hide your eyes behind your hand when asked where they are here

How to play:

• One finger represents a buzzing mosquito.
• Two fingers are a rabbit nodding its head.
• Three fingers are a meowing cat.
• Four fingers symbolize a crab crawling.
• Five fingers are a butterfly flying around, fluttering in the air.

How to play:

• The teacher asks, “Where is the coca? Where is the coca?”
• The child replies, “Coca is here, coca is here”
• The teacher asks: Where is the Pepsi? Where is the Pepsi?
• The child replies: Pepsi is here, Pepsi is here
• The teacher says: Coca
• The child says: A A A
• The teacher says: Pepsi
• The child responds: I I I, 1, 2, 3 let's gooooooooo

How to play: Follow the lyrics of the song "Oh, why doesn't the child shake?"

"Reach out your hands, grab your ears, shake your head, shake your head, oh why doesn't the child shake, oh why doesn't the child shake?"

This game requires children to stand in a circle and make big, round gestures with their arms... big... round... big. Afterward, they play the game. When reaching the part 'Oh! Why doesn't the child shake?' two children face each other, one hand on their hips, the other pointing at their partner...

How to play by raising your hand:

• Thumb: Say, 'Here is Daddy'
• Index finger: Say, 'Here is Mommy'
• Middle finger: Say, 'Here is Big Brother'
• Ring finger: Say, 'Here is Big Sister'
• Pinky: Say, 'Here is the youngest child'
• Shake both hands: Say, 'The whole family is beautiful'

How to play:

• One finger represents the buzzing mosquito
• Two fingers represent the cute rabbit
• Three fingers represent the meowing cat
• Four fingers represent the sideways-moving crab
• Five fingers represent the climbing monkey

How to play:

• Bánh bèo: spread your hand open
• Bánh ú: bring your hands together
• Bánh bao: make a fist