Hi and welcome to my first Pram Jam post of the new year. [Happy New Year! by the way – Ed.] Pram Jams with be back in just one week and as regular attendees will know, our sessions are packed full of fun and engaging rhymes. From familiar classics to rhymes with movement and actions, to rhymes that end with a tickle and a giggle!
With that last kind in mind, I’d like to share a few of what we might call ‘touch and tickle’ rhymes. These are great fun for all ages and physically reinforce the special bond between parent and child.
ROUND AND ROUND THE GARDEN
Round and round the garden,
like a teddy bear,
(swirl your index finger around palm of child’s hand)
One step, two step,
(walk fingers up child’s arm)
Tickling under there!
(tickle child’s underarm)
BABY’S GAME
Touch your ears, pat your nose
Tickle baby’s little toes
Hide your eyes, ‘where are you?’
Baby’s playing ‘Peek-a-boo!’
THIS LITTLE PIGGY
Touching and tickling are not just about bonding and intimacy; in the early stages of development babies process more stimulus/information through the sense of touch and feel (and taste) than they do through sight and sound. At Cockburn Libraries we have, within our JK board book collection, a variety of textured books to borrow. Your baby can enjoy feeling the different surfaces while you read to them.
FYI, they don’t have their own shelf but if you search our catalogue using keywords like “touch and feel” you will find heaps! Just like our examples below:
So, stay in touch at your local library and we’ll see you at our next Pram Jam. Bye for now!
