Playsongs blog ~ where we share songs, news and views

Our Playsongs blog regularly features a favourite baby and toddler song or rhyme. We relate stories from our contributors and followers about their favourite songs, and tell you the stories behind the songs.

Sheena

A little frog ~ fingerplay or whole body action game.

A fingerplay to tickle a toddler with - A little frog hides in a hole and leaps out to give you a surprise.

Sheena

Wee Wiggie ~ finger play or toe tickler

A finger play from Playsongs: Action Songs and Rhymes for Babies and Toddlers. Performed by Kevin Graal, music accompaniment by Stephen Chad

Sheena

Arthur O'Bower ~ bathtime storm raiser

Here's a Scots children's rhyme with a great whoosh of energy ~ use it to splash up a stormy bath time and make hair washing more fun....

Sheena

Hey, ca' thro' (Robert Burns) ~ lively knee bouncer and dance

It's Burns' Night and I'm away up to Scotland with one of his great songs dancing around ma heid. You can imagine the little ones being...

Sheena

Giro giro tondo ~ Italian circle game

Marco plays this circle game from his childhood with his baby daughter. The words mean: 'Turning round and round, What a beautiful World,...

Sheena

Hands can hold and hands can squeeze ~ sound exploration song

Hands can clap, rub, swish, rustle, click, fingersnap,scrape... explore all the sounds you can make with this little play rhyme.

Sheena

Hedgehogs ~ fingerplay or whole body action song

A gentle little rhyme and song about hedgehogs. Play the fingerplay instructions to hoot like an owl and 'boo' like a ghost - then m

Sheena

Let's make a snowman ~ action song for building a full-size indoor snowman (and knocking him dow

Build an indoor snowman and knock him down with this great demonstration of 'Let's make a snowman'.

Sheena

Shoudin-boats

Rocking or swinging a child on your knee is called a shoudie or showdie in the North East of Scotland. You can also shoudie a baby, cradled

Sheena

Under Teddy's jumper ~ baby tickle rhyme

Singing with our babies can become a habit that lasts into adulthood. One mum told us her 18 year old lad still loved her to sing Spots...

Sheena

Wheeeeee PLOP! game ~ sound exploring

Here's a silly sound game. All you need is a cardboard tube, a tin tray and any number of small toys to slide down inside and make a...

Sheena

Sweet potatoes ~ clapping song for teatime

Sweet potatoes is a song full of sunshine, warmth and the happiness of a good meal on the way. Use it as a little clapping or action...

Two small dogs (Dau gi bach) ~ knee bouncer

Sheena at Playsongs

Two small dogs (Dau gi bach) ~ knee bouncer

This knee bouncer is for a rainy day, and it makes me smile to think of the two little dogs trotting along cheerfully wet, splashing and...

Sheena

High chilly wang wang pills! ~ knee bouncer for cheering up a toddler

This knee bouncer is a special one for cheering up a grumpy baby or toddler. It comes from Orkney and was demonstrated to us by Andrew...

Sheena

Google translate ~ baby talk conversation song

Babies love to talk to you - almost from day one. They converse in gentle coos, goohs, eh-ohs and they love it when you respond. Sing...

Sheena

We all go travelling by ~ a memory song, an action song, a colour song and a sound song all rolled u

A little song called 'I spy with my little eye', which I wrote for my nursery and reception children when they had a transport topic to...

Sheena

Granny goes round the world ~ handclapping, action rhyme and birling game

Here's a knee bouncer or hand clapping game which takes inspiration from all those energetic, adventurous grannies out there. Clap hands...

Sheena

Off to the market ~ traditional nursery rhyme for a knee ride

There are so many pony trotting knee-bouncers ~ This is the way the lady rides, Trot trot trot, Tinga layo, Jackass with him long tail,...

Charlie

Shake your tambourine (Wind the bobbin up) ~ sound making song for a homemade tambourine

First make your tambourine! Easy peasy if you go to our Instrument Making posts. It's fun to make and you quickly have an instrument you...

Sheena

The candlelight fisherman

The wind blew so hard one night it rocked our loft. I blew on my grand daughter's cheek, then behind her ear, on her toes and tummy till...