Beginning Song – Bend and stretch

(Suit actions to the words, with small babies – gently move their arms as they sit in your lap)

Bend and stretch, reach for the stars
There goes Jupiter, here comes Mars
Bend and stretch, reach for the sky
Stand on tip-e-toe, oh so high!


Song – Miss Polly had a dolly

Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick
So she called for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick
The doctor came with his bag and his hat
And he knocked on the door with a rat a tat tat
He looked at the dolly and he shook his head
He said ‘Miss Polly, put her straight to bed’
He wrote on some paper for a pill, pill, pill
‘I’ll be back in the morning with my bill, bill, bill’


1st Board book – That’s not my teddy by Frances Watt

This gorgeous board book provides fantastic opportunities to touch woolly paws and feel fuzzy ears as the reader helps Mouse to find his own teddy bear.

Action rhyme – Rock a bye your bear Hand

Everybody clap (clap three times)
Everybody sing – la la la la la
Bow to your partner (bend child gently)
Then you turn around (turn child if possible)
Hands in the air (raise child’s hands up)
Rock a bye your bear (make a rocking motion)
Bear’s now asleep – shush shush shush
Bear’s now asleep – shush shush shush


Rhyme – Here’s a ball for baby

Here's a ball for baby, big and soft and round (hold child’s hands and make a circle)

Here is baby's hammer, see how he can pound (lift child’s hands up and down as if using a hammer)

Here's the baby's music, clapping, clapping so (clap your child’s hands together)

Here's the baby's soldiers, standing in a row (hold your child’s hand up to see their fingers in the air)

Here's the big umbrella to keep the baby dry (if possible hold the child’s hands up to form an umbrella)

and here is baby's cradle, to rock the baby bye (hold the child’s hands together and rock from side to side)


2nd Board Book – Wibbly Pig can dance by Mick Inkpen

Follow Wibbly Pig as he shows you how clever he is at playing games

Action rhyme – Pat a cake

(Clap hands together for the first two lines)

Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker’s man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Prick it and pat it (softly pinch and pat child’s hand)
And mark it with B (trace a B on child’s hand or arm)
Put it in the oven for baby and me! (gently clap hands together again)


Bouncing rhyme – Grand old Duke of York

Oh, the grand old Duke of York (gently bounce baby)
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill (raise knees up or lift)
And then he marched them down again (lower legs)
And when they're up, they're up (raise legs)
And when they're down, they're down (lower legs)
But when they're only halfway up (raise legs halfway)
They're neither up nor down (raise up and down quickly)


Closing song – Tommy Thumbs up

(using thumbs, follow actions)

Tommy thumbs up and Tommy thumbs down
Tommy thumbs dancing all around the town
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees and…
Tuck them into bed.
(make fists on last line)