20 Seasonal Finger Plays & Action Songs: Spring and Autumn

A fun collection of 20 seasonal finger plays and action songs for Spring and Autumn.
Finger plays and action songs to celebrate Autumn/Fall and Spring with preschool and kindergarten children. Includes printable set of song cards.

20 Seasonal Finger Plays & Action Songs: Spring and Autumn

Action songs and finger plays are fabulous for developing skills across a range of learning areas. They are particularly great for getting kids moving and encouraging gross and fine motor physical skill development, including body awareness and co-ordination.

This collection of seasonal finger plays and action songs includes songs for teachers and parents to use with children in both of the earth’s hemispheres – those heading into either Spring and Autumn/Fall.

Plus we’ve included some printable song cards so that you’ll always have the words (and actions!) at your fingertips (find the downloadable song file at the end of the post).

And, this post is part of a great resource for preschool and kindergarten teachers! Click through to see our complete collection of children’s rhymes, songs and finger plays that includes all sorts of themed song lists for kids.

Spring Action Songs & Finger Plays

Spring Action Songs and Finger Plays for preschool and kindergarten

The Farmer Plants the Seeds
(Tune: Farmer in the Dell)
The farmer plants the seeds (pretend to plant seeds in the ground)
The farmer plants the seeds
Hey ho, the derry-o
The farmer plants the seeds

Additional verses:
The rain begins to fall (wriggle fingers to represent falling rain)
The sun begins to shine (make an arc with both arms to represent the sun rising)
The plants begin to grow (crouch down and raise arms as you move to standing to represent plants growing)
The buds all open up (place hands palm to palm and spread fingers wide)

Fuzzy Wuzzy Caterpillar
Fuzzy Wuzzy caterpillar humps along, (pretend pointer finger is a caterpillar crawling up the opposite arm)
Humps along, humps along.
Fuzzy Wuzzy caterpillar humps along,
Out to see the world.

Fuzzy Wuzzy caterpillar goes to sleep, (pretend pointer finger caterpillar goes to sleep)
Goes to sleep, goes to sleep.
Fuzzy Wuzzy caterpillar goes to sleep,
In his warm cocoon.

Someday you will be a pretty butterfly, (make a butterfly with hands by linking thumbs, fly around)
Butterfly, butterfly.
Someday you will be a pretty butterfly,
Out to see the world.

Digging, Digging With My Spade
Digging, digging with my spade, (pretend to dig)
See the great big hole I’ve made.
I can build a castle high, (hold hands up to indicate a tall castle)
Right up to the bright blue sky. (point to the sky)

I Plant A Seed
(Sung to: I’m a Little Teapot)

I plant a little seed in the cold, cold ground, (pretend to plant seed in cupped hand)
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round. (spread arms over head to represent sun)
Down come the raindrops soft and slow, (make raindrops with fingers)
Up comes the flower grow, grow, grow! (place palms together with fingers pointed upwards, push hands up and spread fingers wide)

Planting Flowers
(Sung to: Ferez Jacques)
Planting flowers, planting flowers, (pretend to plant flowers into the ground)
In the ground, in the ground,
Water them and they will grow, (pretend to water plants with a watering can)
Water them and they will grow,
All around, all around.

Ring-A-Ring O’ Roses
Ring-a-ring o’ roses, (children join hands and skip around the circle)
A pocket full of posies,
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down. (children drop hands and fall to the ground)

The cows are in the meadow
Eating buttercups,
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all jump up. (children jump up and re-join hands)

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle-shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

Sing a Rainbow
Red and yellow and pink and green, (start with hands making a fist and raise one finger for each colour)
Purple and orange and blue,
I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow (sweep arms side to side in an arc to represent a rainbow)
Sing a rainbow too.

Listen to your heart, (hold hands over heart)
Listen to your heart,
And sing everything you feel.
I can sing a rainbow, (sweep arms side to side in an arc to represent a rainbow)
Sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow too.

Red and yellow and pink and green, (stand and point right foot and then left foot, alternate feet and repeat-one foot for each colour)
Purple and orange and blue,
I can dance a rainbow, dance a rainbow, (dance on the spot)
Dance a rainbow too.

Listen to your heart, (hold hands over heart)
Listen to your heart,
And dance everything you feel, (dance on the spot)
I can dance a rainbow,
Dance a rainbow,
Dance a rainbow too.

Baby Bumble Bee
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
 (cup hands together as if holding bee)
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
 (shake hand as if just stung)
I’m squishing up the baby bumblebee,
 
(squish bee between palms of hands)
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
I’m squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It’s yucky!
 (open up hands to look at mess)
I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee,
 (wipe hands off on shirt)
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me,
I’m wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won’t be mad at me!
 (hold hands up to show they are clean)

Six Little Ducks
Six little ducks that I once knew, (hold up six fingers)
Tall ones, short ones, fair ones too (hold a hand high, then hold it down low)
But the one little duck with the feathers on his back (hold up one finger)
He led the other with a quack quack quack (put hands under arms and flap once for each quack)
Quack quack quack
Quack quack quack
He led the others with a quack quack quack

Down to the river they would go (walk two fingers forward)
Wibble wobble wibble wobble to and fro (wriggle bottom side to side)
But the one little duck with the feathers on his back (hold up one finger)
He led the other with a quack quack quack (put hands under arms and flap once for each quack)
Quack quack quack
Quack quack quack
He led the others with a quack quack quack

Home from the river they would go (walk two fingers forward)
Wibble wobble wibble wobble to and fro (wriggle bottom side to side)
But the one little duck with the feathers on his back (hold up one finger)
He led the others with a quack quack quack (put hands under arms and flap once for each quack)
Quack quack quack
Quack quack quack
He led the others with a quack quack quack

Fall Finger Plays & Action Songs

Autumn/Fall Themed Action Songs and Finger Plays for preschool and kindergarten

Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down
(Sung to: London Bridge is Falling Down)
Autumn leaves are falling down, (children stand, hold arms high and wiggle fingers like leaves falling from branches)
Falling down, falling down
.
Autumn leaves are falling down,
Down down on the ground. (crouch low)

Rake them up and make a pile, (pretend to rake leaves)
Make a pile, make a pile.
Rake them up and make a pile,
Guaranteed to make you smile. (smile broadly)

Jump into the pile of leaves, (jump up and down on the spot)
Pile of leaves, pile of leaves
.
Jump into the pile of leaves,
Taking turns if you please.

Repeat first verse.

The Leaves Are Falling Down
(Sung to: Farmer in the Dell)
The leaves are falling down
, (children stand, hold arms high and wiggle fingers like leaves falling from branches)
The leaves are falling down,
Red, yellow, green, and brown
,
The leaves are falling down.

Leaves are Falling
(Sung to: Are You Sleeping?)
Leaves are falling (children stand, hold arms high and wiggle fingers like leaves falling from branches)
Leaves are falling
To the ground (crouch down to the ground)
To the ground
Look at all the colours (stand and swirl arms all around)
Look at all the colours
Red yellow brown
Red yellow brown

Apple Song
(Sung to: Have You Ever Seen a Lassie)
Have you ever seen an apple,
An apple, an apple.
Have you ever seen an apple,
That grows on a tree?
A red one, a yellow one,
A green one, a golden one
Have you ever seen an apple,
That grows on a tree?

Here We Go Round the Apple Tree
(Sung to: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
Here we go ’round the apple tree,
The apple tree, the apple tree.
Here we go ’round the apple tree
On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we climb the ladder,
Climb the ladder, climb the ladder.
This is the way we climb the ladder,
On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we pick the apples,
Pick the apples, pick the apples.
This is the way we pick the apples
On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we eat the apples,
Eat the apples, eat the apples.
This is the way we eat the apples
On a cold and frosty morning.

Five Red Apples
Five red apples hanging in a tree, (hold up five fingers)
The juiciest apples you ever did see.
The wind came by and gave an angry frown, (blow on fingers)
And one little apple came tumbling down. (tuck one finger down)

Four red apples…

Mr Frog
Mr Frog jumped out of his pond one day (starting in a crouching position, jump up to standing)
And found himself in the rain (hold hands out to sides as if feeling for rain)
Said he, “I’ll get wet and I might catch a cold,” (pretend to sniffle and sneeze)
So he jumped in his pond again. (jump back down to a crouching position)

Dingle Dangle Scarecrow
When all the cows were sleeping and the sun had gone to bed (children start off lying on the ground)
Up jumped the scarecrow and this is what he said (children jump up)
“I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat, (hold arms out to sides like a scarecrow, shake head)
I can shake my hands like this and shake my feet like that.” (shake hands, shake feet)

When all the hens were rousting and the moon behind a cloud, (children start off lying on the ground)
Up jumped the scarecrow and shouted very loud, (children jump up and sing loudly)
“I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat, (hold arms out to sides like a scarecrow, shake head)
I can shake my hands like this and shake my feet like that.” (shake hands, shake feet)

Scarecrow, Scarecrow
(Sung to: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around)
Scarecrow, Scarecrow, turn around, (children turn around)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, jump up and down. (children jump up and down)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, arms up high, (children hold hands up high)
Scarecrow, Scarecrow, wink one eye. (children wink)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, bend your knees, (children bend at knees)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, flap in the breeze. (children flap arms like a scarecrow in the wind)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, climb into bed, (children lie down)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, rest your head. (children pretend to sleep)

Wet Washing
Wet washing hanging on the line, (children stand like their shoulders have been pegged onto a washing line, arms hanging down)
Drying very quickly when the weather’s fine.
Along comes the wind and blows it all about, (keeping shoulders still, wave arms all about)
Flip flap, flip flap, blowing in and out.

And once your start to see the seasons changing again, be sure to check out our collection of Winter Finger Plays & Action Songs.

Finger plays and action songs to celebrate Autumn/Fall and Spring with preschool and kindergarten children. Includes printable set of song cards.

Print your song cards: Open the PDF file hereSave or download to your own computer  and print. When printing, select “Fit to printable area” (or similar) to ensure the page fits with your printer type and local paper size (these have been created at A4 size). I suggest printing onto matte photo paper or cardstock and laminating for durability. Personal, non commercial use only.

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4 Comments

  1. great ideas

  2. Pingback: Shoes Blog
  3. Hi! Thank you for this great compilation.
    And is it a music file I could download, so I could sing them along))?

  4. Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to using these in my library!!!

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