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Ok I should probably know this by now, but how do I do the fingerplays in LHTH? Are they supposed to be sort of sing-songy? Do I memorize them before we start each new unit? Are the dc supposed to memorize them? Is it normal to feel this silly just thinking about doing this? I'm so lost.

Help!

lol don't you dare....wait do dare to feel silly!
I'm doing LHTH too with my lil dd who's now about 19 months old. With Tiffy being so young, I am having to modify the activities down to her level. I put the book on the floor with me where I can glance at it. For the next week or two we are are doing the the first stanza/part of A-A-A -Adam. Of course I exaggarate the sounds and expressions...so...well..if I should catch myself in the mirror, which I don't have to, because Tiffy looks at me and just doubles over in giggles!
I LOVE IT! I know that she's hearing me and at some point will eventually copy what I'm doing.
Do what is comfortable, if you want to sing-song it then by all means sing song, if you want to chant then chant.
At the young ages have fun!
Don't worry about memorizing.. that will come with doing them over and over and over again
Have fun! Look forward to sharing LHTH stories

I keep the book open on the coffee table next to me. I love to get into the rhymes and say them in a cheerful, "poetry-reading-rhythm" type way. We sing the ones to the tune noted to be sung (under the title) - unless I can't remember the tune that day, in which case, we just read it in a rhythm instead . I think how much a child can do totally depends on the age and maturity of the child doing the rhyme. With one of my dc, I'd say one line and do the action, and then he'd say that same line and do it after me, and it worked well to go back and forth like this. For another of my dc, he did it right along with me once he got it down pretty well (by about the 3rd. day). For younger dc I've done it with (I used it at church with little 2's and some 3's, they just got into the actions as much as they could along with me and laughed and loved that part of it. I did it 1-2 times each day, and never expected the dc to have it memorized. I did expect cheerful participation, and they were all too happy to comply! Have fun with them - there's no set way to go about it, but if you're having fun, chances are they will be too.

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks for detailing for me how you go about doing the fingerplays with your dc! I think I have a much clearer picture in my mind now of how it is supposed to go. I'll let you know how it goes! I think my girls will just *love* these.

I do have one more question though. Julie, is there supposed to be a song or tune that the words are supposed to fit? I am not seeing that in my LHTH manual -- is there perhaps a newer edition than the one I have? (Or perhaps I am just not seeing it... par for the course ).

Jenn-
The rhymes in LHFHG often have tunes associated with them, maybe that's what she's referring to.

As for memorizing them, I found that my children will memorize just about anything they've heard a few times. So, although it's not expected or required, it just happens!

sharonb wrote:Jenn-
The rhymes in LHFHG often have tunes associated with them, maybe that's what she's referring to.

Yeah, I wondered if that might be the case b/c even the online sample for LHTH shows no tune or song to go with it. But that's just as well, I can't carry a tune to save my life anyway.

sharonb wrote:As for memorizing them, I found that my children will memorize just about anything they've heard a few times. So, although it's not expected or required, it just happens!

You are right, of course... I did a preliminary "trial-run" of one of the fingerplays a little while ago and the girls were beaming and grinning and joining in right away. So I think it will go great! They are so excited they are about to pop.

Jenn,

You're going to love LHTH with your girls!

We did the rhymes pretty much the same as explained here. We did "school" on the floor in an upstairs bedroom, so on the 1st day of a unit while we were saying the rhyme I had to bend over a lot more to look at the book. (And by the end of the unit, my little kiddos knew if I missed something in the rhyme. ) I was doing LHTH with my 4 and 2 yos. The 1st day, I usually said a line and let them echo with actions. Then we'd try the rhyme again all together. The next day, my 2 yo liked to echo, but the 4 yo usually was saying it with me and we both waited for Garret to catch up.

Definitely go all out and get as silly as you want to. Your kids will love it!

In LHTH there are a few rhymes that have a tune, but they don't happen for several units. If you look in Unit 7, Baby in a Basket is to be sung to the tune of Skip to My Lou. But, most of the rhymes in LHTH are just rhymes.

Kathleen

I like the echo idea, I don't know why I didn't even think of that. That would work really well I think.

Thank you for all the encouragement! I am so looking forward to having a program to follow with the girls. The past 2 years I have just done a little of this and that -- and often I didn't have things pulled together like I should have. So I think having it already planned out for me will help SO much.

Love this board! You guys are great.

Just wanted to chime in here...
one time I read a thread by Carrie saying that the fingerplays/rhymes help develop the multi-tasking ability in kiddos.
That really shed some light for me! Especially on why I sometimes have trouble coordinating everything- as I am TERRIBLE at multi-tasking.

I take a humble approach to this part of school! With LHTH- the first day- we all have to learn it-figure it out. My kids know this and they are patient with me! If I mess up- we try again. Sometimes (especially in LHFHG) I just read the rhyme first out loud to get the "feel" of it- sometimes discussing actions... and then we "do" it.

By the end of each unit- we all have it down pat!

Also, I take a gentle approach with my dc. The first day- I am demonstrating and learning it. By the end of the unit- they are naturally joining in. This has worked very well- especially with my six year old who initially felt very uncomfortable with the rhymes. We are in unit 26 now- and he loves them and has really grown in this area. Sometimes he acts them out for me when I can't get it together all the way!

Anyway,
All this to say- I don't worry about being "perfect" with the rhyme as much as I try to have a positive, learning together attitude.
I hope this helps.
If I don't know the song- I just do the best I can!
Rebecca

We found the same thing to be true with the "echoing". Wyatt (my oldest who had done LHTH several years earlier) would join Riley and I to do the rhymes (he begged to, and I gave in because he didn't have such a full load yet that year ). Wyatt and I said the line and did the actions, and Riley echoed us. It worked great! Everyone had fun. The rhymes that have tunes will have that noted under the title in parenthesis, but there aren't that many that have tunes.

In Christ,
Julie