How to play finger games?
To achieve the desired result, you need to pay attention to some features of finger games.
- The game should be carried out simply by communicating with the child, and not in the form of a special lesson.
- For children 4-5 years old, regularity of classes is important, i.e. Games should be played not occasionally, but every day.
- The games themselves take a short time (2-5 minutes), but it is important that the child is not distracted by foreign objects or any other external stimuli during the game.
- For children 4-5 years old, finger play can be a way to switch the child’s attention to the game, an option for changing the type of activity.
The importance of finger exercises for the development of preschool children
Finger games and finger gymnastics are a type of children's motor activity, the main goals of which are:
- development of fine motor skills of the hand, palm and fingers;
- improvement and enrichment of tactile sensations;
- development of skills to manipulate small objects and perform actions with them.
Unlike games, finger gymnastics has a clearer, fixed structure, involves performing actions in a certain order, according to the model shown by the teacher, and includes elements of self-massage. But since finger games are exciting, dynamic and have a great influence on the development of the emotional sphere of preschoolers, they can also be used during organized educational activities as a type of light gymnastics for the palms and fingers.
Why are exercises for fingers and palms so useful in preschool age? The well-known phrase by V. A. Sukhomlinsky “The child’s mind is at the tips of his fingers” reveals one of the main goals of these exercises: to promote the development of intelligence, cognitive activity, and curiosity of the baby.
Unlike adults, for children to get a complete understanding of a subject, it is not enough to see it. They need to touch it, try it out, find out whether it is hard or soft, flexible or not, what play actions can be performed with it, whether it makes sounds, whether it is pleasant to the touch. All information received is transmitted from the fingers to the brain, stimulating its increased work. By doing finger gymnastics with the baby, we develop his hands as a tool for active exploration of the world around him.
Tactile sensations received by children with the help of their hands give them no less ideas about the world around them than vision
However, in addition to such an important task, finger gymnastics also pursues a number of other, no less significant:
- Speech development. Teachers and psychologists note that the more a child does exercises to develop fine motor skills, the faster he begins to speak, using complete sentences in his speech, and more actively includes adjectives, verbs, and words to describe the emotional state of himself and those around him.
- Health promotion. There are biologically active points on the palms and fingers, influencing which increases the child’s immunity and resistance to various diseases.
- Improving thinking processes (memory, attention). This is facilitated by the motor exercises themselves, and by the poetic or prose texts that accompany gymnastics.
They note the positive impact of finger exercises on the psyche of children. It calms those who are hyperactive and excitable, and allows kids who are too shy and insecure to open up, feel freer, and more relaxed in a team.
If finger gymnastics brings joy, then it is doubly useful: both for mental development and for the formation of the emotional sphere of the child.
Children's finger games about family
Family
And our family lives: (clap your hands, bang your fists on each other) Two stood at the gate, (bend thumbs) Two Nastya ate buns, (bend index fingers) Two Antons (bend middle fingers) Sitting at home, Two wanted to study , (bend ring fingers) Two are crying in the cradle. (bend little fingers)
My family
How glad I am that I have (raise your hand with your palm facing you, then bend your fingers while listing) a sweet family at home: Dad, Mom, me, sister, Brother - a small boy.
My family
(Fingers are bent one by one, starting with the thumb, then twisted with a fist)
One finger is grandpa, Another finger is grandma, The middle finger is daddy, Well, this one is mommy, The youngest is me, This is my whole family!
Fingers are walking
(Clench and unclench your fists, move your fingers, then bend them one by one on a count)
One, two, three, four, five - The fingers want to take a walk. (Move all fingers at the same time.) The thumb sees the crumb, the index finger sees the accordion. The middle one will have fun, the Nameless one will drink water. The smallest one does not sleep, but looks around him.
Example of a lesson summary
Below is a summary of a finger gymnastics lesson in the middle group “Morning Greeting”.
Goals:
- development of fine motor skills through finger exercises;
- improving speech skills; study of body parts;
- development of thinking, imagination, coordination of movements;
- creating a positive mood for the whole day.
The teacher greets the children. He asks if they slept well, what their mood is: Did our fingers wake up? Let's wake them up!
Morning has come, the sun has risen!
Get up, big guy! (with the fingers of one hand we bend and stretch the fingers of the other, clenched into a fist - starting with the thumb)
Get up, pointer! (bend the index finger)
Get up, middle! (bend and stretch the middle finger)
Get up, little orphan! (we work with the ring finger)
Get up, little one! (little finger)
We repeat the exercises for the other hand.
Educator: fingers woke up! What about eyes, ears, legs?
Wake up, my little eyes! (imitation - twist the binoculars, focus)
Wake up, my ears! (stroked, kneaded with fingers, rubbed the lobe with the index and thumb)
Wake up, my hands! (patted from shoulder to hand, clapped hands)
Wake up, my legs! (patted, stomped)
Wake up, head! (pat yourself on the head)
Now I'm all awake! (reached up, clapped and waved their palms in greeting)
Games about household chores and responsibilities
I 'm helping my mother
Our son washed the dishes. I washed the mugs, bowls, and knife. He wiped the forks and plates - He ran off to play with the burners. (Perform imitating movements according to the text)
Mom's helpers
(Show movements in accordance with the text)
We are mother's helpers, we will help her. Let's wash all the dishes and tidy up the bed. We'll wash the laundry, hang it up to dry, and in the evening we can all drink tea together!
Washing the dishes
(first hit your fists against each other, perform circular movements with your palm on your palm, then bend your fingers while counting objects)
One, two, three, four, (hit with fists) We washed all the dishes: Forks, bowls, ladles, frying pans and spoons. We washed all the dishes, We just broke the cup, The knife also broke, The salt shaker had a side left. The kettle was broken a little, together they helped mom.
Principles of organizing gymnastics for fingers and palms
When conducting finger gymnastics in the middle group of a kindergarten, the teacher should rely both on the general principles used in organizing the activities of pupils, and on the mental and physiological characteristics of children in the fifth year of life.
The organization of gymnastics is based on the principles:
- Systematic and gradual. Gymnastics classes are held regularly, with gradual complication and mandatory repetition of exercises.
- Comfort and voluntariness. Classes should bring children pleasure and joy, and participation in them is always free, at the request of the children. In order for children to perceive gymnastics with interest and actively participate in it, the teacher uses various techniques: artistic expression; attracting a game character; colorful paraphernalia (bright balls, caps with “portraits” of animals, fairy-tale characters.
- Availability and feasibility. All materials (poems, nursery rhymes, illustrations, pictures) that the teacher uses must be appropriate for the age of the children, be familiar to them, and understandable, so as not to cause hesitation or reduce the dynamism of the game.
- Individual approach. Children of the middle group, unlike the younger and nursery groups, no longer need the teacher to teach them exercises every step of the way, taking the child’s hand in his own and manipulating his fingers. Four-year-olds can easily repeat a movement that is shown to them 1-2 times. But the teacher must keep all the children in sight, and if some of the exercises cause difficulties for some of them, or the children perform them incorrectly, work should be done with such children to reinforce the correct position of the fingers during the exercise. This will help kids in other activities (teach children how to properly hold a spoon, pencil, and manipulate objects in games).
Compliance with these principles will help the teacher carry out this type of activity with the greatest benefit for the kids, in a fun way and at the right pace.
When performing gymnastics for fingers in the middle group, it is necessary to pay attention to the synchronization of movements of both hands, whereas a year earlier children could perform movements (rolling a ball on their palm, “walking” with their fingers along the path) with one hand. To do this, children are taught to perform the movement first with one (right) hand, then with the other, and then with both hands together. Gymnastics includes as many exercises as possible on the interaction of hands: tapping, stroking, patting, connecting fingers in pairs. Actions must be performed either simultaneously, or with both hands alternately, for which sometimes the text must be repeated twice. You cannot limit yourself to performing exercises with one hand.
In the middle group, the teacher is given a new task: to teach children to coordinate the movements of both hands
Games about the child's body
Harmonic
Wall, wall (point to cheeks) Ceiling (forehead), Two steps ("walk" along lips with fingers) And a bell. (nose) - Ring! (press on nose) The owner of the house? - Ring! (press on nose) Is the accordion ready? - Ring! (press on nose) Can we play? (lightly tickle the child)
These are our little eyes. Exactly. (show eyes) These are our ears. Exactly. (show ears) This is the nose, this is the mouth. (show nose, mouth) Back. Here's the belly. (show back, belly) Clap-clap with your hands. (clap your hands) Stomp-stomp with your feet. (stomp your feet) Oh, we're tired, let's wipe our brow! (run your palm over your forehead)
Face
Forest, (point to hair) Glade, (forehead) Hill, (run finger across nose) Pit. (child opens mouth) Break (point finger at chin) Explosion. (lightly tickle the neck)
Finger gymnastics in the middle group - a card index with goals for the Federal State Educational Standard for the year
Educational activities in preschool institutions are based on the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES) (Federal State Educational Standards). Aimed at child development and preparation for school.
A set of exercises by month.
Goals:
- develop speech, form correct sound pronunciation, the ability to speak quickly and clearly;
- develop coordination of hand movements, train fine motor skills;
- improve memory, attention, ability to coordinate movements and speech.
Months | Subject | Exercises |
January | Seasons Holiday New Year | “Snowballs” “Herringbone” “Snowman” |
February | February 23 Toys Animals | “We are soldiers” “Toys” “Hello, chicken!” |
March | March 8 Professions Fruits | “Mom’s Day” “All sorts of mothers are needed” “Nuts” |
April | Seasons Birds | “The tree is shaking” “Sparrows” |
May | Seasons May 9 “Clothing” | "Spring" "Planes" "Matryoshka" |
June | Nature Flowers Toys | “Tree” “Our red flowers” “Ball” |
July | Vegetables Nature | “Cooking Soup” “Our Vegetable Garden” |
August | Weather Shoes Berries | “Rain” “Boots” “In the Garden” |
October | Dishes Seasons Vegetables | “Plates” “Drip-Drip” “We salt the cabbage” |
november | Toys Clothes Animals | “Doll” “Boots” “Snail” |
December | Seasons Games Products | “Winter” “Winter fun” “Pie” |
Card index and goals of reading fiction in younger groups
Visual aid for the game “Snail”
Games about clothes and dressing up
New thing
Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry - It’s high time to sew Anya a new dress. Quickly take a needle - And we will sew a new thing! (at the beginning, the hands are clenched, then one finger is extended for each word)
Clothes, shoes, hats
Katya put on the mitten: “Oh, where did my finger go? My finger is missing, it’s gone, I didn’t get into my little house.” (clench her fist) Katya took off her mitten: (unclench all fingers except the thumb) “Look, I found it! (bend your thumb) You search, you search and you find, (clench your fingers into a fist, bend your thumb) Hello, little finger, how are you doing?”
Shoes
1. One, two, three, four, five. You need to count the shoes: One - shoes, (bend your fingers one by one) Two - boots, Three - boots, Four - sandals And, of course, slippers - five. Your legs need to rest.
Like our cat
(bend one finger at a time, starting with the thumbs, on both hands together, counting each name of shoe)
Like our cat has BOOTS on her paws. Like our pig has BOOTS on his feet. Like a dog has green slippers on its paws. And the little goat puts on his felt boots. And Vovochka’s son has new SNEAKERS. Like this. Like this. (clap) New sneakers.
Let's count the shoes together and play slowly. (clap your hands and hit the table with your fists, then bend one finger at a time when listing the shoes) Shoes and slippers of My beloved mother, Shoes and boots of Our Serezhenka, And small felt boots of Our Little Varenka.
Boots
Oh, the two of us go everywhere inseparably. (use the middle and index fingers to “walk” on the table) We walked through the meadows, Along the river banks, And ran down the stairs, We walked into the distance along the street, We crawled under the bed, (bend our fingers one at a time) To sleep there quietly. (put your palms on the table)
Pros of finger warm-up
Fun with fingers is an exciting and fun activity that can keep your child occupied for a long time anywhere - from a queue at the clinic to a car trip. They do not require any costs, bring a lot of fun and develop many new qualities and skills in children:
- Game movements accompanied by words train memory. Do you remember how, when he was very small, the baby repeated individual words from the text of the nursery rhyme, focusing on its rhythm? At 4-5 years old, children are able to quickly memorize a fairly long poem precisely as an association with the game;
- Tactile perception training develops the sense of touch. The child is aware of the physical qualities of objects - rough, smooth, cool, warm, heavy, soft, etc.;
- Stimulation of fine motor skills at the age of 4-5 years prepares the baby’s hand for writing, simultaneously awakening speech activity. Preschoolers who regularly do finger gymnastics draw more accurately and subtly, perform complex applications, and most importantly, they can come up with a detailed plot for such works themselves;
- Throughout the entire lesson, the child watches the actions of the adult, trying to remember their sequence - this is how the ability to concentrate and perseverance is formed;
- As a result of the lessons, the speech of 4-5 year old children becomes more coherent, acquires intonation variety and an even pace. Conversational topics gain variety, the baby learns to reason, building logical chains;
- Finger gymnastics can develop an ear for music if the poem is recited, or even better, to simple music;
- A cheerful game between 4-5 year old children and a teacher or parent helps to strengthen psycho-emotional contact, because positive impressions from gymnastics will first of all be associated with the personality of the adult who discovered a new entertainment for them.
If you look at finger gymnastics from a physiological point of view, good coordination of movements has great practical benefits - kids quickly learn to fasten buttons on their own, tie shoelaces, and sculpt from plasticine.