Play Finger games with your kid!

Games and activities for children that do not cost anything or involve some type of technology can be a delightful change for kids and parents! You can play finger games even with a 1 month old baby!

While it’s always fun to have engaging toys to play with and tablets and video games ready for use, just knowing that you can be flexible enough to entertain a child with what you have on hand – literally – can provide creative interactions and hours of fun.

Shadow images
Shadow images on walls and screens made with your fingers can create a wonderful guessing game for the inquisitive child. Delight them with the antics of your creatures and have them call out their identities as they take form. Bears, dogs, butterflies and bunnies can bark, bite, flutter and hop across the expanse of an area, giving a young one a spellbinding show that will hold their attention and have them asking for more.

Finger Puppets
Finger puppets can be as simple or as ornate as you make them. Finger puppets can help act out a scene from a storybook or a poem. The puppets can be as simple as faces drawn on the pads of your fingers or more ornate figures from felt, construction paper or fabric. Whatever the case, these puppets will help bring the story or poem alive as the figures dance and act according to the storyline or your own imagination.

Rhyming Fingers
"Itsy, Bitsy Spider," "Patty Cake," "Five Little Monkeys" and "Little Turtle" all take on a new meaning when the poem or song is acted out through the use of your fingers. The spider and other characters will come alive, the actions will induce the child to remember the lyrics, and both poetry and rhythm will be introduced to your youngster at a very tender age. Make up your own variations and rhymes with their help to keep the finger plays fresh and interesting as they get older.

Competitive Games
Get competitive with older children with original and engaging finger games. Thumb wrestling can appeal to any age and is a safer alternative to the floor wrestling that often occurs between kids. Just remember to have rules in place before the match begins to ensure that they keep the action limited to their digits. "Paper, Rock, Scissors" is also a common finger game that helps kids make decisions about whose turn it is or who will be the recipient of a prize or other item.