My body: an action rhyme
Children touch, tap and stamp their way through six body words. The rhyme gives them the language, the game checks they understand it, and the worksheet turns their own hand into a picture.
At a glance
- From
- Level 0, Little Steps English: Week 5, My body
- Grammar
- Touch your nose. This is my hand.
- Key language
- head, hands, nose, feet, knees, tummy / This is my... / These are my... / Touch your...
- Children make
- A whole-class action rhyme and a worksheet with a traced hand.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
By the end of the lesson children can touch six body parts when they hear the word and say the name of each one.
Success criteria for children
- I can touch my head, hands, nose, feet, knees and tummy.
- I can say the body words.
- I can say "This is my nose."
Timing: 30 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 6 | Touch and name | Teacher touches each body part and names it; children copy. |
| 6 to 14 | The action rhyme | Say the rhyme with actions; join in the action first, then the words. |
| 14 to 20 | Body parts game | A listening game: touch the part named; the teacher tries to trick them. |
| 20 to 23 | Music stop | Dance while music plays; when it stops, touch the named body part. |
| 23 to 28 | Worksheet: my hand | Trace the words, trace your own hand and colour it. |
| 28 to 30 | Still as a tree | Calm ending: freeze like a tree and wave goodbye. |
Materials
- A large cut-out gingerbread-style body shape or a drawing on the board
- Sticky notes or small paper labels with the six words
- Music or a drum for the stopping game
- One worksheet per child, crayons and pencils
- Human body flashcards (free, linked from Week 5)
- Song: The hokey cokey (free, linked from Week 5)
Before the lesson: Draw a simple body on the board. Learn the rhyme actions so you can lead without the page.
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 6 minTouch and name
- Touch your head: "This is my head." Children touch their own and say "head". Do all six words in turn.
- Say "These are my hands" and "These are my feet" for the plural words; use "knees" and "tummy" the same way.
- Point to the board body and let a child stick the label on the right part.
"This is my head. Touch your head. These are my hands. Touch your hands."
- (Touch your nose.) Is this my head? (No.) What is it? (Nose.)
- Do I have one head or two hands? (One head, two hands.)
6 to 14 minThe action rhyme
- Say the rhyme with the actions once. Then do it again slowly so children can copy the movement.
- Say it a third time with the audio. Children say the last word of each line.
- Say it again, getting faster each time; finish with the "still as a tree" freeze.
"This is my head. Nod, nod, nod. Now you. These are my hands. Clap, clap, clap."
14 to 20 minBody parts game
- Say "Touch your knees." Children touch their knees. Mix the words and speed up.
- Trick round: touch your own nose but say "tummy". Children must listen and touch what you say, not what you do.
- Hand over to a child leader for the last round, with you whispering the word.
20 to 23 minMusic stop
- Play music. When it stops, call a body part ("Nose!"). Children touch it and say its name.
23 to 28 minWorksheet: my hand
- Children place a hand in the box and trace around it with a pencil. Help with the pencil grip.
- Count the fingers together: a thumb and four fingers make five.
28 to 30 minStill as a tree
- Say the last two lines of the rhyme, whisper them, and wave goodbye.
Differentiation
Support
- Teach three words first (head, hands, feet) and add the others later.
- Say the word and touch your own body part so children can copy before they think.
- Hold the child's hand to trace if grip is hard; the drawing does not have to be neat.
Stretch
- Add "eyes", "ears" and "mouth".
- Ask "Touch your nose and your knees." (two words).
- Children say "This is my nose" to a friend while touching it.
Rhyme
Say each line and do the action. The tune is a steady clap beat.
This is my head: nod, nod, nod.
These are my hands: clap, clap, clap.
This is my nose: tap, tap, tap.
These are my feet: stamp, stamp, stamp.
These are my knees: bend, bend, bend.
This is my tummy: rub, rub, rub.
Now I stand still, still as a tree.
Look at me, look at me!
Questions
- What do we touch when we nod?
- What do we do with our hands?
- What do we do with our feet?
- What do we rub?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
My body
A grown-up reads each heading. Trace the grey words, then trace your own hand.
1. Trace the words.
head hand nose foot
2. Trace round your hand. Colour it in.
3. Draw a smile on the face and point to your nose.
Answer key
Rhyme questions
- Our head.
- Clap.
- Stamp.
- Our tummy.
Worksheet
- 1: children trace over the grey words; the letters do not have to be neat.
- 2: a tracing of the child's hand with five fingers. Count the fingers together.
- 3: any face with a smile. Ask "Where is your nose?" and the child points.
Exit ticket
Say a body part at the door ("Knees!") and each child touches it and says the word. Tick: touched and said, touched only, not yet.
Homework
Teach a family member the rhyme "This is my head" with the actions. Take a photo or draw it.
Teaching this to a whole class?
Litlings lets you plan lessons like this one, set photo and voice homework, and see who needs help. Free for up to 40 pupils.
Start free with LitlingsMore lesson plans
- Level 0, Week 5: My body (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.