Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes

Introduction

From scraped knees to hair brushing, body parts and their names play a big role in children’s everyday lives. But, our memories of how we discovered them and when we learned their names are often a little hazy. I do remember when I discovered ear lobes because my dad taught me a song about them. I have taught it in turn to other children over the years. Hearing it always makes me smile. Some songs are common – who hasn’t sung Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes? I was lucky enough to have had it sung to me in English, French, Italian, German, Japanese and Fijian. See how many of these songs you know!

Equipment

Your voices and your listening ears!

Our suggestions

Action songs are a wonderful way of increasing vocabulary and learning the different names for parts of the body.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

There are many versions of this in many languages on the internet. Do not blame me if you lose a lot of time investigating.

Do you ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro
Can you tie them in a knot, can you tie them in a bow
Can you throw them over your shoulder like a regimental soldier
Do your ears hang low?

Before I started to write this, I had no idea that there were more verses to this song. It’s amazing what I found online. I’m sticking with just this first verse, but you may want to take it further. The ear lobe song was loved in a preschool I worked in and started two children off on a very scientific journey of investigating different-shaped ear lobes.

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

Again, I have learnt there are quite a few more verses to this than I realised.

One finger, one thumb keep moving
One finger, one thumb keep moving
One finger, one thumb keep moving,
We’ll all be merry and bright.

If you have some favourite songs that you could share, please let us know. We would love to start a collection of songs to help name the parts of the body. And, who knows, we all might learn a few more.

Hayley has an insatiable thirst for learning – about everything! Her sheer joy of discovery and passion for professional development makes her the perfect person to run the Little Scientist’s House Certification program.

Never happier than seeing what happens to balloons in the freezer or exploring the projects submitted by services for certification, her enthusiasm is complemented by her background in science and maths making her the ideal coordinator for our Little Scientists Houses.