Classic Handclapping Rhymes

Here are a few classic hand-clapping rhymes to teach your preschooler. Maybe you remember the exact hand movements you used as a child or maybe the two of you will make up new movements, but either way, start with easier ones and work your way up!

Pat-a-Cake

1. Clap your hands together then against each other over and over, while singing the words, until you get to "roll it"
2. At "roll it", roll your hands over each other in the air
3. At "pat it", tap hands together lightly
4. At "mark it with an X" use the first letter of your child's name and outline the letter in the air.
5. Resume clapping sequence

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man

Bake me a cake as fast as you can

Roll it and pat it

And mark it with a "child's initial"

Put it in the oven for (child's name) and me!

Miss Mary Mack

1. Clap own hands together
2. Cross arms across chest
3. Clap own hands together
4. Clap hands with partner three times

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

All dressed in black, black, black

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons

All down her back, back, back

She asked her mother, mother, mother,

For fifty cents, cents, cents,

To watch the elephant, elephant, elephant,

Jump over the fence, fence, fence,

He jumped so high, high, high

He reached the sky, sky, sky

And he never came back, back, back,

Till The Fourth of July, ly, ly.

See, See My Playmate

See, see my playmate

Come out and play with me

And bring your dollies three

Climb up my apple tree

Slide down my rain barrel

Into my cellar door

And we'll be jolly friends forever more, more, more.

See, see playmate

I cannot play with you

My dollies have the flu

Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo

Ain't got no rain barrel

Ain't got no cellar door

But we'll be jolly friends forever more, more, shut the door

By Rochelle Strauss