Sing nursery rhymes with preschoolers while encouraging them to use their fingers to act out the scene. "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "Where is Thumbkin?" are two well-known nursery rhymes that may be sung while encouraging children to play with their fingers. In "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," children follow the lyrics and put together their thumb from one hand and pointer finger from the other hand and twist back and forth to represent the spider climbing up the waterspout. "Where is Thumbkin?" is played similarly, using the thumb to play the role of Thumbkin hiding behind the child's back. As the lyrics reach, "Here I am...," the child's thumb may come out from behind.
Thumb wrestling is a game for two players. Children sit next to each other and make a fist -- closing their right hand's fingers -- while keeping their thumb up. Children use their right thumb to try to pin down the other player's thumb and try to escape when pinned down.
Use fingers to create a puppet play. Draw faces or characters on children's fingers using non-toxic ink -- or print out finger puppets whose faces or bodies stand tall while their base loops around the fingers like a ring -- and let their imaginations run wild. Children can use a shoebox or a larger cardboard box to create a stage for the play or sit on the floor and have their fingers pop up from a table or chair during an impromptu performance.
The game of silent tattoos may be played with two or more players. Each player takes a turn being the "tattoo artist," using his finger as an imaginary pen to draw simple shapes, letters or numbers on the other player's palm. The other player must keep her eyes closed as the drawing happens and may open them when the drawing is finished. The player who had her eyes closed must guess what was drawn.