One way to tie in Mother Goose nursery rhymes with games is through online games. Online games appeal to a variety of ages and can help children learn basic computer skills. MotherGoose.com offers several Mother Goose games for children, including "Jack be Nimble" where children must help Jack jump over the candlestick, "Peter Pumpkin Eater" where children can design their own pumpkin houses or "Jack Sprat" where children learn to identify healthy foods.
Finger plays help young children learn hand-eye coordination and basic motor skills. There are many finger plays based off Mother Goose rhymes. Perform "I'm a Little Tea Pot" by placing your right hand on your right hip to make a handle, then hold your left hand out like a spout. At the line "When I get steamed up," wiggle back and forth. When the "Pour me out" line arrives, tip to the side like you were pouring tea. Another fun finger play is "Where is Thumbkin." For this game, as you say the words to the rhyme, hold up both fingers mentioned (thumbkin, pointer, tall man, ring man, short man or pinkie). Have the fingers bow to one another, then place them behind your back one at a time.
Children of all ages enjoy singing games, especially songs that can be sung in a round. Start by singing the first line of the song. After the first line, have a second group start singing at the beginning as you continue with the second line. Keep adding more singing groups until it is impossible to keep the tune any longer. "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," "Three Blind Mice" and the "Farmer in the Dell" make fun round singing games.
Print a large Mother Goose picture onto card stock paper. Cut the paper into several pieces. Give each child his own image to put together. Or, mix up all of the pieces and make the children hunt for them to make the game more challenging. For older children, try Mother Goose charades or Pictionary. The children must act out the character from a nursery rhyme, or draw it onto a piece of paper. The other children must guess who the character is.