An elephant goes like this and that.
She's terribly big,
And terribly fat.
She has no fingers,
She has no toes,
But goodness gracious,
what a nose!
Babies and young children are fascinated by animals, and very large animals can be the most interesting of all. This simple, humorous rhyme will appeal to children and adults alike.
Move along
Babies are likely to be amused if their carer or key worker makes simple movements linked to the rhyme:
An elephant goes like this and that (sway your head from side to side)
She's terribly big (hold hands up high)
And terribly fat (hold hands out wide)
She has no fingers (tickle baby's fingers)
She has no toes (tickle baby's toes)
But goodness gracious, what a nose (tickle baby's nose).
Older babies and toddlers
The rhyme can be enjoyed with individual children, pairs or a very small group.
It's important that both the children and the key worker are comfortable, whether cuddled up on a sofa or sitting on a rug indoors or outdoors. It's a great opportunity to wriggle around and explore the way different parts of the body work, as well as naming some body parts.
An elephant goes like this and that - (sway head, body and arms from side to side)
She's terribly big (stretch arms up as high as possible)
And terribly fat (stretch arms out wide as possible)
She has no fingers (wriggle fingers in the air)
She has no toes (touch your toes)
But goodness gracious, what a nose (use one arm to make a 'trunk' curling away from your nose).
In a group, consider extending the rhyme to have lots of fun moving around like 'linking elephants', with pretend trunks and tails.
