I’ve been doing fingerplays and action rhymes with Veronika since she was tiny, but now it’s time to encourage her to get in on the action! As your baby nears his or her sixth month, you’ll find they might be trying to copy all the moves. You can help the process along with this cute game. It’s a great one for big siblings who are eager to interact with a little sib, too.

I sat Veronika down in a chair facing me, and Travis and I acted out a few simple motions. Clapping first.

Then stomping.

Then patting your head.

For each action, we gently moved Veronika’s limbs in imitation. Travis loved helping her hands clap.

And feet tap.

She looked very surprised at patting her own head!

Now we wanted to put it all to music, and we knew just what to sing: If You’re Happy and You Know It, of course! Based on her smile, I think I’m a good performer.

We sang through the song, doing each motion (“If you’re happy clap your hands… If you’re happy stamp your feet… If you’re happy pat your head… If you’re happy shout hurray…” and so on).

It’s only a matter of time before she’s doing all the moves right alongside us.