Activity 41: Pat-a-Cake!

Age Range: Newborn and up…

Area being Developed: Social… Including Personality Development

Place your baby in a position so that his or her hands and arms are free for movement. Say the rhyme to your baby and do the motions as marked with your baby’s hands. Have fun with your baby as you two interact together.

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man. (Clap hands)

Bake me a cake as fast as you can. (Clap hands)

Roll it (Roll arms) and stir it (Move hand around) and mark it with a Baby’s Initial, (Make the letter on your baby’s hand).

And toss it (Toss arms out) in the oven for Baby’s Name (point to Baby) and me. (Point to self).

Enrichment:  This song with its simple tune and its well-known actions provides an excellent beginning rhyme. With your newborn and young baby, you can demonstrate most of the actions and interact on a basic level. As your baby grows, you can do more sophisticated actions and interact with greater depth.