Mention a spider and you will either hear a frightened shrill scream or an eager scream from a baby or a child who wants to explore or see a spider up close. Itsy-bitsy spider rhyme that can teach your baby a little about spiders, in a fun manner. Babies love to watch and observe everything around them. This is how they learn and understand the world around them.
When it is a rhyme about a spider or any insect, babies will pay close attention to it and remember the details. Does itsy-bitsy spider have any values or benefits to offer a baby? Why should one consider teaching this classic rhyme to their baby? Read on to find out how this simple rhyme can benefit your baby in multiple ways.
In This Article
- What Will Your Baby Learn From Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme?
- When Can You Introduce Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme to Babies?
- Lyrics of Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme
- Top Benefits of Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme For Babies
- Words Babies Learn From Itsy Bitsy Spider
- How Does Itsy Bitsy Spider Help With Finger Play?
- Moral Of The Rhyme Itsy Bitsy Spider
- FAQ’s
What Will Your Baby Learn From Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme?
Infants can learn various sounds, rhyming words, and about spiders. Teaching them the actions to enact the rhyme can teach them to use their hands and fingers in coordination and improve their motor skills.
As your baby gets older, they start to understand life is full of ups and downs. The spider does not give up just because the rain washes it out. It waits for the sun to come out and tries to go up again. This teaches babies that despite a fall, they need to wait for the right moment and try again. It teaches them to not give up at the sight of trouble.
You can continue singing the same verse a little faster. As you increase the speed, it gets harder for the baby to keep up with the finger actions. It can be very challenging and help improve not just a baby’s finger movements but their focus as well.
When Can You Introduce Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme to Babies?
You can introduce this rhyme to your baby when they are about 3 years old. Only at this age will they understand what a spider, rain, or sun is. Younger babies will have trouble using their hands and fingers to mime the actions for the rhyme.
However, there is no rule against singing this rhyme to an infant or a baby who is just a year old. Babies love music and when you sing it with actions, they will love watching you. This can be a great rhyme to keep a baby occupied when they get restless.
[Read : Classical Music For Babies]
Lyrics of Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme
Itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the waterspout;
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out;
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain;
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again.
Alternate Version of Itsy Bitsy Spider – British Version
Incy Wincy spider climbing up the spout.
Down came the rain, and washed poor Incy out.
Up came the sun, and dried up all the rain
And Incy Wincy spider went climbing up again.
Top Benefits of Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme For Babies
Babies listen very keenly to music. They unconsciously consume the hidden meaning and lessons from what they hear. Apart from the fun factor of the spider going up and down, babies can benefit in the following ways too:
1. Awareness About Various Sounds in Language
The rhyme uses rhyming words like spout-out and itsy-bitsy. Repeating similar-sounding words will make your baby aware of the sounds and helps them pick up the language faster. Pronouncing various sounds in a song format makes it easier for babies to learn and repeat the sounds too. Saying the words itsy-bitsy also helps them enunciate well. Learning these sounds is very important for learning and using new words as their language improves.
2. Gross Motor Skills
When you teach your baby the actions of this song, they will learn to move their arms and fingers. They have to open up all their fingers and move them from up to down, to show the rain coming down. Moving their hands improves gross motor skills.
3. Fine Motor Skills
The action to show the spider moving requires them to use just two fingers on each hand and join them together in alternating motion. This requires them to fold other fingers, which babies can’t do until they are a few months old. Even kids who are 3 years old will have to look at their fingers, focus, and only bend the fingers they desire. By performing this action repeatedly, your baby will learn to bend the fingers and keep the other fingers bent till they finish the rhyme.
[Read : Baby’s Fine Motor Skill Development]
4. Creativity Skills
Teaching a baby to use their hands and fingers to enact a song can teach them to think in a similar manner. This cognitive development will help them communicate and convey their thoughts creatively. The idea of rain washing out the spider will also stimulate those little minds to think from different angles when they grow up enough to come up with their own stories or songs.
5. Communication Skills
Babies cannot say all the words. They have difficulty using the right words to describe their feelings and thoughts. Actions can help in effectively communicating what they have in mind. When they use actions in rhymes, they subconsciously will use this to communicate in other areas too.
Words Babies Learn From Itsy Bitsy Spider
Some common words your child can learn from this rhyme are:
- Spider
- Down
- Rain
- Sun
- Wash
- Water
- Spout
- Up
How Does Itsy Bitsy Spider Help With Finger Play?
The actions for the rhyme require your baby to put their trite thumb with the left forefinger and left thumb with the right forefinger. The fingers have to twist and keep touching each other to depict the spider’s movement.
This requires good control over the fingers and hand-eye coordination. Alternating the fingers and touching them will strengthen the fingers too. Both these fingers are very important for holding, picking up small items or even writing. The rhyme helps develop these fingers.
Moral Of The Rhyme Itsy Bitsy Spider
The rhyme teaches babies children to never give up and keep trying. It shows them one needs to let go of fear and keep trying until they succeed.
Itsy-Bitsy spider rhyme is fun to teach to babies and toddlers, especially with actions. Babies love to use and explore their fingers. As your little one gets comfortable with the finger play, you can increase the speed of the rhyme and make them use their fingers faster. They will enjoy the challenge.
FAQ’s
1. Does Itsy-Bitsy Spider Rhyme Help in Developing Fine Motor Skills For Babies?
Yes, it does. The action for the rhyme requires the baby to use two fingers on each hand to depict the movement of a spider up the spout. When a baby tries to enact the rhyme by connecting their fingers, they are exercising their motor skills and improving them.
2. What is Itsy-Bitsy All About?
It is about a spider who tries to climb a waterspout but is washed away by the rain. The spider waits for the water to dry up and then tries to climb up. It is a fun rhyme that can teach a baby to not give up easily and keep trying.
3. Is “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” and “Incy-Wincy Spider” the Same Rhyme?
Yes, they are different adaptations of the same rhyme. While itsy-bitsy is more popular among the Americans, incy-wincy is popular among the British. Both are about a spider’s adventure.
Read Also: Baa Baa Black Sheep Rhyme For Babies
