Jeux de mains

I have just started the "Playground Games" section of the French KS2 scheme of work.  This topic presents an ideal opportunity to bring in some intercultural understanding by learning some French clapping games.

To start the topic there is a lovely video from SchoolsWorld TV (used to be Teachers TV) where you can see French children playing hopscotch, skipping and football.  My Year 3s loved seeing the handwritten numbers on the hopscotch.  There is also another video from the same source which has some French clapping games.

When looking for a clapping game for Year 3, the main difficulty I had was finding something simple enough. Just like in English, many of the French ones have language that is too complex.

I have done the "Choco-choco-la-la" clapping game before in Spanish, which I found in this excellent document, which also has other games in German, Romanian, Italian and Greek.  It always goes down a storm, and the jumping version tires them out!

I put a request on Primary Linguanet, and received lots of good replies.  Primary Linguanet trumped Twitter on this particular occasion!  Here are the two that I used:

alphabet (clap thighs, clap hands together, clap both hands with partner)

X X A A (clap partner's right hand twice, clap partner's left hand twice)

X X B B  (clap partner's right hand twice, clap partner's left hand twice)

X A X B (clap partner's right hand, clap partner's left hand and repeat)

X alphabet (clap thighs, clap hands together, clap both hands with partner)

You can also find this one on Mama Lisa's World, with a sound recording.

Trois petits chats (clap for trois petits, clap partner's right hand for chats)
Trois petits chats (clap for trois petits, clap partner's left hand for chats) 
Trois petits chats, chats, chats (clap for trois petits, clap partner's right hand, then left hand, then both hands for chats)

This one has lots and lots of verses, including the next two which are:

Chapeau de paille
Chapeau de paille
Chapeau de paille, paille, paille

Paillasson
Paillasson
Paillasson, son, son

You can see this one on Mama Lisa's World too.

Here are some more links for playground games and other games for children:

French
Group games for playing outside
Playground games with videos
Playground games from different countries
Playground games from the olden days!
French clapping rhymes (read the comments too)
Tiens voilà main droite, a clapping rhyme, from Momes.net


Spanish
Games for children from El Huevo de Chocolate
Spanish clapping games
Spanish traditional games
Choco-choco-la-la with video
More Spanish clapping games
Finger rhymes and other rhymes with actions
Playground games
More playground games
Clapping rhymes including A sailor went to sea sea sea



I'm going to whisper the next bit: *I think secondary students might enjoy some of these too!*