This fun little rhyme, is one of my favourites as it is a great way to get a smile and a giggle out of your children. The actions for this rhyme are very simple - and require you to access your children's backs.

1) Use your finger to draw a cross and two parallel lines

2) walk the fingers up the spine

3) blow gently on the neck then hug

4) jiggle or tickle.

'Criss Cross' works well with children of all ages, and helps them to explore vocal sounds, their listening and musical phrasing.

When saying this rhyme to your babies, why not try whispering it to make it more mysterious. Babies will enjoy the physical touch and many believe that tickling is valuable in the bonding process between parent and child. Look at how your baby reacts, if their not keen on being tickled, then perhaps keep the tickling to a minimum.

Toddlers may enjoy experimenting with the tempo (how fast and slow) and timbre (the sound) of their voice. They may also enjoy doing the actions on their grown up's backs.

Once older children become more familiar with the rhyme, they could start to explore some dynamics (how loud and soft), could they whisper instead? They may enjoy performing this rhyme on their younger siblings.