Two Little Hands: NCERT Class 1 English Poem (Mridang Unit 1)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

Two Little Hands is a song children can clap, tap and move to. While they sing, they learn the English names for parts of the body. It is a joyful first step into English.

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From NCERT’s new English book Mridang for Class 1, unit “My Family and Me”. Unit 1.

What your child learns

Names of body parts: hand, leg, eye, ear, nose, mouth
What each part does: I see with my eyes
Singing a rhyme with actions
Letters A to Z and their first sounds

What the poem is about

This short poem is about the parts of our body and what they do. Hands clap, legs tap, eyes open wide and the head moves from side to side. A second part talks about ears that hear, a nose that smells and a mouth that eats and talks.

The poem ends with a warm feeling: my body is mine and it can do many things. The chapter also has a song about head, shoulders, knees and toes, steps for washing hands, and the letters and sounds of the alphabet.

New words, with Hindi meanings

hand: the part at the end of your arm (हिंदी: हाथ)
leg: the part you walk with (हिंदी: पैर)
eye: you see with it (हिंदी: आँख)
ear: you hear with it (हिंदी: कान)
nose: you smell with it (हिंदी: नाक)
mouth: you eat and talk with it (हिंदी: मुँह)
clap: hit your hands together (हिंदी: ताली बजाना)
wide: open a lot (हिंदी: पूरा खुला)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What do the two little hands do?
How does the little head move?
What do we do with our nose?
What do you like to do with your hands?

Answers for parents

They clap.
It moves from side to side.
We smell with our nose.
For example: I draw and I clap with my hands.

Grammar corner: One and many: adding -s

When there is one thing, we say 'one hand'. When there are two or more, we add -s at the end: 'two hands'. Our body has many pairs, so this is easy to practise.

I have one nose and two eyes.
I have two ears and two legs.
My baby brother has two small hands.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: I see with my ___.
Choose the right word: I smell with my (ear / nose).
Say aloud and finish: one leg, two ___.

Answers: 1. eyes · 2. nose · 3. legs

Try this

Play 'Touch and say'. The parent says 'Touch your nose!' and the child touches it and says 'nose'. Then swap: the child gives the order and the parent touches. Go faster each round and laugh at the mix-ups.

Tip for parents

Point to your own nose and say 'naak' first, then 'nose'. Let your child say both words, Hindi and English, and praise every try. Singing the song together, even with some Hindi words in it, is fine.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Two Little Hands about?

It is about the parts of our body, like hands, legs, eyes and head, and what each part does. Children sing it with actions.

Which words rhyme in Two Little Hands?

Clap and tap rhyme, and wide and side rhyme. In the second part, walk and talk, and see and me also rhyme.

Is Two Little Hands in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is the first chapter of Unit 1, My Family and Me, in NCERT's new Mridang book for Class 1.

Learn every Class 1 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →