How to Play the Hand-Clapping Game Patty Cake

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Learn all the words and gestures to this fun clapping game

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: January 21, 2024 Fact Checked

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How to Play

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Pat-a-Cake Origins

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Benefits of Playing Pat-a-Cake

Whether you know it as “pat-a-cake” or “patty cake,” there’s no denying that this fun hand-clapping rhyme has become a staple in generations of families—and now it can become one in yours! We’ll walk you through all the lines and hand motions of this simple game, so you can play it with your little one. Read on to learn everything there is to know about this nifty nursery rhyme, including all the benefits it can offer to your young child.

Things You Should Know

Clap and do the pat-a-cake gestures in front of your baby or toddler to help them learn the motions.
Alternatively, clap your own hands with your partner’s hand if you’re playing with an older child.
Personalize the game by inserting the child’s name into the rhyme (rather than using the word “baby”).

Section 1 of 3:

Pat-a-Cake Words & Gestures

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1
“Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man, bake me a cake as fast as you can”Use your own hands to clap your baby or toddler’s hands together to the rhythm of the rhyme.^{[1]
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Research source} If you’re playing with an older child rather than a baby/toddler, alternate between clapping your own hands and clapping one of your hands against one of your partner’s. The pattern goes like this:
- Clap your hands together
- Clap your left hand against your partner’s left hand
- Clap your hands together
- Clap your right hand against your partner’s right hand^{[2]
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2
“Roll it, and pat it, and mark it with a B” Make a rolling motion with your hands, as if you’re rolling out a piece of dough with a rolling pin.^{[3]
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Research source} Then, slap your hand downward, as if you’re giving the dough a good pat. Once you arrive at the “mark it with a B” line, draw the letter “B” in the air with your finger.^{[4]
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- If you’re playing with a baby or toddler, guide them through these different motions.^{[5]
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- A “pat-a-cake” isn’t actually a real dessert (or cake).^{[6]
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  Research source} With this in mind, it might be easier to envision rolling out a piece of bread dough or pie crust rather than cake dough.
- Tip: Personalize the game by switching out the letter “B” with the first name of the child you’re playing with (like “C” for “Carla”).^{[7]
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3
“And put it in the oven for baby and me!” Hold your hands next to one another with your palms facing up. Then, glide both hands forward to simulate putting something in the oven.^{[8]
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Research source} When you get to the “baby and me” line, hold your arms together (as if you’re cradling a baby) and rock them back and forth.
- Continue to walk your baby or toddler through these motions as you finish the rhyme. It’s okay if they can’t do the motions themselves just yet—what matters is that they’re watching you do it.^{[9]
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Section 2 of 3:

Pat-a-Cake Origins

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Way back in 1698, British writer Thomas d’Urfey published a play known as The Campaigners, which featured the very first version of the pat-a-cake rhyme. While kids weren’t the target audience of this play, there’s no denying that pat-a-cake rhyme originally from that play grew into a common household staple.^{[10]
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Back in 17th-century England, many bakers had to share ovens—because of this, they would often “mark” their baked goods to help distinguish them. The “mark it with a B” line likely pays homage to that practice, seeing as the original rhyme came to be in 1600s England.^{[11]
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Section 3 of 3:

Benefits of Playing Pat-a-Cake

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The rhymes in songs like “pat-a-cake” help babies and toddlers learn how to say certain words, while also helping them begin to sort out words based on how they sound. This provides them with a great foundation for beginning to understand and participate in language, even if they aren’t quite old enough to speak and hold real conversations yet.
Inviting your little one to clap actually gives their motor skills a boost, especially when they’re clapping in time with the rhyme. Their hand-eye coordination also improves as they watch and imitate their parent/guardian/caretaker acting out the different motions.^{[12]
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Research source} This activity can even give their social and verbal development skills a boost as they learn to engage and participate in the rhyme with you.^{[13]
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