Here is the church and here is the steeple...

[Tapoopoo]

If you know the next lines, where did you grow up?

We did it all the time as children. It didnt make sense then. It doesnt make sense now.

It popped into my head and no one here knew what I was talking about with with the finger action. I grew up West Mids.

Oh, I was thinking of this the other day! My dad was born in Lincolnshire, his father was a vicar, and he taught it to me. He knew it as a boy before the first world war!

New Zealand

…open the doors and here’s all the people.

Here is the church
and here is the steeple
open the doors
and there’s all the people
here’s the parson climbing the stairs
here are the people saying their prayers

South London

It makes perfect sense to me. It made perfect sense to me when I was a child! SE England.

Here Is the church
Here is the steeple
Open the doors and see all the people
Here is the minister climbing the stairs
Here he is saying his prayers

Scotland late 60s early 70s

Yes, know all the lines quoted (and Peter & Paul)
Grew up in Hampshire 1960s
Parents are probably influential too - i learned them from my mother, London/Devon family

Interesting- minister in Scotland (of course) but I learned the more CofE 'Parson'

I know it with this bit too.
Brought up in South Wales

We said "here are the pews (flip your hands and keep your fingers still) and here are the people (wriggle your fingers).

By not make sense, I just meant it's a bit random. 🤣

Glasgow

and there's the Minister saying the prayers.

Open the doors and see all the people.

New York, 1980s. The good old days when we were bored enough to find finger games amusing! Cats cradle anyone?

I learnt this but with “Vicar”. Interestingly, DM is Catholic and we don’t have vicars in the “parish priest” sense. Anyway, London, 70s. Parents Sussex and Sunderland.

’Look inside and see all the people’ grew up in Devon, I have a vague memory that there is rude version though but I can’t think for the life of me what it is!

I knew it. Yorkshire.

Who knows the one involving "cheeky chin" and the actions to that?

Here's the Church
Here's the Steeple
Look inside and here are all the people.
Here's the vicar climbing the stairs and here he is saying his prayers.

Somerset.

Hampshire and I’ve taught it to different primary classes.

Same words. South London.

Exactly the same as my version, well the one my late dear Dad said when he did all the hand and finger movements to represent the church and the people. The memories...

I was born in Dublin and that's where we lived then.

This is what we said in west London

The same. East London.
Two little dickie birds was the other favourite.

Open the doors and see all the people.

SW London.

@BlueDillieDillie Northampton for me as well and I had exactly the same thought about whether I'd passed it on to my dc or not!

Here's all the people, South Manchester.

Anyone know this one?

Here's a tree in summer
Brandish the seed head of a grass stalk*
Here's a tree in winter
Run your fingers up the stalk to strip the seeds, brandish bare stalk
Here's a bunch of flowers
Display stripped seeds
Here's the April showers
Throw seeds over audience

*Yorkshire fog works well

Yes nan used to say it to me, im 61 and grew up in the north west.

Born in Western Australia in 1963. I knew it as 'open up wide and see all the people'. It always made sense to me.

Not sure where I learnt it, although I can remember doing it. Neither parent was from the UK, although both had travelled extensively.