Nursery Rhymes and Songs
Dear Parents
Each day, we sing songs and rhymes with the children. You will probably sing some of the
following songs and rhymes at home with your child. Experts in literacy and child development
have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they are
four years old, they are usually among the best readers by the time they are eight. At
Jumping Jacks we aim to exceed this number and will be introducing new songs to the
children each week.
Learning rhymes and songs will help your child to:
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develop communication, language and literacy skills;
learn about rhyming words;
explore words that start with the same letter sound (alliteration);
use mathematical language when counting up to a given number and back from a
number;
understand why we count and represent numbers using fingers;
use Makaton signs together with language to reinforce language skills;
develop hand-eye co-ordination skills when doing actions to the songs;
learn about rhythms by tapping various body parts or clapping hands. This will give
your child a better understanding of how words are broken down when learning to read
and write;
develop self-confidence and self-esteem.
Many other skills are developed during the ‘Songs and Rhymes’ sessions. Please work in
partnership with us to develop your child’s skills, knowledge and understanding.
If any parents would like to come in and introduce the children to new songs and rhymes
either in English or another language, we would really appreciate this.
5 little men in a flying saucer
5 little men in a flying saucer,
Flew around the world one day,
They looked left and right but they didn’t like the sight,
So one man flew away.
Whoosh.
4 little men….
3 little men….
2little men….
1 little man….
5 little speckled frogs
5 little speckled frogs,
Sat on a speckled log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum,
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were 4 green speckled frogs.
Glub glub.
4 little speckled frogs….
3 little speckled frogs….
2 little speckled frogs….
1 little speckled frog….
Ring-a-ring-a-roses
Ring-a-ring-a roses,
A pocket full of posies,
Atishoo Atishoo!
We all fall down.
Cows are in the meadows,
Eating buttercups,
Atishoo Atishoo!
We all jump up.
5 Little monkeys swinging in the tree
5 little monkeys swinging in the tree,
Singing “Hey Mr crocodile you can’t catch me”,
Along came a crocodile as quiet as can be
and snap went the crocodile, then there were,
4 little monkeys….
3 little monkeys….
2 little monkeys….
1 little monkey….
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory, Dickory, Dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, Dickory, Dock.
The Wise Man
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rain came tumbling down.
The rain came down and the floods went WHOOSH!
The rain came down and the floods went WHOOSH!
The rain came down and the floods went WHOOSH!
And the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rain came tumbling down.
The rain came down and the floods went WHOOSH!
The rain came down and the floods went WHOOSH!
The rain came down and the floods went WHOOSH!
And the house on the sand went SPLAT!
Rules for good listening (tune of Frères Jacques)
Eyes are watching,
Ears are listening,
Lips are closed,
Hands are still,
Feet are very quiet,
You should really try it,
Listen well, listen well.
I’m a little teapot
I'm a little teapot,
Short and stout,
Here’s my handle,
Here’s my spout.
When the kettle’s boiling,
Hear me shout!
"Tip me up and pour me out!"
The wheels on the bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round, round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all day long!
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish.
The babies on the bus go waa, waa, waa.
Old MacDonald
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O,
And on that farm he had a cow, E I E I O.
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O,
And on that farm he had a pig, E I E I O.
With an oink oink here and an oink oink there,
Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink oink.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O,
And on that farm he had a horse, E I E I O.
With a neigh neigh here and a neigh neigh there,
Here a neigh, there a neigh, everywhere a neigh neigh.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O,
And on that farm he had a duck, E I E I O.
With a quack quack here and a quack quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack quack.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O.
Sleeping bunnies
See the little bunnies sleeping ‘til it’s nearly noon
Shall we go and wake them with a merry tune?
They’re so still, are they ill?
Wake up bunnies!
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop
Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop.
See the little crocodiles sleeping ‘til it’s nearly noon
Shall we go and wake them with a merry tune
They’re so still, are they ill?
Wake up crocodiles!
Snap little crocodiles, snap, snap, snap
Snap little crocodiles, snap, snap, snap
Snap little crocodiles, snap, snap, snap
Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap.
If you’re happy and you know it
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
(clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
(clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it and you really want to
show it.
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
(clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it stamp your feet.
(stamp stamp)
If you're happy and you know it nod your head.
(nod nod)
If you're happy and you know it shout "Hooray!"
(Hoo-Ray!)
If you're happy and you know it do all four.
(clap hands, stamp your feet, nod your head, shout Hoo-Ray!)
5 Currant Buns
Five currant buns in a baker's shop,
Round and fat with a cherry on the top.
Along came a boy with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away.
Four currant buns in a baker's shop....
Three currant buns in a baker's shop....
Two currant buns in a baker's shop....
One currant bun in a baker's shop....
Hokey Cokey
1) You put your right arm in,
Your right arm out,
Your right arm in,
And you shake it all about,
You do the hokey cokey
and you turn around
That’s what it's all about.
2) Left arm
3) Right foot
4) Left foot
5) Whole self
Mulberry Bush
Here we go round the Mulberry Bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
Here we go round the Mulberry Bush,
On a cold and frosty morning.
This is the
This is the
This is the
This is the
way we brush our teeth....
way put on our clothes....
way we brush our hair....
way we wave bye bye....
Grand Old Duke of York
Oh the Grand Old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only half way up,
They were neither up nor down.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
Row, row, row your boat
Gently to the shore.
If you see a lion there,
Don’t forget to roar.
ROAR!!!!
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
If you see a crocodile,
Don't forget to scream
Aghhhh!!!!
Row, row, row your boat
Down the Arctic river.
If you see a polar bear,
Don't forget to shiver.
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
(Repeat, getting faster each time)
Ten Little Fingers
I have ten little fingers,
And they all belong to me,
I can make them do things,
Would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight,
Open them wide,
Hold them both together,
And make them both hide,
I can make them jump high,
I can make them go low,
I can fold them quietly,
And hold them just like so.
Yours sincerely
Paula Cantillon
Manager