Rhyming on the Run

It’s funny how when your toddler or pre-schooler asks you to sing a song, you can’t think of any or you forget all the words! Having all your favourite songs quickly at hand can be a real help. Why not copy this list and place in a protective cover and put it on the pinup board or make a colourful "songs we know" chart and put it up on a wall in your child’s room. I even like to keep a copy handy in the car for Grandparents to use when I'm busy driving!

We use nursery rhymes in early childhood education because research consistently shows that children who have memorised many nursery rhymes become better readers. Recite these rhymes with soft and loud voices, happy and sad voices. Sing the rhymes, march to their rhythms, and often pantomime their actions. Nursery rhymes are an important part of our literary heritage. Many have survived since the time of Shakespeare. Children continue to love these rhymes because of their delightful rhythm, nonsense, and imagery!Memorising rhymes, songs, and verses is a strategy that will give your child a storehouse of language to call upon when he is asked to fluently read, write and speak the English language.

Twinkle Twinkle
Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the sky

Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Round and Round the Garden
Round and round the garden

Like a teddy bear

One step, two step

Tickle him (her) under there

Eensy Weensy Spider
Eensy weensy spider climbed up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed poor Eensy out

Out came the sunshine

And dried up all the rain

And Eensy weensy spider

Climbed up the spout again.

Ring a Ring a Rosies
Ring a ring a rosies, a pocket full of posies,

A tissue, a tissue, we all fall down

When our mother calls us we all jump up

Three Jelly Fish
Three jelly fish, (rpt)

Three jelly fish sitting on a rock

One fell off (OH!)

Two jelly fish……

One jelly fish……

No jelly fish…… one jumped on.

HOORAY

Five Fat Sausages
Five fat sausages sizzling in the pan

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, (rub hands together) and one went bang! (clap!)
Four fat sausages………

This is the Way We
This is the way we go to bed, go to bed, go to bed

This is the way we go to bed, it’s time to go to sleep. (sweep, jump, dress, clap, wave, etc)

My Hands Are Clapping
My hands are clapping, clapping, clapping

My hands are clapping just like this. (Repeat with: arms waving, feet stamping, head nodding, legs marching, etc.)

I Went To Visit A Farm
I went to visit a farm one day

I saw a cow across the way

And what do you think I heard it say?

Moo, moo, moo. (repeat, using different animals/sounds)

If you’re happy and you know it
If you’re happy and you know it

Clap your hands (rpt all)

If you’re happy and you know it

Then you really ought to show it

If you’re happy and you know it

Clap your hands (If you’re sad have a cry, If you’re angry stamp your feet)

Roley poly

Roley poly, ever so slowly, ever so slowly,

Roley poly, faster, faster, faster, faster, STOP!

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 the way to town

The driver on the bus says "tickets please".

The babies on the bus cry, boo hoo hoo.

The parent’s on the bus go, shh, shh, shh.

Take you riding in my car
Take you riding in my car, car (rpt x 3)

Take you riding in my car.

Engine it goes brmm, brmm (rpt x 3)

Horn it goes beep, beep

Windscreen wipers go swish, swish

I have two eyes to see with
I have two eyes to see with

I have two feet to run

I have two hands to wave with

A nose I have but one

I have two ears to hear with

A tongue to say g’day

And two red cheeks for you to kiss

And now I’ll run away.

5 Currant Buns
5 current buns in the baker’s shop

Round and fat with a cherry on the top

Along came (child) with some money one day

Bought a current bun and took it away.
4 current buns………

Miss Polly had a dolly
Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick

So she called for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick

The doctor came with his bag and his hat

And he knocked on the door with a Rat-a-tat-tat

He looked at the dolly and he shook his head

He said "Miss Polly put her straight to bed"

He wrote on the paper for a pill, pill, pill,

"I’ll be back in the morning, yes I will will will"

Glumph went the little green frog
Glumph went the little green frog one day

Glumph went the little green frog

Glumph went the little green frog one day

And it’s eyes went glumph, glumph, glumph

But we all know frogs go la-dee-da-dee-da la-dee-da-dee-da, la-dee-da-dee-da

We all know frogs go la-dee-da-dee-da

They don’t go glumph, glumph, glumph.

Clap your hands
Clap your hands, clap them so

Make it fast, make it slow

Clap up high, clap down low,

Clap your hands like me

Here is the bee hive
Here is the bee hive, but where are the bees?

Hiding away where nobody sees

Watch them come creeping out of the hive

One, two, three, four, five.

Teddy bear, teddy bear
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around

Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground

Teddy bear, teddy bear, stand on your head,

Teddy bear, teddy bear, go to bed

Teddy bear, teddy bear, wake up now

Teddy bear, teddy bear, take your bow.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Head and shoulders, knees and toes knees and toes, knees and toes

Head and shoulders, knees and toes We all clap hands together. (Eyes and ears and mouth and nose…)

Roley poly, Roley poly
Roley poly, Roley poly, up, up, up

Roley poly, Roley poly, out, out, out

Roley poly, Roley poly, clap, clap, clap

Roley poly, Roley poly, lay them in your lap.