Nursery number favourites to 5 A-F

Barnacle Bill

Blackbird singing

Blowing bubbles

Farmer Brown’s farm

Five baby crocuses / Getting up

Five bold pirates

Five brown eggs in a nest of hay

Five crispy pancakes

Five currant buns in a baker’s shop

Five in the bed

Five firefighters

Five happy little narwhals

Five little ants

Five little angels

Five little busy bees

Five little candles

Five little caterpillars

Five little chickadees

Five little chickens

Five little ducks

Five little Easter rabbits

Five little field mice

Five little fish swimming in a pool

Five little friends

Five little goslings

Five little mice on the pantry floor

Five little reindeer

Five little tadpoles

Five little turkeys

Last updated: 26/06/2023 10:51

The songs below are compiled, illustrated and sometimes adapted

by Dany Rosevear

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home

To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊

To watch the author sing a song click on the title at:

© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved

You are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the

following conditions:

· you must give the original author credit

· you may not use this work for commercial purposes

· for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms of this work

· any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder

Your fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.

Barnacle Bill O

The chorus of this nautical song is sometimes sung as ‘Bonnie over, in the clover’.

Put up one finger for each verse and mime actions. Ask a child to move the minute hand on the clock to illustrate the time.

When Barnacle Bill was one

He learned to play the drum.

Hi-de-ho-de,

Fee-fi-fo-de,

Half past one.

When Barnacle Bill was two

He learned to tie his shoe.

Hi-de-ho-de,

Fee-fi-fo-de,

Half past two.

When Barnacle Bill was three

He learned to climb a tree.

Hi-de-ho-de,

Fee-fi-fo-de,

Half past three.

When Barnacle Bill was four

He learned to scrub the floor.

Hi-de-ho-de,

Fee-fi-fo-de,

Half past four

When Barnacle Bill was five

He learned to swim and dive.

Hi-de-ho-de,

Fee-fi-fo-de,

Half past five.

Blackbird singing O

A little song that tells a story.

Younger children might find it easier if the adult sings the story lines allowing the children to sing the refrain ‘Hey li lee li lee lo’ and the chorus together.

This song suits simple actions: holding up five fingers, cupping hand like a nest, crossing hands to make them fly like little birds.

Blackbird singing in a lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo,

Building a nest in the lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo.

Chorus

Hey li lee li lee li lee,

Hey li lee li lee lo,

Hey li lee li lee li lee,

Hey li lee li lee lo.

Five speckled eggs in a lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo,

Safe and warm in the lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo.

Five little birds in a lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo,

Learning to fly in the lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo.

No little birds in a lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo,

They’ve all flown away from the lilac tree,

Hey li lee li lee lo.

Blowing bubbles O

Words by Frances B. Wood to a Polish tune; from ‘Sixty songs for little children’ published 1933.

Bubbles from my pipe I blow,

One, two, in the air,

Floating gaily, off they go,

Three, four, everywhere.

Sparkling, shining, see them sail,

Gleaming in the sun!

Airy fairy balls so frail,

Rainbows in each one.

Farmer Brown’s farm 🔊

Have fun making animal noises and learn the numbers to five including ‘one more’. Learn the names of baby animals.

Encourage children to suggest other animal babies and their sounds.

From ‘We play and grow’ by Maisie Cobby, published 1954.

Music and adaptation by Dany Rosevear.

Raise one finger at a times. Open and close hand as animal makes noises.

Farmer Brown has one little puppy,

"Bow, wow, wow, wow, wow!"

"Bow, wow, wow, wow, wow!"

Farmer Brown has two little kittens,

"Miaow, miaow, miaow, miaow, miaow!"

"Miaow, miaow, miaow, miaow, miaow!"

Farmer Brown has three little calves,

"Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo!”

"Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo!”

Farmer Brown has four little piglets,

"Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink!"

"Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink!"

Farmer Brown has five little ducklings,

"Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack!"

"Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack!"

Five bold pirates

A nautical number rhyme and hand play. Learn the concept of ‘one less’ and have lots of fun. Traditional, adapted by Dany Rosevear.

Hold up one hand and fold down one finger at a time. Also make the following movements: 5. Hands dives. Clap hands. 4. Hand makes a wave movement. Put hand in horror to the mouth. 3. Shrug. Two fingers walk along the other forefinger. Clap hands. 2. Thumb up. 1. Stroke cheeks with forefingers. Rock boat hands. Make rowing movements.

Five bold pirates heading for the shore,

One fell overboard, “SPLASH!”

And then there were four.

Four bold pirates heading out to sea,

One stole the Captain’s gold “OOOOOH!”

And then there were three.

Three bold pirates with not a lot to do,

One was made to walk the plank, “SPLASH!” And then there were two.

Two bold pirates having lots of fun, “WAY, HEY!”

One found a treasure map

And then there was one.

One bold pirate, sad and all alone,

Jumped into a little boat

And rowed all the way home.

Five brown eggs in a nest of hay 🔊

A number verse for Easter. Count / subtract back.

Fold down one finger each time.

Five brown eggs in a nest of hay…

One yellow chick popped out to play.

Four brown eggs in a nest of hay…

Another yellow chick cheep-cheeped good day.

Three brown eggs in a nest of hay…

Crack went another one, hip-hooray.

Two brown eggs in a nest of hay…

One more chick pecked his shell away.

One brown egg in a nest of hay…

The last yellow chick popped out to say,

Happy Easter!

Five currant buns O

Learn the concept of ‘one less’ and the numbers to five while playing this shopping game. Substitute ‘child’ with the name of each youngster.

One child takes the role of the baker and six others that of the customer. Give each child a 1p to pay for a bun and place five buns in the shop.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Five currant buns in a baker’s shop, Round and fat with the sugar on the top. Along came a child with a penny one day, Bought a currant bun and took it away. 1, 2, 3, 4 Four currant buns in a baker’s shop, Round and fat with the sugar on the top. Along came a child with a penny one day, Bought a currant bun and took it away. 1, 2, 3 Three currant buns… 1, 2 Two currant buns … 1 One currant buns … No currant buns in a baker’s shop, Round and fat with the sugar on the top. Along came a child with a penny one day, There were no currant bun to take away.

Count with fingers. One child at a time approaches the baker and exchanges their 1p for a bun. Continue as before until the last verse where one child goes into the baker’s shop to find there are no buns left. That child looks sad until another child offers to share their bun. Discuss how that might happen.

Five firefighters O

A version of ‘Five little firemen’ for the more liberated world. The original version was written by Louise B. Scott with music by Lucille F. Wood.

Children stand in rows five. Put up one finger at a time to count and when ‘Shhh!’ is sung put finger to the lips. Cup hands round mouth for the shout as it can be uncomfortably loud for sensitive ears! At the end of each verse a child sits down. On the last verse shout sleepily (!) then put hands to cheeks in sleeping mode.

Five firefighters standing in a row,

One, two, three, four, five, they go.

Hop on the engine with a shout,

Quicker than a wink the fire is out!

Four firefighters standing in a row,

One, two, three, four, Shh! they go.

Hop on the engine with a shout,

Quicker than a wink the fire is out!

Three firefighters standing in a row,

One, two, three, Shh! Shh! they go.

Hop on the engine with a shout,

Quicker than a wink the fire is out!

Two firefighters standing in a row,

One, two, Shh! Shh! Shh! they go.

Hop on the engine with a shout,

Quicker than a wink the fire is out!

One firefighter standing in a row,

One, Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! they go.

Hop on the engine with a shout,

Quicker than a wink the fire is out!

No firefighters standing in a row,

Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! they go.

Tired firefighters give a sleepy shout,

We’re off to bed for the fire is out!

Five happy little narwhals 🔊

Make friends and cheer someone up. A nautical number hand play.

By Paula Goettsch and Jeri Light.

Set to music by Dany Rosevear.

1. Indicate one with forefinger. Hands together on head make a swimming action 2-5. Show number then as before. 6. Twirl hands together, dip and dive. Turn thumb and forefinger scowl round into a smile.

One happy little narwhal

Went swimming through the sea.

Said to grumpy jellyfish,

“Come Zing along with me!” Zing!!!

Same with 2- 5

One grumpy jellyfish

Turned that frown right upside down,

And five happy little narwhals

Zinged around and round and round. Zing!!!

Five in the bed 🔊

A song for bedtime.

For those with more stamina start at ten!

Hold up five fingers (4, 3, 2, 1) and roll forearms over each other, one way then the other for each ‘roll over’. Hold up one finger. Put right hand to head and then left. Mime the last verse.

There were five in the bed and the little one said,

"Roll over, roll over"

So they all rolled over and one fell out:..

Gave a little scream – OUCH!

Gave a little shout – OOOH!

There were four in the bed…

There were three in the bed…

There were two in the bed…

There was one in the bed and the little one said, "I’m lonely, I’m lonely!"

So they all climbed in and they snuggled up tight,

Read their little books and put off the light.

Then they said, “Goodnight!”

Five little angels 🔊

Take away two, in a heavenly or not so heavenly manner.

A song written by Helen Smith; you can find out more about this singer songwriter and her music classes at: http://cadenzaclasses.com.

1. Hold up five fingers (3, 1) 2. Put hands to cheek. 3. Flap wings. 4. Put hands to mouth. 5. Shake finger. 6. Put hands on hips. 7. Make naughty faces.

There were five little angels,

Floating on a cloud,

Two jumped off,

And shouted very loud:

"We are tired of being angels

And we're sick of being good,

We want to be naughty,

Like everybody should!”

There were three little angels…

There was one little angel,

Floating on a cloud,

She jumped off,

And shouted very loud:

"I am tired of being an angel

And I'm sick of being good,

I want to be naughty,

Like everybody should!”

Five little angels,

Sitting - oh so sad:

"We're all fed up

With being very bad;

We are sick of all the shouting

And we're trying to be good,

We'd like to be angels –

If only we could!

Do you think they've been good enough?

Five little ants 🔊

A number verse with a minibeast theme. Count ants out and count them in.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Verse 1. Show five fingers, place under fist of other hand. Wiggle fingers. Lift up fingers one at a time.

Verse 2. With one fist closed, wiggle fingers of the other hand nearby. Put fingers down one at a time.

Five little ants in an ant hill,

Busily working and never ever still.

Do you think they’re inside, are they alive?

See them come out, One, two, three, four, five!

Five little ants near an ant hill,

Scuttling around and never ever still.

Look! They’ve found some food, to keep them all alive.

See them go in, One, two, three, four, five!

Five little busy bees 🔊

A hand play for the summer months. Learn ordinal numbers.

Music Dany Rosevear.

1. Hold up five fingers. 2. Bend down the little finger. 3. Bend down next one. 4. Bend down the middle finger. 5. Bend down the fourth finger. 6. Bend down thumb. 7. Cross forefingers and make them fly.

Five little busy bees on a day so sunny,

The first one said, "I’d like to make some honey.”

The second one said, "Tell me where shall it be?”

The third one said, "In the old honey-tree.”

The fourth one said, "Let’s gather nectar sweet.”

The fifth one said, "With pollen on our feet.”

Humming their busy little honeybee song,

“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”

All the day long.

Five little candles 🔊

A number verse for birthday time. Count / subtract / how many left. Older children could start from ten.

Blow at fingertip then hold down one finger each time.

Five little candles, straight and tall,

Burning brightly, count them all, 1,2,3,4,5

Pouf! I blow with all my might,

And out goes one little candle light.

Four little candles ….

Three little candles…

Two little candles…

One little candle, straight and tall,

Burning brightly, count them all, 1

Pouf! I blow with all my might

And out goes the last little candle light.

Five little caterpillars O

A number and hand play rhyme. Learn the number pairs that make five.

Music by Dany Rosevear ©.

Show five fingers then lay them on the other hand. Put up one finger then hands to the cheek. Stretch arms then cross hands and make them fly. Raise four fingers on one hand and four on the other.

Five little caterpillars sitting on a leaf,

One little caterpillar fell fast asleep.

When it woke up it found it could fly!

Now there’s four caterpillars and… one butterfly.

Four little caterpillars sitting on a leaf,

One little caterpillar fell fast asleep.

When it woke up it found it could fly!

Now there’s three caterpillars and… two butterflies.

Three little caterpillars sitting on a leaf …

Five little chickadees O

An opportunity to understand the concept of ‘one less’ / subtraction.

This song can simply be played using the fingers of one hand or with a group of children where one child flies away with elbows flapping.

Five little chickadees peeping through the door,

One flew away and then there were four.

Chickadee, chickadee, happy all day,

Chickadee, chickadee, fly away.

Four little chickadees sitting on a tree,

One flew away and then there were three.

Chickadee…

Three little chickadees looking at you,

One flew away and then there were two.

Chickadee…

Two little chickadees sitting in the sun,

One flew away and then there was one.

Chickadee…

One little chickadee left all alone,

It flew away and then there were none.

Chickadee…

Five little chickens O

Learn your ordinal numbers to five.

Said the first little chicken,

With a strange little squirm,

"I wish I could find

A fat little worm."

Said the next little chicken,

With an odd little shrug,

"I wish I could find

A fat little slug."

Said the next little chicken,

With an sharp little squeal,

"I wish I could find

Some nice yellow meal."

Said the fourth little chicken,

With a small sigh of grief,

"I wish I could find

A little green leaf!"

Said the fifth little chicken,

With a faint little moan,

"I wish I could find

A wee gravel stone."

"Now, see here!" said the mother,

From the green garden patch,

"If you want any breakfast,

Just scratch, scratch scratch!"

Five little ducks O

A very simple song that introduces the concept of subtraction. This song could be easily be adapted to any animal that fits in with the topic of the day.

Five little ducks went swimming one day, Over the hills and far away. Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!” But only four little ducks came back. Four little ducks went swimming one day, Over the hills and far away. Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!” But only three little ducks came back. Three little ducks… Two little ducks… One little duck went swimming one day, Over the hills and far away. Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack!” And all of the five little ducks came back.

Hold up five fingers. Make hand move in a wavy manner. Hand opens and closes like a duck’s beak. Put up four fingers. Continue as before putting down one finger each time the song is sung. Ask the question ‘And one less is...? On the very last line put up all five fingers.

Five little Easter rabbits 🔊

A number verse for Easter. Count / subtract / how many left.

For other times of year you could sing ‘Five little bunny rabbits’.

This can be played as the hand play below or as an action game with the children crouching down in groups of five, imitating rabbits and hopping away one by one.

Music and words adapted and arranged by Dany Rosevear.

Fold down one finger each time.

Make rabbits with fist and first two fingers up like long ears and mime each action.

Five little Easter rabbits,

Sitting by the door,

One hopped away,

And then there were four.

Hop, hop, hop, hop,

See how they run!

Hop, hop, hoppity hop,

They’re having lots of fun!

Four little Easter rabbits

Hid behind a tree,

One hopped away

And then there were three.

Three little Easter rabbits

Wondering what to do,

One hopped away,

And then there were two.

Two little Easter rabbits

Resting in the sun,

One hopped away,

And then there was one.

One little Easter rabbit

Sad and all alone,

S/he hopped away,

And then there were none.

Hop, hop, hop, hop,

All gone away!

Hop, hop, hoppity hop,

They’ll be coming back some day!

Hooray!

Five little field mice O

This number song was written by Cynthia Raza for her song and story book Mungo Mouse. I added the last verse.

Subtract one each time from five and learn ordinal numbers.

Sing the song quietly and then loudly for the HOOT! And SCOOT!

Five little field mice fast asleep,

All in a huddle and all in a heap.

A tawny owl came past and gave a HOOT!

And the first little mouse went SCOOT!

Four little field mice fast asleep,

All in a huddle and all in a heap.

A tawny owl came past and gave a HOOT!

And the second little mouse went SCOOT!

Three… third…

Two… fourth….

One… last….

Singing very quietly

Five little field mice fast asleep,

All in a huddle and all in a heap.

Safe in the barn in an old brown boot,

And a hungry tawny owl went SCOOT!

Five little fish swimming in a pool 🔊

A fishy rhyme with ordinal numbers.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Put up a finger each time. 1. Rub arms. 2. Show depth with hands. 3. Place hands to cheek. 4. Hands together dip and dive. 5. Hand to forhead. 6. Hands together move from side to side, throw net and clap hands. One hand on to of the other and thumbs out ‘swim’ away.

Five little fish swimming in a pool,

The first one said, “The pool is cool”.

The second one said, “The pool is deep”.

The third one said, “I’d like to sleep”.

The fourth one said, “I’ll dive and dip”.

The fifth one said, “Here comes a ship”.

The fishing boat comes,

The net goes, “SPLASH!”

All the little fish swim away in a flash.

Five little friends 🔊

An active number song.

Fold down one finger each time. 1. Tap foot. 2. Clap hands. 3. Jump up and

down. 4. Bump fists. 5. Turn round. 6. Bend knees.

Five little friends go tap, tap, tap,

Five little friends go clap, clap, clap,

Five little friends go jump, jump, jump,

Five little friends go bump, bump, bump,

Five little friends go round and round,

Five little friends fall to the ground.

Four little friends…

Three little friends…

Two little friends…

One little friend…

Five little goslings 🔊

Add one more gosling each time as they get together with siblings and friends.

Make sure you anticipate number to give children a chance to identify number.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Hold up one finger each time to show ‘one more’. Spread fingers wide to show them growing into geese.

One little gosling, yellow and new,

Had a fuzzy brother, and that made two.

Two little goslings now you can see;

They had a little sister, and that made three.

Four little goslings went to swim and dive.

They met a little neighbour, and that made five.

Five little goslings; watch them grow and grow!

They'll turn into fine, big geese, you know!

Five little mice on the pantry floor (2) 🔊

A cat and mice hand play.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Hold up five fingers. Hold up one finger each time. 1. Peep behind hand.

2. Mime eating cake. 3. Put finger to lips. 4. Eat cheese. 5. Put hand to ear.

6. Put finger under nose, brush whiskers. 7. Wiggle fingers. 8. Left hand

makes hole and other fingers run towards it.

Five little mice on the pantry floor.

This little mouse peeked behind the door.

This little mouse nibbled at the cake.

This little mouse not a sound did make.

This little mouse took a bite of cheese.

This little mouse heard the kitten sneeze.

“Achoo!” sneezed the kitten,

And “Squeak!” they cried,

As they found a hole and ran inside.

Five little tadpoles 🔊

A hand play for the spawning season. Learn ordinal numbers.

Words adapted and music by Dany Rosevear.

1. Hold up five fingers and wiggle them. 2-6. Bend down the little finger and wiggle it and then the others in sequence to thumb. 7. Hold up five fingers. 8. Fingers on right hand jump up and rest behind left hand.

Five little tadpoles swimming in the pond,

The first one said, "Let's swim on and on and on."

The second one said, "Let's rest for a while.

The third one said, "Swimming makes me laugh and smile."

The fourth one said, "My legs are growing long."

The fifth one said, "I'm getting very strong!"

Five little tadpoles will soon be speckled frogs,

They'll jump up from the water and sit on yellow logs.

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home