Snip, snap crocodile
Poems + action and other rhymes for children
A goblin lives in our house
A growing rhyme
A little green frog
A little lovely dream / Hindu
cradle song
A wise old owl sat on an oak
Adventures of Isabel
Apples in the attic
Are you going to golf sir?
Bed in summer
Boats sail on the rivers
Busy
little ants
Calico
Pie
Cats
sleep anywhere
Come,
little leaves
Crocuses
Dad
and the Cat and the Tree
Dandelion
clocks
Down
in the earth
End
of summer
Fairies
Fairy
shoes
Five
little owls in an old elm tree
Four
ducks on a pond
Four
little birds
Garden
fairies
Good
night
Grasshopper
Green
Have fun with this
collection; it’s a great way to:
• increase verbal
skills, expand vocabulary and horizons
• interact with a
partner or larger groups and understand turn taking
• learn to follow
or synchronize actions with each other
• learn to start
and stop and discover the value of rules
• use children’s
natural response to rhythm and rhyme
• sharpen
listening skills
• improve memory
• continue the
tradition of children’s verse from this and other countries
• be creative,
there are many opportunities change words or actions, add verses, use different
voices or change
roles
• above all to
have lots of tremendous fun – even the most timid child will follow the rhyme
and with the group
soon begin to join in.
The rhymes and
poems below are part of ‘Away we go!’
compiled and illustrated by Dany Rosevear
Last updated: 6/12/2023
9:23 AM
Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page
To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊
To watch the author sing a song click on
the title at:
©
Dany Rosevear 2012 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.
|
A goblin
lives in our house 🔊
Rose Flyeman wrote this poem possibly translating it from an old
French folk rhyme. Music by Dany Rosevear. Skip round the room for the
first two lines then move as suggested by the words. One the last two lines
find a partner cross hands and skip round. Older children might like to
skip in a circle and then make a clapping pattern. |
|
A goblin lives in our house,
in our house, in our house, A goblin lives in our house
all the year round. He bumps And he jumps And he thumps And he stumps. He knocks And he rocks And he rattles at the locks. A goblin lives in our house,
in our house, in our house, A goblin lives in our house
all the year round. |
|
A
growing rhyme 🔊
A poem and hand play by J. M. Westrup from ‘The book of 1000 poems’ first published 1942. Music by Dany Rosevear. 1. Place seeds on palm of
hand, pat hand. 2. Pretend to water and tug at weeds. 3. Wave arms upwards
with pushes in both directions. 4. Move both hands upwards, open fingers and
put to face. |
|
A farmer once planted some
little brown seeds With a pit-a-pit, pit-a-pat,
pit-a-pat, pat. He watered them often and
pulled up the weeds, With a tug-tug at this and a
tug-tug at that. The little seeds grew tall
and green in the sun, With a push-push up here, and
a push-push up there, And a beautiful plant grew
from every one, With a hey diddle holding
their heads in the air. |
|
A little green frog
once lived in a pool 🔊
You don’t need much to be happy! A poem by Rose Fyleman Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
A little green frog once
lived in a pool, The sun was so hot and the
water so cool. He stayed in the water the
whole day long, Singing his dear little,
queer little song, "Quaggery, quaggery,
quaggery dee, No one was ever so happy
as me!" |
|
A little
lovely dream / Hindu cradle song 🔊
This calming lullaby was written by the Indian poet and activist Sarojini Naidu. ‘Neem’ is a Hindstani lilac tree. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
From groves of spice, O'er fields of rice, Athwart the lotus-stream, I bring for you, Aglint with dew A little lovely dream. Sweet, shut your eyes, The wild fire-flies Dance through the fairy
neem; From the poppy-bole For you I stole A little lovely dream. Dear eyes, good-night, In golden light The stars around you
gleam; On you I press With soft caress A little lovely dream. |
|
A wise
old owl sat on an oak
I
first came across this wise saying when it was put in my autograph book at
the age of eleven in the 1950s. It
can be found in the Opie’s Oxford dictionary of Nursery Rhymes. Find
out more about this rhyme at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wise_Old_Owl . |
|
A wise old owl sat in
an oak, The more he heard the
less he spoke, The less he spoke the
more he heard, Why aren’t we all like
that a wise old bird? |
|
Adventures
of Isabel
‘Tis the season to be scared but not for Isabel. A poem by the wonderful Ogden Nash. A ‘zwieback’ is a rusk a type of crisp, sweetened bread, made with eggs and baked twice. It
originated in East Prussia. Zwieback - Wikipedia |
|
Isabel met an enormous bear, Isabel, Isabel, didn't care; The bear was hungry, the bear
was ravenous, The bear's big mouth was
cruel and cavernous. The bear said, Isabel, glad
to meet you, How do, Isabel, now I'll eat
you! Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry. Isabel didn't scream or
scurry. She washed her hands and she
straightened her hair up, Then Isabel quietly ate the
bear up. Once in a night as black as
pitch Isabel met a wicked old
witch. The witch's face was cross
and wrinkled, The witch's gums with teeth
were sprinkled. Ho, ho, Isabel! the old witch
crowed, I'll turn you into an ugly
toad! Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry, Isabel didn't scream or
scurry, She showed no rage and she
showed no rancor, But she turned the witch into
milk and drank her. Isabel met a hideous giant, Isabel continued self
reliant. The giant was hairy, the
giant was horrid, He had one eye in the middle
of his forhead. Good morning, Isabel, the
giant said, I'll grind your bones to make
my bread. Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry, Isabel didn't scream or
scurry. She nibbled the zwieback that
she always fed off, And when it was gone, she cut
the giant's head off. Isabel met a troublesome
doctor, He punched and he poked till
he really shocked her. The doctor's talk was of
coughs and chills And the doctor's satchel
bulged with pills. The doctor said unto Isabel, Swallow this, it will make
you well. Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry, Isabel didn't scream or
scurry. She took those pills from the
pill concocter, And Isabel calmly cured the
doctor. |
|
Apples
in the attic 🔊
A poem for a time of plenty. The blossom has come and gone and little
apples are beginning to form on the tree ready for the end of summer harvest.
My preference is for pears and since there are three pear trees in the garden
we should be well provided! Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Apples in the attic, Apples in the hall, Apples in the summer, Apples in the fall. Apples make you healthy, Apples make you tall. I will eat some apples, I will eat them all! |
|
A
question and answer rhyme. Traditionally it is played as a playground ball
game. Sit
the children in two lines facing and looking at each other. Once the children
are familiar with the rhyme each group take turns to ask and answer questions
using good expression (make sure you sound quizzical for the questions). Swap
over. Who was most effective? Why? Encourage use of different voices – loud,
soft, angry, amused. What other voices could they use? |
|
Are you going to golf
sir? No sir. Why sir? Because I’ve
got a cold sir. Where did you get the
cold sir? Up at the
North Pole sir. What were you doing
there sir? Catching
polar bears sir. How many did you catch
sir? One sir, two
sir, three sir, four sir, five sir, six sir, seven sir, eight sir, nine sir,
ten sir – that’s all
there were sir! |
Indicate
counting fingers to ten. Shrug and
throw out hands. |
|
Bed in summer 🔊
Contrasting seasonal routines. Written by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) who wrote so many
delightful poems for young children. The music is an ‘English folk song’. |
|
In winter I get up at
night And dress by yellow
candle-light. In summer, quite the other
way, I have to go to bed by
day. I have to go to bed and
see The birds still hopping on
the tree, Or hear the grown-up
people’s feet Still going past me in the
street. And does it not seem hard
to you, When all the sky is clear
and blue, And I should like so much
to play, To have to go to bed by
day? |
|
Boats
sail on the rivers 🔊
There is nothing to compare to a rainbow. A poem by Christina
Rossetti. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Boats sail on the rivers, And ships sail on the seas; But clouds that sail across
the sky Are prettier far than these. There are bridges on the
rivers, As pretty as you please; But the bow that bridges
heaven, And overtops the trees, And builds a road from earth
to sky, Is prettier far than these. |
|
Busy
little ants 🔊
Ants are never still especially when the weather is warm; investigate
the many jobs they have to do. Words: Anon Music and arrangement:Dany Rosevear. |
|
Ants are always busy, They hurry here and there. You never see one sleeping Or sitting in a chair. I can see a hundred ants, A thousand ants or more, Crawling up and down their
hill, And in and out each door. |
|
Calico Pie 🔊
A poem from the amazing Edward Lear 1812-1888. I
have no idea where this tune came from but I’ve known it for a very long time
– a children’s radio programme??! The words are slightly adapted from the original to
accommodate the tune. |
|
Calico Pie, The little Birds fly Down to the calico-tree, Their wings were blue, And they sang ‘Tilly-loo!’ Till away they all flew, - And they never came
back to me! Back, they never came back! They never came back to me! Back, they never came back! They never came back to
me! Calico jam, The little Fish swam Over the Syllabub Sea, He took off his hat, To the Sole and the
Sprat, And the Willeby-wat, - But he never came back
to me! Back, he never came back! He
never came back to me! Back, he never came back! He
never came back to me! Calico Ban, The little Mice ran, To be ready in time for
tea, Flippity flup, They drank it all up, And danced in the cup, - But they never came
back to me! Back, they never came back! They never came back to me! Back, they never came back! They never came back to
me! Calico Drum, The Grasshoppers come, The Butterfly, Beetle,
and Bee, Over the ground, Around and around, With a hop and a bound, - But they never came
back to me! Back, they never came back! They never came back to me! Back, they never came back! They never came back to
me! |
|
Cats sleep anywhere 🔊
A poem by
Eleanor Farjeon for all cat lovers and those who love the precision of verse
and words. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Cats sleep, anywhere, Any table, any chair Top of piano, window-ledge, In the middle, on the edge, Open drawer, empty shoe, Anybody's lap will do, Fitted in a cardboard box, In the cupboard, with your frocks, Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep anywhere. |
|
Come, little leaves O
A poem by
George Cooper 1838–1927. My version came
from ‘The book of a thousand poems’ but according to some internet sources
there are two more verses. There are also some great blogs to show this poem
has been loved by past generations: http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com/blind_pig_the_acorn/2013/10/appalachia-through-my-eyes-come-said-the-wind.html
This is another one that can be mimed by gently
moving back and forth, round and round, up and down to represent the wind,
leaves and snow, finishing falling gently down to the floor and sleeping. |
|
“Come, little leaves,” said the wind one day, “Come over the meadows with me and play; Put on your dresses of red and gold; For summer is gone, and the days grow cold.” Soon as the leaves heard the wind’s loud call, Down they came fluttering, one and all; Over the fields they danced and flew, Singing the soft little songs they knew. Dancing and whirling the little leaves went; Winter had called them and they were content; Soon, fast asleep in their earthy beds, The snow laid a coverlet over their heads. |
|
Crocuses 🔊
A little song
inspired by a Japanese Haiku by Josa Busson (1716-1783). What is a
Haiku? Find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku
Melody and
translation by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Sparkling sun-kissed dew, On the yellow crocus flow’rs; White and lilac too. White and lilac too. |
|
Dad and
the Cat and the Tree
A poem by Kit Wright. This was a big favourite when I was teaching. |
|
This morning a cat got
stuck in our tree. Dad said, “Right. Just
leave this to me.” The tree was wobbly, the
tree was tall. Mum said, “For goodness
sake don’t fall!” “Fall?” scoffed Dad, “A
climber like me? Child’s play this is! You
wait and see.” He got out the ladder from
the garden shed, It slipped, he landed in
the flower bed. “Never mind,” said Dad
brushing the dirt Off his hair and his face
and his trousers and shirt, “We’ll try plan B. Stand
out of the way”, Mum said, “Don’t fall
again, OK?” “Fall again?” said Dad.
“Funny Joke!” Then he swung himself up
on a branch – It broke. Dad landed, wallop! – back
on the deck. Mum said, “Stop it! You’ll
break your neck!” “Rubbish!” said Dad, “Now
we try Plan C. Easy as winking to a
climber like me!” Then he climbed up high on
the garden wall, Guess what? He didn’t
fall! He gave a great leap and
he landed flat In the crook of the tree
trunk right on the cat! The cat gave a yell and
sprang to the ground, Pleased as Punch to be
safe and sound. So it’s smiling and
smirking, smug as can be, But poor Dad’s Still Stuck Up The Tree! |
|
Dandelion
clocks (2)
A speech and finger play rhyme, learn to blow. Every child loves to blow a dandelion puff and watch the tiny seeds
take to the air. Even better use one to tell the time. By Miss J.E. Mulliner from 'Speech Rhymes’ edited by Clive Sansom, a
lovely collection introduced to support the teaching of young children in the
1960s. |
|
Wh - wh - wh - wh! One o’clock, two o’clock,
three o’clock, four- I found a fairy clock
close to my door. Wh - wh - wh - wh! Five o’clock, six o’clock,
seven o’clock, eight- I blew and I blew, and I
found it was late. Wh - wh - wh - wh! I blew and I blew till I
counted to ten- And now I’m beginning all
over again! |
|
Down in
the earth 🔊
The flowers are awakening – it is time to be outside. Written by H. Henley. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Down in the earth in their
dark winter bed Someone is calling, the
crocus said, In colours bright they
quickly dressed, In lavender, purple and
gold of the best. Then out in the grass they
dance in a ring And call to the children,
"Come out! It is Spring." |
|
End of
summer 🔊
Where have all the insects gone? A nostalgic change of season poem by Rowena Bastin Bennett. Melody by Dany Rosevear. |
|
The little songs of summer
are all gone today. The little insect
instruments are all packed away: The bumblebee's snare
drum, the grasshopper's guitar, The katydid's castanets - I
wonder where they are. The bullfrog's banjo, the
cricket's violin, The dragonfly's cello have
ceased their merry din. Oh, where is the
orchestra? From harpist down to drummer They've all disappeared
with the passing of summer. |
|
Fairies 🔊
A warning for those who would love to meet a fairy, don’t try too
hard! I was lucky for in my childhood imagination I had a visit from a little
troupe of them sliding down from my knees when I was very poorly in bed!
There did happen to be a tree outside the window in full leaf casting its
shadows through the moonlit window! This poem was written by Eleanor Farjeon. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
They’ll fly away if you do. You never can see the fairies, Till they come looking for you. La, la la la la, La la la la la, La la la la la la, La, la la la la la, La, la la la la, La la la la la la, |
|
Fairy
shoes 🔊
Just can’t resist a poem about fairies since I first met them when as
a six year old, I was ill in bed with a childhood complaintA penguin lived on
the bedroom heater around the same time. Leaves on a tree outside and flames
produced flickering shadows to feed a lively imagination! This poem was written by Annette Wynne. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
The little shoes that fairies
wear Are very small indeed; No larger than a violet bud, As tiny as a seed. The little shoes that fairies
wear Are very trim and neat; They leave no tracks behind
for those Who search along the street. The little shoes of fairies
are So light and soft and small, That though a million passed
you by You would not hear at all. |
|
Five little owls in an old elm tree 🔊
A poem by anonymous until I can find the author. Melody by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Five little owls in an old elm tree, Fluffy and puffy as owls could be; Blinking and winking with big round eyes, At the big round moon that hung in the skies. As I passed beneath I could hear one say, "There'll be mouse for supper, there will,
today!" Then all of them hooted, "Tu-whit, tu-whoo! Yes, mouse for supper, Hoo hoo, hoo hoo!" |
|
Four
ducks on a pond 🔊
Memories can be so precious. This poem / nursery rhyme was written by the Irish poet William
Allingham (1824 - 1889). Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Four ducks on a pond, A grass bank beyond, A blue sky of spring, White clouds on the wing: What a little thing To remember for years, To remember with tears! |
|
Four
little birds 🔊
A poem by Mary Mapes Dodge from The Young and Field Literary Readers,
Book 2 published 1916. Music by Dany Rosevear. A very familiar scenario to parents as the little ones grow and fly to
the four corners of the earth. |
|
Four little birds all flew
from their nest— Flew north, flew south, flew
east and west; They thought they would like
a wider view, So they spread their wings
and away they flew. |
|
Garden fairies 🔊
A poem from ‘Sing a song of seasons’ by Wilhelmina
Seegmiller. The melody from ‘The golden day is dying’ has been arranged by
Dany Rosevear for this song. As a four year old fairies in the garden seemed very
real; an old gentleman who had a railway embankment allotment at the bottom
of our garden encouraged my belief with gifts of teeny tiny potatoes to put on
rose petal plates for the fairies. They were always gone the following day! |
|
The garden's full of fairies; They have a happy time. Up, up the strings of glories, They climb, and climb, and climb, And then by ones and couples. And three, and four, and five, As if the grass were water, They gayly dip and dive. They climb the stalks of roses, And hide in hollyhocks; They play tag 'round the larkspur, And teeter on the phlox. The garden's full of fairies; They dance and sing and cheer. But when you go to the garden, They all just disappear. |
|
Good
night 🔊
A very short night time poem by Thomas Hood. Music by Alec Wilder, arranged by Dany Rosevear. 1. Point to self, put thumb
tips together and fingers up. 2. Place palms together and rest head on it. 3.
Upright hands move to close gap., raise finger cup other hand underneath. 4.
Blow tip of finger, wave and put finger to lips. |
|
Here's a body, there's a bed!
There's a pillow, here's a
head! There’s a curtain, here’s a
light: There’s a puff, and so good
night! |
|
Grasshopper
Green 🔊
A nursery rhyme. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Grasshopper Green is a
comical chap; He lives on the best of fare.
Bright little trousers,
jacket and cap, These are his summer wear. Out in the meadow he loves to
go, Playing away in the sun; It's hopperty, skipperty,
high and low - Summer's the time for fun. Grasshopper Green has a
quaint little house; It's under the hedgerow gay. Grandmother Spider, as still
as a mouse, Watches him over the way. Gladly he's calling the
children, I know, Out in the beautiful sun; It's hopperty, skipperty,
high and low - Summer's the time for fun. |
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