Snip, snap crocodile L-O
Poems + action and other rhymes for children
“Little by little,” the acorn
said
Little seeds we grow in Spring
Looe
Look at your hat!
Looking up through a tree
Lullabye, Lullabye
Mice
Minnie and Winnie
Moby Dick
Monday’s child
Mousie, mousie
Mud
My Lady Spring
Old
John Muddlecombe
On
the Ning Nang Nong
One
day I saw a downy duck
One for sorrow, two for joy
One he loves
One-eyed Jack the pirate chief
Only my opinion
Also see:
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: 1/30/2023
10:32 AM
Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page
To watch and listen
to the rhyme 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.
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“Little by little,” an acorn said 🔊
A tiny acorn to a magnificent oak tree; like the
little seed we too can improve every day. The longer poem has more verses ending with: “Little by little, I’ll learn to know The treasured wisdom of long ago; And one of these days, perhaps, we’ll see That the world will be the better for me”; And do you not think that this simple plan Made him a wise and useful man? Tune by Dany Rosevear. |
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“Little by little,” an
acorn said, As it slowly sank in its
mossy bed, “I am improving every
day, Hidden deep in the
earth away.” Little by little, each
day it grew; Little by little, it
sipped the dew; Downward it sent out a
thread-like root; Up in the air sprung a
tiny shoot. Day after day, and year
after year, Little by little the
leaves appear; And the slender
branches spread far and wide, Till the mighty oak is the
forest’s pride. |
|
Little seeds we sow in Spring 🔊
A
Spring poem by Else Holmelund Minarik. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Little seeds we sow in
spring growing while the
robins sing, give us carrots, peas
and beans, tomatoes, pumpkin,
squash and greens. And we pick them one and all through the summer, through the fall. Winter comes, then
spring, and then little seeds we sow
again. |
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Hooray!
Once again the trains are running through Exeter on their way to Looe and
other parts of Cornwall after this year’s winter storms (2014) made the
journey impossible. Once steam trains followed the same route and this poem
by Roland Egan makes the excitement of the journey feel real. Imitate
the rhythm of the train when reciting this poem. Make lines trains with
hands on shoulders – move with a shuffle Don’t forget to wave and stoop down
through the tunnel. |
|
Bidderly-do,
bidderly-do, I'm on a train and I'm
off to Looe. Ra-ta-ta-tar,
ra-ta-ta-tar, I'm going to visit my
Grandmamma. Tickety-tack,
tickety-tack, Into a tunnel that's
ever so black. A-rumpety-tum,
a-rumpety-tum, I'm taking a present to
Granny from Mum. Tickety-boo, tickety-boo, I always enjoy the
journey to Looe. Chi-chi-chi-choo, Chi-chi-chi...........CHOO! |
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Look at your hat! 🔊
This
comic rhyme from Barabara Ireson comes from her collection written with
Christopher Rose ‘Over and over again’. You
will need to be sensitive to the feelings of others when singing but children
also enjoy laughing at themselves and expressing exasperation or bemusement. It
is also a song that lends itself to dramatisation. |
|
Look at your hat! Just look at your hat! It’s back to front And squashed quite
flat. Look at your hat! Look at your shirt! Just look at your
shirt! It’s inside out And black with dirt. Look at your shirt! Look at your dress! Just look at your
dress! It’s rumpled and
crumpled And needs a press. Look at your dress! Look at your shoes! Just look at your
shoes! They’re full of holes Not fit to use. Look at your shoes! Look at your face! Just look at your face! It hasn’t been washed What a disgrace! Look at your face! GO HOME |
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Looking up through a tree 🔊
‘Friends’
by Abbie Farwell Brown. A
poem for summer camping days and the joy of friends. Music
by Dany Rosevear. |
|
How good to lie a
little while And look up through the
tree! The Sky is like a kind,
big smile Bent sweetly over me. The sunshine flickers
through the lace Of leaves above my
head, And kisses me upon the
face Like Mother before bed. The Wind comes stealing
o'er the grass To whisper pretty
things; And though I cannot see
it pass, I feel its careful
wings. So many gentle Friends
are near Whom one can scarcely
see, A child should never
feel a fear, Wherever that may be. |
|
Lullabye, Lullabye 🔊
A
gentle poem by Phyllis L. Garlick. Music
by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Lullaby, Lullaby, Shadows creep across
the sky. See, the sun has gone
to rest, Lullaby. Lullaby, Lullaby, Little one to Dreamland
fly, Till the morning sun
awakes, Lullaby. |
|
Mice 🔊
In
my opinion or not! One of my very favourite classic children’s poem by Rose
Fyleman even though I am definitely not keen to have them in the house! Music
by Dany Rosevear. Touch or make each part
of mentioned body. Make fingers scamper. |
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I think mice Are rather nice. Their tails are long, Their faces small, They haven't any Chins at all. Their ears are pink, Their teeth are white, They run about The house at night. They nibble things They shouldn’t touch And no one seems To like them much. But I think mice Are Nice |
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Minnie and Winnie 🔊
A
delightful poem and lullaby by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Music
by Dany Rosevear; there are several lovely tunes set to this poem but none I
found easy to sing. |
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Minnie and Winnie Slept in a shell. Sleep, little ladies! And they slept well. Pink was the shell
within, Silver without; Sounds of the great sea Wander’d about. Sleep, little ladies! Wake not soon! Echo on echo Dies to the moon. Two bright stars Peep’d into the shell. “What are you dreaming
of? Who can tell?” Started a green linnet Out of the croft; Wake, little ladies, The sun is aloft! |
A wonderful poem by R.C. Scriven. Whales
are the biggest mammals in the world which makes them a very attractive topic
for young children; like many adults they can begin to understand the
difficulties faced by whale populations in our world. |
|
Moby Dick is the great
white whale with a tiny little eye and a big black tail. He snorts and wallows
where the icebergs roll round and round the huge North Pole. The ice at the Pole is
ten feet thick. What do I care? What do I care? - asks
Moby Dick. I’m Moby Dick the great
white whale with a tiny little eye and a big black tail And I make my breakfast
and my dinner and my tea Of all the little
fishes in the deep blue sea. |
|
Monday’s child 🔊
How does this traditional rhyme accord with your own
experience! It is normally recited as a rhyme rather than sung
as a song. Arranged and set to music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for a living, And the child that is born on the Sabbath day Is bonny, and blithe, and good, and gay. |
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A poem by Rose Fyleman. Rose
Fyleman is a wonderful children’s poet and you will find many more delightful
rhymes for
4-8 year olds in any anthology that includes her work. More
favourites by this poet: ‘The goblin’, ‘I think mice are rather nice’,
‘Wanted’. |
|
Mousie, mousie, Where is your wee
little housie? Here is the door, Under the floor, Said mousie, mousie. Mousie, mousie, May I come into your
housie? You can’t get in, You have to be thin, Said mousie, mousie. Mousie, mousie, Won’t you come out of
your housie? I’m sorry to say, I’m busy all day, Said mousie, mousie. |
|
Mud 🔊
This
poem by Polly Chase Boyden was always a favourite in my classes; very few
children dislike playing in mud but only a small number get to do so with
bare feet. Music
by Dany Rosevear. |
|
All squishy-squash between the toes! I’d rather wade in wiggly mud Than smell a yellow rose. Nobody else but the rosebush knows How nice mud feels Between the toes. |
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My Lady Spring 🔊
A poem from
‘The book of 1,000 poems’. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
My Lady
Spring is dressed in green, She
wears a primrose crown, And
little baby buds and twigs Come
clinging to her gown; The sun
shines if she laughs at all, But if
she weeps the raindrops fall. My Lady
Spring. My Lady Spring! |
|
Losing
things is common problem for the elderly but the young also have their
moments of forgetfulness; a song to be enjoyed by all. |
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Old John Muddlecombe Couldn’t find his hat. He looked for it everywhere, Poor old chap. He went down the high street And everybody said. Silly Johnny Muddlecombe; Your hat is on your head! |
|
On the Ning Nang Nong O
A
wonderful nonsense poem by Spike Milligan. Set to music for the Australian
Play School. |
|
On the Ning Nang Nong Where the Cows go Bong! And the Monkeys all say BOO! There's a Nong Nang Ning Where the trees go Ping! And the tea pots Jibber Jabber Joo. On the Nong Ning Nang All the mice go Clang! And you just can't catch 'em when they do! So it's Ning Nang Nong! The Cows go Bong! Nong Nang Ning! The trees go Ping! Nong Ning Nang! The mice go Clang! What a noisy place to belong, Is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong! The Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!! |
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One day I saw a downy duck 🔊
Or
‘Good Morning’ by Muriel Snipe. A greeting song. This
one is great for the use of adjectives and making up further verses. Traditional
music arranged by Dany Rosevear. |
|
One day I saw a downy
duck With feathers on its
back; I said, “Good morning,
downy duck,” And it said, “Quack,
quack, quack!” One day I saw a timid
mouse It was so shy and meek; I said, “Good morning,
timid mouse,” And it said, “Squeak,
squeak, squeak!” One day I saw a curly
dog I met it with a bow; I said, “Good morning,
curly dog,” And it said,
“Bow-wow-wow!” One day I heard a
scarlet bird It woke me from my
sleep; I said, “Good morning,
scarlet bird,” And it said, “Cheep,
cheep, cheep!” One day I saw a snowy
owl, Three little owlets
too; I said, “Good morning,
snowy owls,” They all said, “Whoo,
whoo, whoo, Whoo are you?!” |
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One for sorrow, two for joy O
A nursery rhyme to recite / or sing when one catches
sight of one magpie or more. Traditionally the number of magpies determine
one’s fortune. Many rhymes continue: Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten
for a bird, You must not miss. Find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_for_Sorrow_(nursery_rhyme)
The one below I remembered chanting with my siblings
as a child. The melody and doleful last couplet was added by Dany Rosevear. |
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One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told. Magpie, magpie, why do you sigh? I sit so alone as the world goes by. |
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One eyed Jack, the pirate chief 🔊
A pirate
themed rhyme for pirate play set to music by Dany Rosevear. Encourage fierce
expressions in looks and voice as this song is sung. |
|
One eyed Jack, the pirate chief Was a terrible, fearsome ocean thief. He wore a peg upon one leg; He wore a hook and a dirty look! One eyed Jack, the pirate chief Was a terrible, fearsome ocean thief. |
One he
loves
A traditional rhyme for counting things,
perhaps daisy petals, apple pips etc. It reminds me of the much more familiar
saying when daisies were in season, pulling petals o that we all played as
children I knew as a child – ‘He loves me, he loves me not…’. St. Valentines day is on its way and love is
in the air. |
|
One, he loves; two, he
loves; Three, he loves, they
say; Four, he loves with all
his heart; Five, he casts away. Six, he loves; seven,
she loves; Eight, they both love. Nine, he comes; ten, he
tarries; Eleven, he courts;
twelve, he marries. |
Moby Dick
A wonderful poem by R.C. Scriven. Whales
are the biggest mammals in the world which makes them a very attractive topic
for young children; like many adults they can begin to understand the
difficulties faced by whale populations in our world. |
|
Moby Dick is the great
white whale with a tiny little eye and a big black tail. He snorts and wallows
where the icebergs roll round and round the huge North Pole. The ice at the Pole is
ten feet thick. What do I care? What do I care? - asks
Moby Dick. I’m Moby Dick the great
white whale with a tiny little eye and a big black tail And I make my breakfast
and my dinner and my tea Of all the little
fishes in the deep blue sea. |
|
Only my opinion 🔊
Short and
sweet. This can be played by a child on their own hand or
played on a toddler’s palm. By Monica Shannon
(1890–1965) a Canadian-born American children's author and poet. Set to music
by Dany Rosevear. Wiggle finger across palm. Tickle palm. |
|
Is a caterpillar ticklish? Well, it's always my belief That he giggles, as he wiggles Across a hairy leaf. |
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