More action songs H

Hands go up and hands go down

Hardy sailors all are we

Have you ever climbed a tree?

Have you seen the little ducks?

Heads and shoulders knees and toes

Head, shoulders, baby, 1, 2, 3

Head, shoulders, knees and toes

Hello song

Helpful hands

Here comes Thomas

Here is a giant

Hey! Hey! Look at me!

Hop, said the grasshopper

Hop up and jump up

How do you do?

Last updated: 8/28/2023 9:28 AM

The songs below are part of ‘Away we go’ Round and about

compiled, adapted and illustrated 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:

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

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

Hands go up and hands go down 🔊

A transition song to storytime or any other quiet activity

A lively action to shake out those fleas before sitting quietly.

1. Stretch hands up high, then touch toes. Turn self around. Stand on one foot. Hand to ear and then shake finger. Sit, thumb up. Open book with palms of hand, finger to lips.

Hands go up and hands go down!

I can turn myself around.

I can stand upon one shoe.

I can listen, so can you,

I can sit, I’ll show you how,

Storytime (any other activity) is starting now.

Hardy sailors all are we 🔊

An old sailor chantey. It is also called ‘The Sailor Lads’ from the ‘New elementary music’

by Charles A. Fullerton 192. The tune is also familiar as ‘Boney was a warrior’.

Encourage children to make up new verses with actions: rowing boat, pulling up the anchors, scrubbing the decks.

1. With hands on hips skip forward and then back. 2. Find a partner and skip round holding hands, squat and rise. 3. Pull at the ropes, skip round once again.

Hardy sailors all are we,

O hey ho!

Sailing on the mighty sea,

O hey ho!

See the billows leap and flow,

O hey ho!

Down we sink and up we go,

O hey ho!

Now we set the flapping sail,

O hey ho!

For to chase the flying gale,

O hey ho!

Have you ever climbed a tree? 🔊

A simple action rhyme for the very young.

Every child should have an opportunity to climb a tree! I was an avid tree climber as a child though my poor mother was often called upon to retrieve me from its branches. When I was older our family move to Malaya where I learnt to climb and hang by my legs from lychee trees; the best climbers were able to pick the few remaining pieces of fruit from the top of the tree.

This song comes from an edition of ‘Merrily, Merrily’ by the ‘Nursing mother’s association of Australia’ first published in 1979.

Crouch down and gradually stretch and walk body upwards as high as possible.

Alternatively walk fingers up the forearm to stretched palms.

Have you ever climbed a tree?

If you haven't come with me.

Let’s climb this way, let’s climb high,

Let’s climb right up to the sky!

Have you seen the little ducks O

An action rhyme.

Children put hands to shoulders to make wings. First they bob knees up and down, then bend low and dip beaks. Lastly they flap wings.

Have you seen the little ducks,

Swimming in the water?

Mother, father, baby ducks,

Grand-mamma and daughter.

Have you seen them dip their beaks,

Drinking up the water?

Mother, father, baby ducks,

Grand-mamma and daughter.

Have you seen them flap their wings,

Floating on the water?

Mother, father, baby ducks,

Grand-mamma and daughter.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes 🔊

A simple action rhyme for the very young from the early edition of ‘This little Puffin’.

There is only one mention of the Alabama verse on the internet with the spelling ‘bolders’.

Touch body parts as they are mentioned and finish by turning around. Encourage children to think of other actions to finish.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,

Knees and toes, knees and toes,

Head and shoulders, knees and toes, We all turn round together.

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,

Mouth and nose, mouth and nose,

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,

We all clap hands together.

(Alabama version)

Bed and boulders, bees and bows...

We all stamp feet together.

Head, shoulders, baby, 1, 2, 3 🔊

Traditionally an American clapping game. This version is from Songbirds ‘Me’ published 1997 and worked well with classes of 5-6 year olds.

However it is a challenging action song that needs to to be built up gradually; words, touching body parts and finally including claps.

Encourage children with their partners to make up their own verses.

Touch body parts mentioned, then clap between one and two and two and three in time to the music.

Head, shoulders, baby, 1, 2, 3,

Head, shoulders, head, shoulders,

Head, shoulders, baby, 1, 2, 3.

Hands, fingers, baby, 1, 2, 3,

Hands, fingers, hands, fingers,

Hands, fingers, baby, 1, 2, 3.

Hips, tummy, baby, 1, 2, 3,

Hips, tummy, hips, tummy,

Hips, tummy, baby, 1, 2, 3.

Knees, ankles, baby, 1, 2, 3,

Knees, ankles, knees, ankles,

Knees, ankles, baby, 1, 2, 3.

Head, shoulders, knees and toesO

A very popular action rhyme.

First time sing the song all the way through touching each part of the body as it is sung. Second time omit the word ‘head’ but touch all parts of the body as before. Continue missing out a new part of the body each time until there is no singing and only actions in the last but one verse. Finally sing all the words and make each movement as in the first verse.

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

And eyes and ears and mouth and nose,

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

Hello song 🔊

A welcome action song to sing at the beginning and end a session.

Learn to identify the colour of clothing and other attributes.

A folk song for children. Last verse adapted by Dany Rosevear

1. Wave to each other in a circle. 2. Children wearing chosen colour stand up.

3. Everyone pats their knees to the music. Repeat choosing a different colour each time.

Hello, hello, how do you do?

How do you do? How do you do?

Hello, hello, how do you do?

How do you do today?

If you’re wearing blue, stand up!

Pat, pat, pat your knees,

Pat your knees today.

Goodbye, goodbye, see you next time,

See you next time, see you next time,

Goodbye, goodbye, see you next time,

Can’t wait to sing and say:

Pat, pat, pat your knees…

Helpful hands 🔊

A song to sing when tidying up.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

The youngest children can sing the chorus over and over as they tidy. Slightly older children can sing the first verse and listen to the others and then join in the chorus.Older ones might sing the whole song.

We have very busy hands that help us through the day,

Helping here and helping there to put our things away;

Pick it up, pack it up, put it all away,

Pick it up, pack it up, put it all away.

Everything has a place, a place where it should be.

Then tomorrow you will find things, oh, so easily.

Pick it up, pack it up, put it all away,

Pick it up, pack it up, put it all away.

Many hands make light work when we help our friends,

The more we work together, the sooner tasks will end.

Pick it up, pack it up, put it all away,

Pick it up, pack it up, put it all away.

Here comes Thomas 🔊

My grandchildren, big Thomas the Tank Engine enthusiasts, requested a song that had to have the following characters: Thomas, James, a frog and a crocodile, this is the outcome with some modification from them! You can easily add other animals to the scenario. This can be played as a hand play or as below in groups of three. Children take turns to be the animal.

1. In pairs chuff round the room with arms moving back and forth. 2. A third child pretends to be frog or crocodile and stops train. 3. Shake forefinger and put hands on hips, Pull on hooter and make loud tooting noise.

Here comes Thomas, Mike and James,

Rolling down the track again.

Right in front in the deep, dark gloom,

A frog is singing to the moon;

“Little frog you might be cute,