More
action songs M-S
Michael
row the boat ashore
Miss
Mary Mac, Mac, Mac
Mister
Green Froggie
Moose,
monkey, kangaroo
Move
with me
Mr.
Jumping Jack Man
My
ship sailed from China
My
thumbs are starting to wiggle
My
dog Rags
‘Neath
the spreading chestnut tree
Oh
my, fish in the sky
Oh,
what shall we do in our garden?
Okki-tokki-unga
Old
Miss Sally
Old
Missouri had a mule
Oliver
Twist twist twist
One
finger, one thumb
Last updated: 6/19/2018
4:22 PM
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:
© 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
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you may not use this work for commercial purposes
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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.
Michael row
the boat ashore O A more simple version of an African American spiritual song sung by
former slaves and collected in the 1860s by Charles Pickard Ware an
abolitionist, see more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Row_the_Boat_Ashore
Gently rock to and fro with a partner. |
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah! Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah! Sister help to trim the sails, Hallelujah! Sister help to trim the sails, Hallelujah! The river is deep and the river is wide,
Hallelujah! Milk and honey on the other side, Hallelujah! |
Mister Green
Froggie 🔊 A little scenario to dramatise. Children work with a partner, one
takes the role of the frog the other the fly. Second time it can be reversed.
Alternately this can be used as a hand play, see the video. From ‘Materials for
nursery school teachers’ 1973 edited by Virginia McCaig. Music by Dany
Rosevear. 1. First child sits on the
floor with hands folded against cheeks and eyes closed. 2. Second child flies over
and crouches beside frog. 3. First child raises head and opens eyes. 4. First
child claps hands together. 5. Second child flies away. 6. First child rises
and hops away. |
Mister Green Froggie
was fast asleep, On
a lily pad where the pool was deep. He
heard some wings go buzzing by, He
opened his eyes and there was a fly! Snap
went the froggie! Away the fly flew, And
Mr. Green Froggie went hopping off, too. |
Moose, monkey,
kangaroo O Played in the same way as ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’. First time sing each animal’s name and do the following actions; moose: put hands to head to make antlers, monkey: scratch underarms, kangaroo:
make a riding action with hands, worm:
wiggle forefinger, owl: make
circles round eyes with thumbs and forefingers, butterfly: link thumbs and flap hands, flea: make forefinger hop on palm of the hand. Second time omit the word ‘moose’ but do all actions as before.
Continue missing out a new animal 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. |
Moose, monkey, kangaroo,
kangaroo. Moose, monkey, kangaroo,
kangaroo. And worm and owl and
butterfly and flea, Moose, monkey, kangaroo,
kangaroo. |
Move with me 🔊 Keep this a
simple movement game for the younger ones but add the last verse to challenge
older children. Start clapping in a circle sitting down until
the rhythm is familiar then move in and out of each other into spaces around
the room. |
Oh, you clap and you clap and you clap and you STOP! And you clap and you clap and you clap and you STOP! And you clap and you clap and you clap and you STOP! And you clap and you clap and you STOP! Oh, you walk and you walk and you walk and you STOP! And you walk and you walk and you walk and you STOP! And you walk and you walk and you walk and you STOP! And you walk and you walk and you STOP! Oh, you jump and you jump and you jump and you STOP! And you jump and you jump and you jump and you STOP! And you jump and you jump and you jump and you STOP! And you jump and you jump and you STOP! Oh, you hop and you hop and you hop and you
STOP! And you hop and you hop and you hop and you
STOP! And you hop and you hop and you hop and you
STOP! Stand as still as you can be! Then… SIT! |
Mr. Jumping Jack Man O Using a classic wooden Jumping Jack toy pull string to demonstrate how
legs and arms move up and down. Verse 1: Jump normally with a
partner for the first two lines. Do cross wise jumps. Shake hands with
partner. Verse 2: As before. Last
line hold partners hands and jump up and down. |
Mr. Jumping Jack Man is a
funny, funny man, He jumps and jumps as fast as
he can; His arms go out and his legs
go too; Mr. Jumping Jack Man, I’ll
jump with you! Mr. Jumping Jack Man is a
funny, funny man, He jumps and jumps as fast as
he can; His arms go out and his legs
go too; Mr. Jumping Jack Man, How do
you do? |
Miss
Mary Mac, Mac, Mac O A clapping or skipping rhyme well known all over the English speaking world.
In England ‘pence’ is replace by ‘cents’. The version below with elephants and the 4th of July is
from the USA. Opie’s ‘The Singing Game’ mentions a Miss Jackson in the 1870s
from Shropshire who saw children skipping along in pairs with hands crossed
singing: ‘Betsy Blue came all in black, Silver buttons down her back…’ You can find two clapping games here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Mack
There are many delightful videos of children clapping watch this one
at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz6gUgRK5So
|
Miss Mary Mac, Mac, Mac, All dressed in black,
black, black, With silver buttons,
buttons, buttons, All down her back, back,
back. She asked her mother,
mother, mother, For fifty cents, cents,
cents, To see the elephant,
elephant, elephant, Jump over the fence,
fence, fence. He jumped so high, high,
high, He reached the sky, sky,
sky, And never came back, back,
back, Till the fourth of July,
-ly, -ly. She went upstairs, stairs,
stairs, And bumped her head, head,
head, And now she’s DEAD! |
My dog
Rags O A
great syncopated song with a ragtime rhythm. The
music slightly adapted and with chords added is from Beth’sNotes.com: http://bethsmusicnotes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/my-dog-rags.html
Actions:
Verse 1 Line 1 Point to self. 2 Pretend to eat and hands indicate tummy. 3 .Hands flap alternatively up and down to
make floppy ears then move from side to side like a tail wagging. 4 Make two
fingers walk, move hips from side to side. Use
same movements for the chorus. Line 4 Point to self and cross hands on heart. Verse
2 Line 1 Point to self. 2 Roll arms. 3 Whistle and with hands flat move arms
across each other – over and under. 4 Make two fingers walk and then thumbs
point away in opposite directions. |
I have a dog and his name is Rags, He eats so much that his tummy sags. His ears flip-flop and his tail wig-wags, And when he walks, he goes zig-zag. Chorus He goes flip-flop, wig-wag, zig-zag, He goes flip-flop, wig-wag, zig-zag, He goes flip-flop, wig-wag, zig-zag, I love Rags and he loves me! My dog Rags, he loves to play, He rolls around in the mud all day, I whistle, (whistle)
he won't obey, He always runs the other way. Chorus My dog Rags, he loves to bark, He wants me to join him in the park, He barks, (woof,
woof) he tries to talk, He barks to chase the cats away. Chorus |
My ship sailed from China O This is a cumulative action
song and great fun as the movements get progressively harder to perform. each
time the song is sung.
|
My thumbs are starting to wiggle 🔊 Get rid of all
those fidgety feelings, ready to sit down and concentrate. Identify different
parts of the body. Begin with small movements and move to larger ones to
finish sitting down quietly. Wiggle each body part as it is mentioned. |
My thumbs are starting to wiggle, My thumbs are starting to wiggle, My thumbs are starting to wiggle, Around and around and around. x2 My hands are starting to wiggle, x3 Around and around and around. x2 My arms are starting to wiggle,x3 Around and around and around. x2 My legs are starting to wiggle,x3 Around and around and around. x2 Now all of me is a wiggling, x3 I think I had better sit down. x2 |
‘Neath the spreading
chestnut tree O Words
possibly by Hamilton and Jimmy. Kennedy and set to music by Hal Kemp; it was
inspired by the first line of the poem ’The village blacksmith’ by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow (1807 – 1832). Find more actions at: http://jabblog-jabblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/underneath-spreading-chestnut-tree.html The full version is shown below but to simplify things in order to
play the following cumulative action game just sing the first two verses. Each time the refrain ‘Under
the spreading chestnut tree’ is sung: ‘neath – dip down Spreading
– stretch out arms Chestnut – touch chest then
head Tree – raise hands When song is repeated miss
the first word and replace by the action. Next time omit the first two words and just mime actions.
Continue until only actions are used for the phrase. |
Underneath the spreading chestnut tree, I loved her and she loved me. There she used to sit upon my knee, 'Neath the spreading chestnut tree. There beneath the boughs we used to meet, All her kisses were so sweet. All the little birds went, “Tweet, tweet, tweet!” 'Neath the spreading chestnut tree. I said, “I love you, and there ain't no ifs nor
buts.” She said "I love you", and the
blacksmith shouted "Chestnuts!" Underneath the spreading chestnut tree, There she said she’d marry me. Now you ought to see our family, 'Neath the spreading chestnut tree. |
Oh, my, fish
in the sky 🔊 A great triple meter rhyme, encourage children
to make up their own tunes; the melody here is by Dany Rosevear. Mime the
actions suggested by the words. |
Oh, my, fish in the sky, Shoes on the ceiling and trees walking by. Reaching up low, bending down high. Everything seems to be wrong, right? Everything seems to be wrong. |
Oh, what
shall we do in our garden? 🔊 This song comes from ‘More singing games’ by
Edith Kay published 1909. The tune is ‘The bluebells of Scotland’ as
suggested in ‘This little Puffin’ published 1969. Dany Rosevear arranged the tune and wrote the
second verse. Mime the
actions suggested by the words. Encourage
children to suggest other gardening activities. |
Oh, what shall we do in our garden this fine
day? Oh, what shall we do in our garden this fine
day? We’ll dig and dig and dig well, With our spades this way. Oh, we’ll dig and we’ll dig in our garden
this fine day. Oh, what shall we do in our garden this fine
day? Oh, what shall we do in our garden this fine
day? We’ll weed and weed and weed well, With our trowels this way. Oh, we’ll weed and we’ll weed in our garden
this fine day. |
Okki-tokki-unga 🔊 This is the story, so it is said, of an eskimo
lad who goes fishing in his canoe. Mark the beat with the actions below. Find out more at: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=102109. Chorus: Sit on floor and
paddle from side to side with one fist on top of the other. Verse 1. Put
hand to forehead and mime looking around. Verse
2. Cast net to one side then the other. Chorus last time: Paddle
slowly home. |
Okki-tokki-unga, Okki-tokki-unga, Hey, Missa Day, Missa Doh, Missa Day. Okki-tokki-unga, Okki-tokki-unga, Hey, Missa Day, Missa Doh, Missa Day. Hexa cola misha woni, Hexa cola misha woni, Hexa cola misha woni. |
Old Miss
Sally 🔊 This song comes from ‘Very favorites of the very
young’ published by World Around Songs in 1986. It is also familiar as a
fiddle tune. Make a
circle with one child in the centre; this named, real or made up, child
suggests a movement which the others copy. Finish with a bow from the waist. |
Old Miss Sally likes to jumpity jump, Jumpity jump, jumpity jump, Old Miss Sally likes to jumpity jump, And old Miss Sally likes to bow. Old Mr. Bob likes to bobbity bob, Bobbity bob, bobbity bob, Old Mr. Bob likes to bobbity bob, And old Mr. Bob likes to bow. Young Master Ethan likes to hoppity hop… Young Miss Milly likes to clap her hands… Young Master Isaac likes to stretch up high… |
Old Missouri
had a mule 🔊 This song could well be a precursor of ‘Old
MacDonald’. It is recorded in Ozark Folksongs, volume 3 and collected from
Mr. H. F. Walker, Missouri, 1927. Find out more at: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63612. It can also be found on one of Burl Ives
albums.This could easily be played as a cumulative song. With hands to
head flop them like ears in all directions. Swish arm every which way for the
tail and use elbows for heel. Children sitting on the floor might like to
stick their legs in the air! |
Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho! And on this mule there were two ears,
he-hi-he-hi-ho! With a flip-flop here, And a flip-flop
there, Here a flop, there a flop, Everywhere a
flip-flop, Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho! Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho! And on this mule there was a tail,
he-hi-he-hi-ho! With a swish-swish here, And a swish-swish
there, Here a swish, there a swish Everywhere a
swish-swish, Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho! Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho! And on this mule there were two heels,
he-hi-he-hi-ho! With a kick-kick here, And a kick-kick
there, Here a kick, there a kick, Everywhere a
kick-kick! Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho! |
Oliver Twist O Learn the name of body parts with this action song for younger
children. Ask them to suggest other parts and add more verses. 1. Make a twisting motion
with hands on hips. 2. Wag forefinger from side
to side. 3. Touch named part of body
three times. Repeat this for each verse. Add the last verse if
children are ready for more complex movements. |
Oliver
Twist, twist, twist, Can’t
do this, this, this, Touch
his knees, knees, knees, Touch
his nose, nose, nose, Touch
his hair, hair, hair, Touch
his toes, toes, toes. Oliver
Twist, twist, twist, Can’t
do this, this, this, Touch
his ears, ears, ears, Touch
his waist, waist, waist, Touch
his eyes, eyes, eyes, Touch
his face, face, face. Oliver
Twist, twist, twist, Can’t
do this, this, this, Clap
his hands, hands, hands, Touch
the ground, ground, ground, Stamp
his feet, feet, feet, Turn
around, round, round! |
One finger, one thumb O A very energetic action song. Move each part of the body
as it is mentioned up and down. |
One
finger, one thumb keep moving, One
finger, one thumb keep moving, One
finger, one thumb keep moving, We’ll
all be merry and bright. One
finger, one thumb, one arm... One
finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg... One
finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head... One
finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head... One
finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, stand up, sit
down... One
finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, stand up, sit down,
and turn around keep moving... We’ll
all be merry and bright! |
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