Games galore in Gryphon’s Garden

More action songs R-S

Raise your hands above your head

Riding in a buggy, Miss Mary Jane

Rock-a-bye your bear

Rolling all around in a boat on the sea

Roots, trunk, branches

Row, boys, row

Row, row to the fishing grounds / Ro, ro til fiskeskjær!

Run like billy-o

Run, run, as fast as you can!

San Toki / Mountain bunny

Sarah the whale

Say, won’t you come along with me

See, see, see, three birds are in a tree

Shake hands, Mary

Shake, shake the apple tree

She waded in the water

Show me your right hand

Sometimes I am a sailor

Spaceship to the moon

Stop, look and listen

Storytime is over

Sunday Sunday clap clap clap

Sunflower, sunflower, standing straight and tall.

Swim little duck

Last updated: 4/23/2023 2:25 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:

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Raise your hands above your head O

Learn to follow instructions and have fun at the same time.

Written by Miss Catherine Willis of Atherstone, Warickshire

Move as suggested by the words.

Raise your hands above your head,

Clap them one, two, three;

Rest them now upon your hips,

Slowly bend your knees.

Up again and stand up tall,

Put your right foot out;

Shake your fingers, nod your head,

And turn yourself about.

Riding in a buggy , Miss Mary Jane 🔊

The traditional version of this song comes from South Carolina and can be found in ‘American folk songs for children’ by Ruth Crawford Seeger. Find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=146581 and about its African-American origins at: http://pancocojams.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/riding-in-buggy-miss-mary-jane-video.html

Add other forms of transport with appropriate movements.

Play as lap bouncing song with babies and toddlers: bounce, move back and forth, flap arms up and down.

1. Children move in and out of each other steering their wheels. 2. Sit and row boat. 3. With arms outstretched move round the room. 4.This game neatly ends with children making a train, one behind the other, moving elbows back and forth and hands pointing forward, they then moving into circle formation and finally sit in place in the ring.

Riding in a buggy, Miss Mary Jane,

Miss Mary Jane, Miss Mary Jane,

Riding in a buggy, Miss Mary Jane,

I’m a long ways from home.

Come ride with me,

Come ride with me, my darling,

Come ride with me.

Riding in a boat, Miss Mary Jane,

Miss Mary Jane, Miss Mary Jane,

Riding in a boat, Miss Mary Jane,

I’m a long ways from home.

Come row with me....

Flying in a plane, Miss Mary Jane,

Miss Mary Jane, Miss Mary Jane,

Flying in a plane, Miss Mary Jane,

I’m a long ways from home.

Come fly with me....

Riding in a train, Miss Mary Jane,

Miss Mary Jane, Miss Mary Jane,

Riding in a train, Miss Mary Jane,

I’m a long ways from home.

Come ride with me....

Come sit with me....

Rock-a-bye your bear 🔊

From Australia’s premier children’s song group ‘The Wiggles”. Visit ‘The Wiggles’ website at: http://TheWiggles.com.au

The songwriters are: Anthony Field, Gregory Page, Jeffrey Fatt and Murray Cook. My sister in Perth who has grandchildren there is very familiar with this energetic and musical foursome though they are less well-known on this side of the world.

Begin by waving hands from side to side. The rest of the movements follow the words.

Everybody clap,

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Everybody sing,

La, la, la, la, la!

Bow to your partner,

And then you turn around,

Yippee!

Hands in the air,

Rock-a-bye your bear.

Bear's now asleep,

Sh! Sh! Sh!

Bear's now asleep,

Sh! Sh! Sh!

Bear's now asleep.

Sh! Sh! Sh!

Rolling all around in a boat on the sea 🔊

This one written by Val Donlon is from ABC’s Play School and is a popular one in Australia for parents to play with their babies and toddlers. Roll their arms round, bob up and down on lap and move arms to make swimming motions. Older children could move as below.

1. Siting on the floor move body from side to side and roll one arm round the other. 2. Stand and bob up and down, finish with arm rolling. 3. Move around the room miming swimming with arms, finish with arm rolling.

Rolling all around in a boat on the sea

Roll, roll, roll, roll, roll along with me.

I’m rolling all around in a boat on the sea

Rolly polly, rolly polly, roll.

Bobbing up and down in a boat on the sea...

Bob, bob, bob, bob, bob along with me

I’m bobbing up and down in a boat on the sea

Rolly polly, rolly polly, roll.

Swimming all around in the deep blue sea ...

Swim, swim, swim, swim, swim along with me

I’m swimming all around in the deep blue sea

Rolly polly, rolly polly, roll.

Roots, trunks, branches 🔊

An action song naming tree parts. This version has an Autumn theme.

Based on ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’.

What would we do without our trees? Learn how essential they are to life on Earth. https://eartheclipse.com/environment/importance-trees-for-kids.html

Arranged and adapted by Dany Rosevear.

Verse 1. Stand and reach for toes then legs. Stretch arms out, then fingers, shake hands. 2. As before, finish by twirling and shaking hands to the ground.

Roots, trunks, branches, twigs and leaves, twigs and leaves,

Roots, trunks, branches, twigs and leaves, twigs and leaves;

And all this started with a teeny tiny seed,

Roots, trunks, branches, twigs and leaves, twigs and leaves.

Roots, trunks, branches, falling leaves, falling leaves,

Roots, trunks, branches, falling leaves, falling leaves;

And all this started with a teeny tiny seed,

Roots, trunks, branches, falling leaves, and a seed!

Row, boys, row 🔊

Practice rowing movements in time to the music, first slowly then fast. Children can do this in pairs, behind each other in a line or simply sitting in their own space.

It would also work well as a lap play game with a toddler.

If you’d like to make this game non-gender specific use words like ‘guys’, ‘sailors’ or ‘row, row, row’.

Row, boys, row,

Up the river go,

Long pull, strong pull,

Row, boys, row.

Row, girls, row,

Up the river go,

Long pull, strong pull,

Row, girls, row.

Row, row, row,

Up the river go,

Long pull, strong pull,

Row, row, row.

Row, row to the fishing grounds!

Ro, ro til fiskeskjær! 🔊

A Norwegian folk song. Can be played as a simple partner rowing game or as a hand play. Translated by Dany Rosevear.

Action game: Practice rowing movements in time to the music, first slowly then fast. Children can do this sitting opposite each other in pairs, behind each other in a line or simply sitting in their own space.

Hand play: First verse 1. Make rowing movements, throw out hands. 2.Put up one digit each time. Second verse 1. As before. Place one hand on top of the other with thumbs out to ‘swim’. 2. Show shape and size wth hands. 3. Makean eel with one arm then the other.

Row, row to the fishing grounds,

So many fish there to be found!

One for father, one for mother,

One for sister, one for brother,

Two for the one that caught the fish,

And that was little Frederik!

Row, row to the fishing grounds!

What kind of fish can there be found?

Salmon pink and flounder flat,

Bright herrings small and grey cod fat,

And eels so long and large like this,

And eels so long and large like this!

Ro, ro til fiskeskjær!

Mange fisker får vi der

én til far og én til mor

én til søster og én til bror

og to til den som fisken fikk,

og det var lille Fredrik!

Ro, ro til fiskeskjær,

Hva slags fisker får vi der?

Laksen fet og flyndra bred

Torsken grå, noen silder små

Og ålen stor og lang som så

Run, run, as fast as you can! 🔊

Written by Dany Rosevear based on a familiar refrain from the traditional story ‘The Gingerbread Man’.

Move fast move slow and in other ways to reinforc opposites; it is easy to make up your own verses. Move on the spot, round in a circle or around the room.

Move fast, creep, stamp, tiptoe, jump up high, crawl low.

“Run, run, as fast as you can!

You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread man!”

“I’ll creep, creep, as slow as I can!

You won't hear me, Mister Gingerbread man!”

“Stamp, stamp, as loud as you can!

You can’t catch me, I'm the Gingerbread man!”

“I’ll tiptoe, tiptoe, as quiet as I can!

You won’t hear me, Mister Gingerbread man!”

“Jump, jump, as high as you can!

You can’t catch me, I'm the Gingerbread man!”

“I’ll crawl, crawl, as low as I can!

You won’t hear me, Mister Gingerbread man!”

Run like billy-o 🔊

Burn off that energy with vigorous movements and then wind down.

Children take turns to be the bear. Add other movements hopping, striding etc.

Bear chases the children moving as the words suggest; when a child is caught they become the new bear for the next verse. Last verse: Children creep with hands on head. Bear moves heavily to the middle sits down, sleeps and snores. The children creep round in a circle then sit with hands to cheek and sleep too.

Run, run, run, run, run like billy-o,

Run from the big, bad, scary bear-y-o!

Closer, closer comes that hairy bear-y-o,

Faster, faster, we must go!

Jump, jump , jump, jump, jump like billy-o,

Jump from the big, bad, scary bear-y-o!

Closer, closer comes that hairy bear-y-o,

Faster, faster, we must go!

Tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe quietly-o,

Hide from the big, bad, scary bear-y-o!

But now scary bear is oh, so sleepy-o,

We can hear him snoring!

San toki / Mountain bunny 🔊

Probably the best known children’s Korean song. The Korean words below are a transliteration to make it easier to sing. English words adapted by Dany Rosevear.

1. Make rabbit ears to head. 2. Walk. 3. Bounce up and down with rabbit ears. 4. Walk. 5. Point to peaks. 6. Cross hands on chest. 7. Gather chestnuts. 8. Hold basket with one arm and give away chestnuts with the other hand.

Dear bunny, mountain bunny,

Tell me, where do you go?

Hopping, hopping, running fast,

Tell me, where do you go?

Over the mountain peaks,

I’ll climb them on my own;

Plump, so plump the chestnuts are,

I’ll bring some back for you.

San-toki, toki-yah

Oh-di-rule gah-nun yah?

Kang-choong, kang-choong di-myun-suh

Oh-di-rule gah-nun yah?

San-gogai gogai-rule

Na honja noh-moh-soh

Toshil-toshil al-ba-mule

Ju-woh-soh wol-tay-yah.

Sarah the whale 🔊

For camp fire singsongs.

Found this one in Tom Glazer’s ‘Do your ears hang low?’ published in 1980. Slightly adapted by listening to other versions.

1. Draw a circle horizontally, make one hand swim, feed self, pull on ropes. 2.Put hand to cheek, shake finger, rock baby, pat baby, suck straw. 3. Make big smile showing teeth, open mouth widely, punch ribs, look fierce. 4. Throw hands out and shrug, sit down hard, scrub teeth, point to best friend, point to teacher or one in charge!

Down Frisco Bay, there lives a whale,

And she eats peanuts by the pail,

By thimble, by teacup,

By bathtub and by schooner.

Her name is Sarah, and she's a peach

But don’t put food within her reach,

Or babies, or nursmaids,

Or chocolate ice cream sodas.

She loves to smile, and when she smiles,

You can see her teeth for miles and miles,

And her tonsils, and her spare ribs,

And things to fierce to mention.

Now what do you do with a whale like that?

There's nothing to do but sit on your hat,

Or your toothbrush, or your best friend.

Or anything else that's useless!

Say, won’t you come along with me 🔊

Whatever the weather, let’s go for a walk!

The words were written by Derek Pearson for ‘Up, up and away’ published 1987 where the calypso rhythm was credited to Arthur Benjamin; though it is very similar to ‘You go mango walk’ which I sang with children of Jamaican heritage in Handsworth, Birmingham in the late 1960s.

Dany Rosevear has adapted the words for going on walks outside; it could however be played as a circle game with suitable actions at the end of each section. Make up you own words and actions to suit your own circumstances.

This is a great rhythm to be accompnied by percussion instruments such as maracas.

Walk in a circle holding hands to the rhythm around one child; this child who chooses an action demonstrates the action and the others stop and copy it in the second part of the song.

Say, won’t you come along with me, we’ll go for a walk,

We’ll go for a walk, we’ll go for a walk,

Say, won’t you come along with me, we’ll go for a walk,

And stamp in the puddles today.

Ah, now that would be nice, would be nice, would be nice,

Ah, now that would be nice, to stamp in the puddles today.

…we’ll walk in the snow…

…And make a big snowman today…

…to make a big snowman today…

…we’ll walk up the hill…

…And fly all our kites today…

…to fly all our kites today…

…we’ll go for a swim…

…And swim in the sea today…

…to swim in the sea today

See, see, see, three birds are in a tree 🔊

A Dutch nursery classic. I have been unable to find the original Dutch version of this song – do let me know if you have this information.

Make up your own rhyming verses; I made up the third verse.

1. Shade eyes with hands. 2. Hold up three fingers. 3. Point to thumb, index finger and middle finger, then rock baby bird in arms. 4. As before.

Verse 2. And 3. Turn hand upside down for third

See, see, see,

Three birds are in a tree;

One can chirp

And one can sing

One is just a tiny thing.

See, See, See

Three birds are in a tree

Look, look, look,

Three ducks are in a brook;

One is white, and one is brown,

One is swimming upside down,

Look, look, look

Three ducks are in a brook.

Hey, hey, hey,

Three monkeys out at play,

One can bounce and one can swing

One can do most anything.

Hey, hey, hey,

Three monkeys out at play.

Shake hands, Mary 🔊

A play party game. Learn the song as ‘Shake hands, Mary’ but when playing use a non gender specific term or a child’s name or just repeat first phrase.

Shake hands, Mary, Dum-a-la-lum.

Lum lum lum lum Dum-a-la-lum.

Clap hands, clap hands…

Stamp feet, stamp feet…

Dance round…

Shake, shake the apple tree 🔊

It’s apple picking time. A game to play with egg shakers.

Sit in a circle, each child has a shaker in one hand. On ‘One for you’ the leader places the shaker on the floor, children copy movement. On ‘One for me’ the leader picks the shaker off the floor, children do the same. Last line shake vigorously.

Shake, shake the apple tree!

Apples red and rosy,

Shake, shake the apple tree!

Apples red and rosy.

One for you, One for you,

One for me, One for me,

Shake, shake the apple tree!

She waded in the water 🔊

Who likes to dive in the sea at the beginning of the summer season when the sea is still chilly? Only the bravest!

I found this in Tom Glazer’s book of comic songs ‘ Do your ears hang low?’ but the version below wears a bathing suit right from the beginning rather than a suggestive ‘clap’.

1. Stamp four times to each bar. 2. Slap ankles. 3. Slap knees. 4. Slap thighs.

5. Stamp and ‘swim’.

She waded in the water and she got her feet all wet,

But she didn’t get her bathing suit wet, yet!

Glory Glory Hallelujah!

But she didn’t get her bathing suit wet, yet!

She waded in the water and she got her ankles wet…

She waded in the water and she got her knees all wet…

She waded in the water and she got her thighs all wet…

She waded in the water and she finally got it wet,

She finally got her bathing suit wet!

Glory Glory Hallelujah!

She finally got her bathing suit wet!

Show me your right hand 🔊

A song from the West Indies.

Learn to identify right and left parts of the body.

Show me your right hand, move it all around,

I move my whole body, body, body all around,

This is my right hand, now I put it down.

Show me your left hand, move it all around…

Show me your right foot, move it all around…

Show me your left foot, move it all around…

This is my body, I move it all around…

This is my body and now I sit down.

Sometimes I am a sailor O

A song for imaginative play. This song was written by Bene Gibson Smyth from ‘Fairy Clocks and other songs’ 1954 Melbourne Australia. I came across it in ABC’s ‘Kindergarten of the air’

Dramatize different tasks of sailors: rowing, pulling up the anchor and steering the boat. Canter round room like a cowboy. Put out arms and swoop and dive like an aeroplane.

Sometimes I am a sailor

A-sailing on the sea;

Whether the waves are high or low

It’s all the same to me.

Sometimes I am a cowboy

Upon my pony brown,

Riding, riding, riding,

Over the hills and down.

Sometimes I am a pilot

Flying up so high,

Far above the fleecy clouds,

And very near the sky.

It only takes a minute

To say what I shall be,

Sailor, cowboy, pilot;

Up in our old gum tree.

Spaceship to the moon 🔊

Get active on the moon.

This song and game has been arranged and adapted by Dany Rosevear from BBC Education’s ‘Music Box’ by Veronica Clark published in 1995.

Make circles of four or six. Form new circles after each verse.

Chorus:. Holding hands skip around. Drop hands, pretend to climb in the rocket, press switch and with hands pointed above head zoom in and out of each other around room. Verse 1. Slowly do a ‘moonwalk’. 2. Sit in pairs one behind the other and bounce up and down in a pretend buggy. 3. Jump across moon craters.

We have a spaceship that will take us to the moon,

So we climb in, press the switch, and ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM!

Watch us walk around in spaceboots,

We’re walking on the moon.

We have a spaceship…

Watch us ride off in our buggies,

We’re riding all around the moon.

We have a spaceship…

Watch us jump across the craters,

We’re jumping on the moon.

Stop, look and listen 🔊

Learn how to cross the road safely and how to distinguish left and right.

Music added by Dany Rosevear.

1. Hand up, point to eye, cup hand round ear, walk two fingers. 2. As before, point to feet. 3. Turn head and point to the left, then right, then left again. 4. Shake finger.

Stop, look, and listen,

Before you cross the street.

Use your eyes and use your ears,

And then use your feet.

Look to your left and to your right,

Then to your left once more;

You must be really careful,

That’s what the rules are for!

Story time is over 🔊

A lively and cheerful way to say ‘Goodbye!’. Leave with a song in your heart at the end of the classroom day or storytime library session.

Clap hands, stamp feet, wave ‘Goodbye!’ at the appointed time.

Story time is over, clap your hands, CLAP! CLAP!

Story time is done.

I hope you had some fun!

Story time is over, clap your hands, CLAP! CLAP!

Story time is over, stamp your feet, STAMP! STAMP!

Story time is done.

I hope you had some fun!

Story time is over, stamp your feet, STAMP! STAMP!

Story time is over, wave ‘Goodbye!’ GOODBYE!

Story time is done.

I hope you had some fun!

Story time is over, wave ‘Goodbye!’ GOODBYE!

Sunday, Sunday, clap, clap, clap 🔊

Learn the days of the week.

1. Clap hands. 2. Tap foot. 3. Hop on one foot. 4. Hold up hand. 5. Jump on two feet. 6. Pound fists on top of one another. 7. Turn around. 8. Sit down and put finger to lips.

Sunday, Sunday, clap, clap, clap,

Monday, Monday, tap, tap, tap.

Tuesday, Tuesday, hop, hop, hop,

Wednesday, Wednesday, stop, stop, stop.

Thursday, Thursday, jump, jump, jump,

Friday, Friday, thump, thump, thump.

Saturday, Saturday, turn around,

Now sit very quietly without a sound!

Sunflower, sunflower 🔊

A song for the summer.

1. Stand straight and tall with hands, fingers spread to chin. 2. Follow wiggling fingers down to the ground. 3. Hands nibble at seeds.

Sunflower, sunflower, standing straight and tall,

Sunflower, sunflower, you’re the tallest flower of them all!

Sunflower, sunflower, when your seeds fall to the ground,

Sunflower, sunflower, by the squirrels they’ll be found.

Swim little duck 🔊

Learn to follow instructions and have fun at the same time. Encourage children to add other movements to this simple format. As well as the movements below this can be used as a hand play.

Written by Roberta McLaughlin and the song has appeared on ABC Playschool.

1.Flap hands and waddle. 2. Make little jumps. 3. Flap arms. 4. After moving energetically move slowly then sink down to the floor with hands to cheek during the last verse.

Swim little duck, swim little duck,

Swim, swim, swim.

Swim little duck, swim little duck,

Swim, swim, swim.

Hop little frog, hop little frog,

Hop, hop, hop.

Hop little fro, hop little frog,

Hop, hop, hop.

Fly little bird, fly little bird,

Fly, fly, fly.

Fly little bird, fly little bird,

Fly, fly, fly.

Sleep little one, sleep little one,

Sleep, sleep, sleep.

Sleep little one, sleep little one,

Sleep, sleep, sleep.

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