For the very young D-H

Dance, dance, baby!

Dance, my child, dance

Down by the greenwood sidey-o

Eye Winker, Tom Tinker

Flippity flop

Good morning Mr. Sun

Good morning to you, good morning to you

Hands clap

Have you heard the cat at night?

Here are my ears

Here sits the mousie

Hickety tickety bumble-bee

Hop a little, skip a little

How brave

How many toes has baby dear?

Humpty Dumpty fell in a puddle

Last updated: 3/26/2023 11:11 AM

These songs are nursery rhymes and other traditional songs compiled, illustrated and music arranged by Dany Rosevear.

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To watch the author sing a song click on the title at:

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Dance, dance, baby! 🔊

Words by Laurence Alma-Tadema, music by Horatio Parker.

Another song for very young children who are still a little wobbly on their feet. The parent or carer can hold both hands to help them dance.

Dance, dance, baby,

All the world is ours!

See the fishies in the brook,

Smile at all the flowers:

All the birds are ours to feed,

The sun's behind the showers;

Dance, dance, baby,

All the world is ours!

Sleep sweet baby,

All the world is ours!

We may gaze at all the stars,

Smile at Lady Moon:

Time to close your eyes and dream,

For morning will come soon.

Sleep sweet baby,

All the world is ours!

Dance, my child, dance O

This traditional German song‘Tanz, Kindchen, tanz‘ is by Julius Spengel and can also sung be as a round; It is also known as ‘Tanz, Kindlein, tanz’ with a slightly different tune.

In the original German the shoemaker makes some new shoes for the child. Substitute the child’s name for ‘my child’.

This is a song for very young children who are still a little wobbly on their feet. The parent or carers hold both their hands to help them dance round in a circle.

Dance, my child, dance!

Your shoes are good enough.

But do not let it worry you,

The cobbler soon will make them new,

Dance, my child, dance!^.

Tanz, Kindchen, tanz!

Dein Schühlein sind noch ganz.

Lass sie dir nit gereue,

Der Schuster macht dir neue.

Tanz, Kindchen, tanz!

Down by the greenwood sidey-o 🔊

This children’s song from Virginia had its roots in the Child ballad ‘The cruel mother’ which was definitely not a children’s song! Find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=16241.

The song and game came from ‘American folk songs for children’ by Ruth Crawford Seeger.

Sit in a circle and roll the ball back and forth to the steady rhythm of the singing.

One day I was sitting in my father’s hall,

I saw three babes a-playing ball.

All day long and I love you all,

Down by the greenwood sidey-o.

Eye winker, Tom Tinker 🔊

There are many, many versions of this baby play but this one is from Tom Glazer’s book of the same name with new words and tune.

Verse 1. Touch each eye. Tap nose then mouth. Wiggle chin.

Verse 2. & 3. Point to each bone mentioned, then wiggle chin.

Eye winker, Tom Tinker, nose smeller, mouth eater.

Chin chopper, chin chopper, chin chopper, chopper chin.

The head bone, the neck bone, the elbow, the knee bone.

Chin chopper, chin chopper, chin chopper, chopper chin.

The shoulder bone, the wrist bone, the chest bone, the rest bone

Chin chopper, chin chopper, chin chopper, chopper chin.

Eye winker, Tom Tinker, nose smeller, mouth eater.

Chin chopper, chin chopper, chin chopper, chopper chin.

Flippity flop 🔊

Learn to follow instructions, move with a partner and stop after hopping energetically.

Words and music by Ruth McConn Spencer from ‘Songs of childhood’ published 1923. Second verse written and music arranged by Dany Rosevear.

1. Hop around like rabbits. On the word 'Stop!' stop hopping and 'freeze' 2. Do the same with a partner.

Flippity flop! Flippity flop!

See how my dear little rabbit can hop!

Flippity flop! Flippity flop!

Dear Peter Rabbit, I wish you would stop!

Flippity flop! Flippity flop!

Me and my rabbit together we’ll hop!

Flippity flop! Flippity flop!

Together, together, we’ll hop and then stop!

Good morning Mr. Sun 🔊

A morning circle and bedtime song.

This song appeared in Child Education 1922-1942.

The tune and second verse here is adapted by Dany Rosevear.

Good morning Mr. Sun,

Our day has just begun,

We love to see your smiling face,

Good morning Mr. Sun.

Good evening Lady Moon,

It’s sleepy time quite soon,

We love to see your shining face,

Good evening Lady Moon.

Good morning to you, good morning to you 🔊

Greet each other in the morning circle. This is adapted from the song by Abbie Farwell Brown.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Good morning to you!

We're all in our places

With sunshiny faces,

For this is the way

To start the new day!

Good morning to you!

Our day is beginning

With playing and singing;

And outdoor fun too,

There's so much to do!

Good morning to you!

Whatever the weather,

We’ll make it together,

In work and in play,

A beautiful day!

Hands clap 🔊

Warm up for winter.

Simple actions to make. Identify parts of the body.

From ‘Over and over again’ by Barbara Ireson and Christopher Rowe.

You could also play this as a lap play with a toddler or baby.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Stand in a space. Move as suggested.

Hands clap,

Fingers wriggle,

Arms wave,

Thumbs wiggle.

Toes waggle,

Heels thump,

Legs run,

Feet jump.

Legs run,

Feet jump.

Legs run,

Feet jump.

Have you heard the cat at night? 🔊

Learn about nocturnal animal sounds.

Composer: Ron Gamack Publisher: ABC Music Publishing.

Continue to add other night time animals such as foxes, beetles, badgers, mice and moles until all the children are making night time animal noises!

Have you heard the cat at night?

Have you heard it miaow?

Miaow, miaow, mia-ow, miaow, miaow, miaow, miaow.

Have you heard the owl at night?

Have you heard it whoo-hoo?

Whoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, whoo-hoo-hoo!

Have you heard hedgehog at night?

Have you heard it squeal?

Huff, puff, sniff and snuff, huff, puff, squeal!

Bat… flip flap, squeak / Badger… snuffle, snort, / Fox… Yow-wow-wow, yelp

Here are my ears 🔊

Music Dany Rosevear.

Identify different parts of the body; with babies touch each part as you sing, older toddlers might be able to recognise and touch their own body parts as they sing.

Here are my ears,

Here is my nose,

Here are my fingers,

Here are my toes.

Here are my eyes,

Both open wide,

Here is my mouth

With white teeth inside.

Here is my tongue,

That helps me speak.

Here is my chin,

And here are my cheeks.

Here are my hands,

That help me play.

Here are my feet

For walking today.

Here sits a mousie 🔊

Listen to and identify the direction of sound.

A very simple circle game using a percussion instrument. Count in beats to four.

You can also play this as a simple hand play.

Sit in a circle with one child, the mouse, sitting in the middle with a tambourine / drum, bells behind him / her. Before the game begins the ‘mouse’ covers its eyes with hands.

Teacher passes instrument to a child in the circle, When the song ends that child taps it four times to the beat and places it behind their back, all the other children also hide hands. Then the ‘mouse’ opens its eyes and points to identify the child with the instrument – allow four guesses.

Here sits a mousie,

In her little housie,

No one comes to see her,

Poor little mousie!

Here plays a mousie,

Outside her little housie,

She sees all her friends again,

Happy little mousie!

Hickety tickety bumble-bee O

This song encourages turn taking, singing solo in a comfortable situation and phonological awareness.

Play this game at the beginning of a school year to develop an easy familiarity with each other’s name and to get to know the children in a circle.

Children sit in a circle and the leader tosses a beanbag or rolls a ball to a child. This child sings ‘My name is…’ and then either rolls the ball to another child or back to the leader who once again rolls the ball to another child.

Older children can clap rhythm or whisper name as below.

Hickety tickety bumble-bee,

Can you sing your name to me?

My name is ----- (child’s name)

Everybody say it. "Mindy"

Everybody clap it. "Mindy"

Everybody snap it. "Mindy"

Everybody whisper it. "Mindy"

Hop a little, skip a little O

The first verse of this song is familiar through Barbara Ireson and Christopher Roe’s book ‘Over and over again’, the last two verses are popular through the internet.

Hop a little, skip a little,

Dance a little, then,

Hop a little, skip a little,

Then begin again.

Hop a little, jump a little,

One, two and three;

Run a little, skip a little,

Tap one knee;

Bend a little, stretch a little,

Nod your head;

Yawn a little, sleep a little,

In your bed.

How brave 🔊

A song for a minor tumble. When you are young it is not easy to react to pain without tears so take care and be sensitive to their needs, if they're upset, calmly comfort them and encourage them to get back on their feet.

Repeat the song with your child’s name.

I originally found this song in ‘An Alabama Songbook: Ballads, Folksongs, and Spirituals’ collected by Byron Arnold and sung by Miss Josie Milner, Florence, 23 August 1945 wh learnt it from her mother. Later I found it had been published earlier in the classic ‘Songs of a little child’s day’ 1910, written by Emilie Poulsson and Eleanor Smith. The music had changed somewhat but the words were the same. Such is the folk process!

Hurrah for Bobby Bumble,

Who never minds a tumble,

But up s/he jumps

And rubs the bumps

And doesn't even grumble!

How many toes has baby dear? 🔊

Count to five and identify each toe. For a toddler substitute child’s name instead of ‘baby’. Older children can touch each of own toes.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

Swing feet together and apart, then count toes. Identify each toe. Hold one foot then the other. Clap feet together.

How many toes has baby dear?

Count each one, are they all here?

One, two, three, four, five,

One, two, three, four, five!

Wiggle them, wiggle them, each one alive!

Here’s the first toe, big and strong,

Here’s the second, slim and long,

Here’s the third it’s in the middle,

Here’s the fourth one, hey diddle diddle,

Here’s the fifth one, tiny and small,

One foot, two feet, ten toes all!

Humpty Dumpty fell in a puddle 🔊

A song to console a distressed youngster.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

Humpty Dumpty fell in a puddle, SPLASH!

And now Humpty Dumpty needs a big cuddle!

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