Lap play / dandling games M-S

My bunny hops all through the garden

Monkey, monkey

O Kafoozalum

O Mrs Sippy-o

On grandpa’s knees

One, two, three a’lairy

One, two, three, baby’s on my knee

See saw, sacradown / How many miles to London town?

She fell into the bathtub

Ride a little pony

Ride a mile on daddy’s foot

Ride away, ride away

Ride, baby, ride

Sitting in my high chair

So fast, so fast my horse can go

Sweetheart, sweetheart, you’re my star

Last updated: 11/28/2022 9:28 AM

The songs below are part of ‘Away we go’

compiled, adapted and illustrated by Dany Rosevear

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page

To listen to music from these songs click on O

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:

· 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.

My bunny hops all through the garden 🔊

A lap play game to a familiar tune.

Jog baby on your lap, then swing back and forth.

My bunny hops all through the garden,

My bunny hops all through the yard;

I like to play tag with my bunny,

But catching my bunny is hard.

Come back, come back,

Come back my bunny to me, to me;

Come back, come back,

Oh, come back my bunny to me.

My bunny is so soft and cuddly,

My bunny’s a good friend to me.

My bunny is such fun to play with,

Come join us and you, too, will see.

Monkey, monkey 🔊

One of my grandsons has a passion for monkeys carrying up to a dozen everywhere tucked under his arm. At his request and with the help of his siblings we composed this ditty. When I suggested it could be a lap play he insisted I did it with him despite being a solid 5 year old. Poor grandma!!

Younger children might just appreciate the first verse. It could also be played as a hand play. Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

1. Bounce young child gently on your knee to the rhythm of this song. 2. Lift child up in increments. 3. Resume bouncing. Stop to squeeze arm with hand ‘beak’. 4. Clap hands, make tail, tickle toes. 5. Move child from side to side. 6. Give child a big squeeze.

Monkey, monkey, climbs a tree,

Up, up, up, so easily;

From branch to branch past the old black crow,

Two hands, one tail and all ten toes.

Swinging, leaping from left to right.

Monkey, monkey, hold on tight!

Way up high all ready to munch,

Bananas hang in a golden bunch;

My monkey waves and yells with glee,

“Watch out! Down comes, bananas and me!”

Bang, crash, wallop! Back safe on the ground,

Monkey shares them all around!

O Kafoozalum O

Kafoozalum is a well-known tune in the fiddle repertoire. There is also bawdy rugby song of that name about ‘the harlot of Jerusalem’.

It is also a nonsensical word that suggests the title of a potentate from an exotic Eastern country; it is used as an exaggeration of the truth to humour and ridicule a pompous character – the king of Kafoozalum.

Jog child up and down on your lap, on the last line lift your child up high and put them on the floor.

O Kafoozalum, Kafoozalum,

O Kafoozalum riding on a donkey.

I'm a traveller can’t you see,

Just come in for a cup of tea.

Now I'm off upon a spree,

Riding on a donkey.

O Kafoozalum, Kafoozalum,

O Kafoozalum... Whoops!

I just fell off me donkey.

O Mrs Sippy-o O

Donkeys or horses feature in many baby bouncing or dandling songs as they provide inspiration for an accompanying jolly regular rhythm.

Jog child up and down on your lap in time to the music. Bounce a little faster during the second verse.

O Mrs Sippy-o

Had a little baby-o,

Dressed it all in calico,

Riding on a donkey.

O Mrs Epplewhite

Are you coming out tonight?

You look such a bonny sight,

Riding on a donkey.

On grandpa’s knees 🔊

Change ‘baby’ to child’s name and ‘grandpa’ to ‘grandma’, ‘mummy’ or ‘daddy’.

This rhyme was written by Dotti Enderle in 1996, find out more about this prolific author at: http://www.dottienderle.com/.

Melody by Dany Rosevear.

1-2. Bounce young child gently on your knee to the rhythm of this song. 3. Lift child up. 4. Resume bouncing.

The wind blows down the chimney,

The wind blows through the trees,

The wind blows baby up and down

Upon her grandpa’s knees.

One, two, three a'lairy O

This is strictly a ball bouncing game based on a Scottish rhyme, though similar versions have been heard across Britain including Belfast and London; it has also been familiar in playgrounds on the other side of the Atlantic.

Find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=11034

The tune and words of this one come from ‘Thirty folk settings for children’ published 1960 and are a cleaned up of the street song by Joan Rimmer with a lovely bouncy tune.

Gently bounce child up and down on your lap in time to the music. Lift high into the air for the last line of each verse. Substitute child’s name for ‘Mary’.

One, two, three a'lairy,

I spy little Mary,

Sitting in a basket chair-y,

Eating jelly babies.

One, two, three a'lairy,

I spy little Mary,

Sitting on a dromedary,

Eating choc’late fishes.

One, two, three, baby’s on my knee 🔊

Ready for a loud “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” Substitute child’s name for ‘baby’s’.

Melody by Dany Rosevear.

Bounce child up and down on your lap in time to the music. Lift high into the air for the last line. Second time drop baby gently between legs, holding securely under the arms.

One, two, three,

Baby’s on my knee.

Rooster crows,

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

And away she goes!

One, two, three,

Baby's on my knee.

One, two, three, four,

Ooops! Baby's on the floor!

Ride a little pony 🔊

A short lap play that will be asked for again and again and again.

How I miss baby and toddler grandchildren bouncing on my lap; fun and laughter all around!

Melody by Dany Rosevear.

Bounce young child gently on your lap and finish with a drop between the knees.

Ride a little pony,

Down to town.

Better be careful,

You might fall down!

Ride a mile on daddy’s foot 🔊

Based on a poem by Robin Bird this is rather lengthy for baby play but an older child may well appreciate it. Older children could also trot round the room to the tune.

Melody by Dany Rosevear.

Bounce young child gently on your foot to the rhythm of this song moving foot up , down or sideways depending on the part of the journey. If one foot gets tired move to the other or a knee! As the songs ends lift child up high to elicit a smile.

Ride a mile on Daddy's foot!

Up and ride away,

Round about the misty hill,

In among the hay,

Out upon the whinny moor,

Down the windy glen;

In and out among the trees,

And through the woods again.

Now we climb a grassy bank

Where the flowers grow;

Now we canter down again

To the road below.

Now we pass the miller’s door,

See him as he stands!

Apron, hair so floury white

Likewise his face and hands.

When the moon is round and white,

Fairies play their tricks,

Riding races through the skies

All on crooked sticks;

Who that has so fleet a horse

Would not up and ride

Round the world on daddy's foot,

By the chimneyside?

Little one, with cheeks so red,

You have ridden well;

Some day you will have to go

Round the world yourself;

Then you'll be a mighty one,

Tramping on your feet,

May you keep a heart as kind

And a laugh as sweet.

Ride away, ride away O

Learn to tell the difference between left and right. The words are adapted from the traditional rhyme.

This hobby horse song is suited to piggyback rides or a lap play game for younger toddlers.

Older children can gallop around the room in time to the music.

Ride away, ride away, Ethan shall ride,

He shall have little dog on his right side,

He shall have pussy cat close to the other,

And Ethan shall ride to see his grandmother.

Ride away, ride away, Zara shall ride,

She shall have pussy cat on her left side,

She shall have little dog close to the other,

And Zara shall ride to see her grandmother.

Ride, baby, ride 🔊

Move fast, move slow. Change ‘baby’ to child’s name.

1. Bounce young child gently on your knee to the rhythm of this song. Drop child to the side on ‘Whoa!’. 2. Do the same at a quicker pace. 3. Do the same slowly. 4. Help child clap and lift up high.

Ride, baby, ride, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch,

Ride that horsie, ride, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch,

Ride baby, ride, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch,

Ride that horsie, ride. ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch,

Whoa!

Ride, baby, fast, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch,

Ride that horsie fast, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch … Whoa!

Ride, baby, slow, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch,

Ride that horsie slow, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch … Whoa!

Clap, baby, clap,

Clap on your horsie, clap… Yeah!

See saw, sacradown /

How many miles to London town? O

There is also an U.S.A. version of this rhyme (The Only True Mother Goose Melodies, by Munroe and Francis) that goes ‘That is the way to Boston town’.

It has a Roud number 20213.

Sit toddler facing you on your lap and holding their hands and move back and forth.

Alternatively older children can sit in pairs opposite each other and move back and forth.

See saw, sacradown,

Which is the way to London town?

One foot up and the other foot down.

That is the way to London town.

SPOKEN (Roud 8148)

How many miles to London town?

Three score and ten;

Can I get there by candlelight?

Yes, and back again.

If your heels are nimble and light,

You may get there by candle-light.

See saw, sacradown...

She fell into the bathtub O

Some have credited this rhyme to Dennis Lee, but research as yet has led me nowhere. The music is arranged by Dany Rosevear from a traditional tune.

Line 1&2 Lean child to one side and then the other. 3. Let her ‘drop’ between your knees. 4. Lift her up again. 5. Lean her backwards. 6. Run fingers over baby like rain. 7. Tap wrist. 8. Give a big hug.

She fell into the bathtub,

She fell into the sink,

She fell into the raspberry jam

And came out pink!

We put her in the back yard

And left her in the rain

And by half past suppertime

She came out clean again!

Sitting in my high chair 🔊

It’s feeding time. This version is by Hap Palmer.

Bounce young child gently on your lap to the rhythm of this song. Move hands for ‘banging my spoon’, hand to mouth for ‘feed me soon’, high to low for ‘bring on the’.

Chorus

Sitting in my high chair, big chair, my chair,

Sitting in my high chair, banging my spoon.

Sitting in my high chair, big chair, my chair,

Sitting in my high chair, feed me soon!

Bring on a plate, bring on a cup,

Pappa’s gonna fill this baby up.

Bring on bananas, bring on the bread,

Mamma’s gonna get this baby fed!

Bring on the carrots, bring on the peas,

Somebody feed this baby please.

Bring on the pancakes stacked in a pile,

Pappa’s gonna make this baby smile!

Bring on a napkin, bring on a sponge,

Clean me up ‘cos I’m all done!

So fast, so fast my horse can go 🔊

Change rhythm from 6/8 to 2/4 time, a gallop and then a trot. List other horse movements.

Older children could ‘ride’ a hobby horse or a stick to these words:

So fast, so fast my horse can go,

A-riggetty, riggetty, jig, you know,

It's just a branch of a willow tree,

A-riggetty, jig, you see.

Place baby or toddler on your lap facing towards you and hold hands. Bounce baby up and down quickly. Change speed and rhythm in the second half slowing down and even more so on the last lineon the last line. On ‘Whoa! tip child back then forwards and give a big hug.