Lap play or dandling games A-F

A farmer went trotting

Acka backa soda cracker

Bell horses

Big A, little ‘a’, bouncing B

Bimbo, Bimbo

Boing! Boing! Squeak!

Bounce you up

Charley Barley buck and rye

Chip, chip my little horse

Come and ride

Come up, horsey / Little lap dog lullaby

Dobbin, Dobbin

Donkey, donkey old and grey

Eyes, nose, cheeky, cheeky chin

Father and Mother, and Uncle John

Five little riders on a nice fall day

Last updated: 8/29/2022 10:21 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 🔊

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.

A farmer went trotting O

Find out more how the raven’s brings bad fortune sometimes as a harbinger of death:

http://www.rhymes.org.uk/a2-a-farmer-went-trotting.htm .

Use the rhythm of this knee bouncing song to move a young child to this song. Drop the toddler between your knees on the words ‘tumbled down’

A farmer went trotting upon his grey mare,

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

With his daughter behind so rosy and fair,

Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

A raven cried, Croak! and they all tumbled down,

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

The mare broke her knees and the farmer his crown,

Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

The mischievous raven flew laughing away,

Bumpety, bumpety, bump!

And vowed he would serve them the same the next day,

Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

Acka backa soda cracker O

This is traditionally a skipping or ball bouncing game but works well for lap play.

Older children can play it as a standing circle game where the ball is passed round the ring on the beat; on the last word of ‘out goes you’ the child holding the ball sits down. The game continues with children passing the ball over the heads of those seated until all but one remains.

Bounce young child on your knee to the rhythm of this song then lift up high. Repeat with a final hug.

Acka backa soda cracker, acka backa boo.

Acka backa soda cracker, up goes you!

Acka backa soda cracker, acka backa boo.

Acka backa soda cracker, I love you!

Bell horses O

In the past pack horses travelled in groups, the lead horse would have worn bells to warn others that they were approaching, especially important if it was dark or the roads were narrow.

Learn the time of day.

Gallop around the playground lifting knees high; travel in small lines of children with hands on the shoulders of the child in front.

Bounce young child on your knee to the rhythm of this song.

Bell-horses, bell-horses,

What time of day?

One o'clock, two o'clock,

Three, and away.

Bell-horses, bell-horses,

What time of day?

Two o'clock, three o'clock,

Four, and away.

Bell-horses, bell-horses,

What time of day?

Five o'clock, six o'clock,

Now time to stay.

Big A, little a, bouncing B 🔊

A bouncing and peek-a-boo song for the very young. Tune by Dany Rosevear.

I remember doing this rhyme with a different tune in recorder lessons for many years.

1. Open baby's arms wide, bring hands together, bounce and clap hands. 2. Cover baby's eyes. 3. Take away hands.

Big A, little a, bouncing B,

The cat’s in the cupboard,

So he can't see!

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

Bimbo, Bimbo 🔊

This song has a lovely cheerful rhythm and is perfect for baby bouncing. Insert child’s name for ‘baby’ if you wish.

As a child we regularly sang along with this when it came on the radio. The original much longer song was written in the late 1940s by Glenn O'Dell and was recorded by Jim Reeves in 1953, see Wikipedia.

1-2. Holding hands bounce young child on the knees to the rhythm of the song. 3. Move hands from one side to the other and on the last note raise high. 4. Bounce faster.

Bimbo, Bimbo, Where you gonna go-e-o?

Bimbo, Bimbo, What you gonna do-e-o?

Bimbo, Bimbo, Who ya gonna see?

Gonna see baby ridin’ on a pony-o!

Boing! Boing! Squeak! 🔊

A poem by Jack Prelutsky from ‘The new kid on the block’. It tells of an energetic mouse loose in the house. His inspiration was a little wind-up mouse that held a piece of cheese; ‘you wind it up and it goes zut zut zut zut and then it flips over backwards and it goes zut zut and it flips over again.’

Use for vigorous jumping with older children.

A shorter version of this is often used as a lap play rhyme without music, see below.

Music here by Dany Rosevear.

1. Gently bounce child on lap. 2. (kitchen) Bounce on left leg only. 3. (den) Bounce on right leg only 3. (living room) Bounce on left leg. 4. (Look!) Bounce in middle. A

Similar pattern for second verse.

Boing! Boing! Squeak! Boing! Boing! Squeak!

A bouncing mouse is in my house,

It’s been there for a week.

It bounced from out of nowhere,

Then quickly settled in;

I’m grateful that it came alone

I’ve heard it has a twin!

It bounces in the kitchen,

It bounces in the den.

It bounces through the living room,

Look! There it goes again!

Boing! Boing! Squeak! Boing! Boing! Squeak!

A bouncing mouse is in my house,

It’s been there for a week.

It bounces on the sofa,

On the table and the bed,

Up the stairs and on the chairs

And even on my head.

That mouse continues bouncing,

Every minute of the day,

It bounces, bounces, bounces,

But it doesn’t bounce away!

Boing! Boing! Squeak!

A bouncing mouse is in my house,

It’s been there for a week.

Bounce you up 🔊

As well as a lap play this song has such a cheerful little tune it could be used as an energetic action game; you can easily add to the verses below.

1. Bounce young child on the knees to the rhythm of this song, normally, slowly and then faster. 2. & 3. Jump and hop and different speeds.

Bounce you up, bounce you up, bounce you higher,

Bounce you up, up, up, up, up into the sky

Bounce you up, bounce you up, bounce you slowly,

Bounce you up, up, up, up, up into the sky.

Bounce you up, bounce you up, bounce you quickly,

Bounce you up, up, up, up, up into the sky.

Jumpitty jump, jumpitty jump, jump up higher / slowly / quickly,

Jump right up, up, up, up, up into the sky…

Hoppity hop, hoppity hop, hop up higher / slowly / quickly,

Hop right up, up, up, up, up into the sky…

Charley Barley 🔊

This nursery rhyme from Portland, Me. can be found in ‘Games and songs of American children’. The second verse is from the Baring-Gould collection.

Tune by Dany Rosevear.

Bounce young child on one knee to the rhythm of this song. Lean to one side then the other. Lift up high and over to the other knee. Second verse end with a cuddle.

Charley Barley, buck and rye,

What's the way the Frenchmen fly?

Some fly East, and some fly West,

And some fly over the cuckoo' nest!

Charley Barley, butter and eggs,

Sold his wife for three duck eggs.

When the ducks began to lay,

Charley Barley flew away.

Chip, chip, my little horse 🔊

A simple bouncing rhyme that can be sung as ‘hup, hup’, ‘up, up’, ‘chock, chock’ and others; Find more versions at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=59425.

This one comes from the film ‘The boy with green hair’ 1948: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6XyB7WZXgg

Bounce young child on your knee or foot to the rhythm of this song.

Chip, chip, my little horse,

Chip, chip, again, sir:

How many miles to Dublin town?

Four score and ten, sir.

Chip, chip, my little horse,

Chip, chip, again, sir:

Can I get there by candelight?

You can and back again, sir!

Come and ride 🔊

A travelling dandling game for a baby or toddler.

Travel in many different ways and arrive safely back home.

Can also be played as an action rhyme.

This song is adapted from ‘Mary rides’ and can be found in ‘The singing circle’ by Lady Bell published in 1911. New tune, word adaptation and movements by Dany Rosevear.

Bounce young child on your knee to the rhythm of this song adapting it to the mode of travel. 1. Jog up and down. 2. Hold child down, move knees from side to side. 3. Stretch child’s arms out to the side. 4. Row back and forth. 5. Bounce more vigorously. 6. Move slowly and finish with a hug.

Come and ride upon a fine horse,

Galloping off to Banbury Cross.

Come and ride in a submarine,

Down in the sea where the water’s green.

Come and ride in an aeroplane,

Up in the clouds with the wind and rain.

Come and ride in a little boat,

Dressed in a bonny blue sailor’s coat.

Come and ride in a red racing car,

It will go fast and it will go far.

When you’re as tired as tired can be,

You can ride home on your grandma’s knee.

Come up, horsey / Little lap dog lullaby 🔊

A song from Alabama; can be played as a lap play or more dreamily as a lullaby.

Bounce young child on your knee to the rhythm of this song.

Chorus:

Come up, horsey, hey, hey,

Come up, horsey, hey, hey.

Mama's gonna buy you a little lap dog,

Mama's gonna to buy you a little lap dog,

Gonna put it in your lap when she goes off.

Hush little baby and don't you cry, ... x3

Mother's gonna bake you an apple pie.

Mama’s gonna buy you a little blue bird,… x3

Gonna whistle and sing when she goes off.

Dobbin, Dobbin 🔊

This lap play is based on ‘Horsey, horsey, don’t you stop’ but has a lovely little chorus written by Max and Beatrice Krone.

Bounce young child on your knee or foot to the rhythm of this song.

Dobbin, Dobbin, on your way!

We’ve been together for many a day.

So let your tail go swish as the wheels go round,

Giddyup! We’re homeward bound.

I’d like to take a horse and buggy,

When I go traveling through the town.

I like to hear ol’ Dobbin clip-clop

I like to feel the wheels go round.

Dobbin, Dobbin, don’t you stop

Just let your feet go clippity-clop.

And let your tail go swish as the wheels go round

Giddyup! We’re homeward bound!

Donkey, donkey 🔊

A medley of donkey lap plays.

Yet another version of ‘Horsey, horsey, don’t you stop’. I found this one in BBC school's radio for children ‘Poetry corner’ published in 1990 where it is listed as traditional.

Bounce young child on your lap to the rhythm of this song.

Donkey, Donkey, old and grey,

Open your mouth and gently bray,

Lift your ears and blow your horn,

To wake up the world this sleepy morn.

Gee up Neddy to the fair;

What shall we buy when we get there?

A penny apple and a penny pear;

Gee up Neddy to the fair;

Donkey, Donkey, do not bray,

Mend your pace and trot away;

Indeed, the market’s almost done,

My butter’s melting in the sun.

Off to the market, Jenny come trot

Spilt all her butter milk, every drop.

Every drop and every dram,

Jenny come home with an empty can.

If I had a donkey that would not go,

Would I hurt him? Oh no, no.

I’d put him in a barn and give him some corn,

The best little donkey that ever was born.

Father and Mother, and Uncle John

More fun with baby.

Line 1-2 Bounce baby on the knee 3 Slip baby gently to the right 4 Slip baby to the left 5-6 Bounce baby on the knee quickly for as long as you like!

Father and Mother, and Uncle John

Went to market, one by one.

Father fell off -- Whoops!

Mother fell off -- Whoops!

But Uncle John went on, and on,

And on, and on, and on!

Five little riders on a nice fall day 🔊

A lap play for Autumn. If you wish change ‘fall’ to ‘autumn’ in the rhyme but it makes a good discussion point.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Line 1. Bounce young child on your knee or foot to the rhythm of this song. 2. Lift 3. Resume bouncing. 4. Raise child up. 5. Bounce child faster. 6. Gently drop child between your legs.

Five little riders on a nice fall day,

Jumped on their horses and rode far away.

They rode through the meadows,

They rode through the hills,

They rode so fast they took a…

SPILLLLL!

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page