More circle games N-P
Naughty pussy cat
Nix in the water
No bears out tonight
One in the middle
One little bluebird
One, two, three open your eyes and see
Old bald eagle
Old Betty Larkin
Old Mister Rabbit
Our boots are made of leather
Pass the ball / Mawga Nanny
Pass the pebble on
Peep squirrel
Poor Jenny sits a-weeping
Push the business on
Put your little foot
Last updated: 5/9/2022 10:42 AM
These songs are nursery rhymes and other traditional songs
compiled, illustrated and music arranged by Dany Rosevear.
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To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2013 All rights reserved
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Naughty pussy cat O A Canadian nursery game from Deanna Hoermann’s ‘Catch a
song’. Younger children can play this as a finger game just
miming the actions. If you are not keen on using the word ‘fat’ in the
classroom sing the second verse instead. One child,
the pussy cat, sits or lays in the centre of the circle, mother or father cat
waits outside. Cat lifts head and says ‘Meow!’ when appropriate. Those
standing in the circle wag their fingers, show how fat the cat is, puff away
imaginary whiskers and then wag fingers and shout ‘Scat!’ with a shoo movement. At the end
children, holding hands, lift up arms to make windows, raising or lowering
them to influence what happens. Cat runs
out of the circle and the parent cat gives chase. Once the cat is caught two
others are chosen so the game can continue. |
Naughty
pussy cat, Meow! You
are very fat, Meow! You
have butter on your whiskers, Naughty
pussy cat, Scat! Naughty
pussy cat, Meow! Sleeping
on the mat, Meow! You
have butter on your whiskers, Naughty
pussy cat, Scat! |
Nix in the water 🔊 A simple circle game for the very young. Children can just
stand and mime, hold hands and walk round or follow each other round the
circle. Nix or Nixie are water sprites, such as the river mermaid,
often shapeshifting creatures that are known in Germanic mythology and
Scandinavian folklore,. They have many names and can be found in stories and
songs from that part of the world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixie_(folklore)
1. Hold
hands and walk round one child (Nix) who stands in the centre of circle. 2. All the
children mime washing their legs and tying their hair. 3. The child in the centre chooses a child to be the
next ‘Nix’. |
Nix in the water, You are the River King’s daughter. Wash your legs with silver sand, Tie you hair with a golden band. Nix pick me! |
No bears out tonight O Where have
all the bears gone? The youngest just dance to the first verse for a simple
circle song. Older children make a circle holding hands and standing next to
a partner. 1. The circle skips round holding hands. On the last line everyone squats. 2. Continue squatting hands to cheek. On last line jump up
and shout ‘Hooray!’ 3. The circle skips round holding hands. On the last line everyone holds hands with
a partner and skips round.
|
Old bald eagle O This song comes from Kentucky / Appalachian mountains; the
version below is an amalgam of the more common couplet that was sung by Jean
Ritchie and played as a line game and the second part which can be found in ‘Just Five’ compiled
by Robert E. Kersey. Children
walk in a circle as one child skips round inside. On the second part that
child chooses a partner from the circle and holding hands skips round as
those in the circle clap. The game continues as before with both children
walking round and then each choosing a skipping partner. |
Old
bald eagle sail around, daylight is gone. Old
bald eagle sail around, daylight is gone. Sail around the mountain top! Sail around I say! Sail around the mountain top! Long summer day! Two bald eagles… Four bald eagles …. Long, long summer day! |
Old Betty Larkin O Another folk song from Kentucky sung by Jean Ritchie. It
is an early American dance and sung in an unusual and possibly difficult
manner. Verse 1:
Children skip clockwise holding hands with a partner in skating mode. One
child Betty or Billy skips round the inside of the ring in the opposite
direction. 2.
Partners drop hands and form a single circle facing the centre. Betty or
Billy skips weaving in and out of the circle. 3. Betty
or Billy grabs the nearest person as a partner leaving the old partner to be
the new Betty or Billy and, the game continues. |
Hop
around, skip around, Old Betty Larkin, Hop
around, skip around, Old Betty Larkin, Hop
around, skip around, Old Betty Larkin, Also
my dear darling. Needle
in a haystack, Old Betty Larkin, Needle
in a haystack, Old Betty Larkin, Needle
in a haystack, Old Betty Larkin, Also
my dear darling. Steal,
steal, Old Betty Larkin, Steal,
steal, Old Betty Larkin, Steal,
steal, Old Betty Larkin, Also
my dear darling. |
|
Old Mister Rabbit 🔊 A Missouri play-party song. Before playing this song make
a list of vegetables known to the children and show pictures or even better
the vegetables from a basket. Younger children can play this game as a circle / line
game as in ‘Oranges and lemons’ and can choose to join a vegetable side e.g.
tomatoes and runner beans. Older ones will find the circle game below more
challenging and great fun. Allow the new rabbit each time to choose a
vegetable. Children
stand on a marked spot in a circle. One child, the rabbit jumps up and down
the inside the ring and pretends to nibble at the vegetables. On the
word ‘cabbage’, or other vegetable, those in the circle run to a new place.
The rabbit also attempts to move into a vacant spot. The child
left without a place becomes the new rabbit and the game continues. |
Old Mister Rabbit, you’ve got a
mighty habit Of jumping in the garden and
eating all my cabbage. celery
/ carrots / lettuce etc.. |
|
One in the middle 🔊 A very similar tune to ‘Four in the boat’ which was a
popular game with my class. Children
hold hands and walk round in a circle, one child walks round in the centre in
the opposite direction. On the last phrase those in the
outer circle stop and clap the rhythm of the words. The child in the centre
closes their eyes on the last phrase, turns around and points at the circle;
the person they point at joins them in the middle and makes a mini circle.
This continues with more joining from the outer circle until there are eight
in the middle; at the end of the song they all jump up and down clapping. |
One in the middle and s/he can’t get out, One in the middle s/he can’t get out, One in the middle and s/he can’t get out, Oh, my Lilly, oh! Two in the middle and they can’t get out… Four in the middle and they can’t get out… Eight in the middle and they jump for joy... |
One little bluebird 🔊 A simple circle game for the very young. From ‘Music for
the Nursery School’ Linda Chesterman; the source is unknown. Children make
a circle holding hands. One child dances in the middle ‘in the window’; she
then flies out ‘in the sky’ and back in again. She chooses another child and
dances aound holding hands to ‘hi tiddly…’. Next time sing ‘two little
bluebirds’ then ‘four..’ and so on until all the ‘birds’ are flying freely. |
One
little bluebird in the window, One
little bluebird in the sky, One
little bluebird in the window, Hi-tiddly
Hi-ti-ti. Two little bluebirds… Four little bluebirds… Eight little bluebirds… |
One, two, three open your eyes and see 🔊 Written by Leon Rosselson in the early 1980s for
‘Interaction’ a community arts and educational project where it was performed
by ‘Prof Dogg’s Troupe’. Sing each section as many times as you like. You could
also break the circle and lead into the centre in a spiral. Sing it loud and
sing it soft and quieten the class down by singing ‘sh, sh, sh’ to the tune. First verse:
1. Stamp three times, point to eyes and throw out hands. 2. Stretch hands up
then touch the floor, throw out hands and point to self. 3. Make a circle
repeating the the phrase ‘the left must take the right’. Second verse: 1. As
before. 2. Draw a big sun, crouch down and put hands together and move
upwards. 3. Repeat. |
One, two, three, open your
eyes and see Sing it high and sing it
low for everyone and me. The left must take the right,
all around the ring. We’ve got to keep the
circle moving, everybody sing. One, two, three, open your
eyes and see The sun has made the
flowers grow for everyone and me. The left must take the
right, all around the ring. We’ve got to keep the circle
moving, everybody sing. One, two, three, open your
eyes and see Sing it loud and sing it
soft for everyone and me. The left must take the
right, all around the ring. We’ve got to keep the
circle moving, everybody sing: Sh, sh, sh… |
Our boots are made of leather O This circle
game is adapted from Alice E, Gillington collected games in ’Old Surrey
singing games and skipping rope rhymes’. The group
walks round the circle in pairs. In the second half each pair turns in place
while holding hands and then sink to the ground.
|
Pass the ball / Mawga Nanny
🔊 A song from Jamaica. In the 1970s I taught the children of
first generation Jamaican immigrants in Handsworth, Birmingham and had great
fun finding music from the West Indian tradition especially calypsos. I wish I had found this game at the time, indeed it
featured on BBC Schools ‘Music Time’ and was first broadcast in 1970 when the
Spinners were the Autumn end-of-term guests. This song was sung by Cliff Hall
but was not published in their booklet, you can find the programme at: http://www.broadcastforschools.co.uk/site/Music_Time/Peter_and_the_Wolf and more at: http://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=3176911 Children sit in a circle with hands behind them, one
child kneels in the centre. A small ball is passed round the circle while
‘Jigga nanny’ to guess who has the ball at the end of the song. If correct places are swapped and the game continues.
The trick is to feign passing the ball round the circle! |
The
play begins and the ball goes round, Mawga
Nanny show me how the ball goes round, The
play begins and the ball goes round, Mawga
Nanny show me how the ball goes round. Play
boy, play, play with a play, Mawga
Nanny show me how the ball goes round. We
pass the ball, and the ball goes round, Jigga
Nanny show me how how the ball goes round. We
pass the ball, and the ball goes round, Jigga
Nanny show me how how the ball goes round, Play
boy, play, play with a play, Jigga
Nanny show me how the ball goes round. We
pass the ball, and the ball goes round, Jigga
Nanny show me how how the ball goes round. |
Pass the pebble on 🔊 A Ghanaian children’s song found in Scholastics ‘Singing
and dancing games’ published in 1987, I still have the cassette! The English
translation of the African words is: Tell the ship that is leaving to wait
for a message; if you go send my greetings to King Taki. I am going to
Adabraka to find a place. Children kneel in a circle, each child has a bean
bag. 1. Sing the song through clapping the first and
third beat of the bar; supported by a steady drum beat. 2. Children pass
their bean bag to the right on the first beat and and swing arm back to pick
up the next one on the second beat. 3. Children have achieved this steady
movement play the drum at a faster speed. 4. Continue to increase speed. If a
child drops the beanbag they stand outside the circle clappng the beat with
the drummer. |
Pass
the pebble on, Try
to keep it steady. Pass
the pebble on, Try
to keep it steady. You’ll soon be out if you don’t move In time to the beat! You’ll soon be out if you don’t move In time to the beat! Mele ni yaa ee Damoshe me shebo Mele ni yaa ee Damoshe me shebo Ke otay yaake manche Taki ake mingbi Ke nigbe woyaa woyaa Ada braka wuamo gbayee. |
Peep squirrel O This song is sometimes played as a knee bouncing game. Line 1-4:
Children walk clockwise in a circle holding hands. One child, the hunter,
walks round outside in the opposite direction. Another child, the squirrel,
stands in the centre with hand to eyes looking out for the hunter. Line 5-7.
The circle stops and raises hands to make arches like trees. The squirrel
exits through an arch, runs round the outside and tries to get back through
the arch without being caught by the hunter. If
successful the squirrel has another turn and a new hunter is chosen. If
caught the hunter remains and a new squirrel is picked. |
Peep
squirrel, peep squirrel, Do-da,
did-dle-um, do-da, did-dle-um, Peep
squirrel, peep squirrel, Do-da,
did-dle-um dum. I’ve
got to get out of here, Day’s
a-breakin’, sun’s a-rising, Bet
you five dollars I’ll get out of here. Hop
squirrel, hop squirrel, Do-da,
did-dle-um, do-da, did-dle-um, Hop
squirrel, hop squirrel, Do-da,
did-dle-um dum. I’ve
got to get out of here… Run
squirrel… |
Poor Jenny sits a-weeping O Several
versions of this playground song were noted by Iona and Peter Opie in their
book ‘The Singing game’. This version is similar to the one I sang in the
playground as a child – I think! Children walk round in a circle holding hands – one child
‘Jenny’ sits in the middle with hands to her eyes. ‘Jenny’ sings the third
verse and then stands up and chooses a new child and skips round inside the
circle. On the last verse they shake hands and the game begins again. If a
boy is chosen sing ‘Poor Johnny sits a-weeping’
|
Push the business on O This traditional circle game was collected by Cecil J.
Sharp. According to the Opies in ‘The Singing game’ it was
popular dance at Sunday School socials but died out in the 1920s. It appeared more recently in the Ladybird book of ‘Dancing
games’ in 1976 but I don’t recall playing this in class or the playground. The
players stand in a circle holding hands with boys and girls alternating;
alternatively children could be labelled with coloured bands. Line 1-3
The circle skips round to the right. Line 4-5
Partners face each other clapping their hands in time to the music. Line 6-7
Partners join both hands and swing round changing places to end up ready to
play again with a new partner. This
sequence is repeated each time the song is sung until everyone is back in
their original place. |
I'll buy a horse and steal
a gig, And all the world shall
have a jig; And I'll do all that ever
I can To push the business on, To push the business on; And I'll do all that ever
I can To push the business on. |
Put your little foot O This was originally called ‘La Varsovienne’, a very old
dance tune which means "the lady from Warsaw". It is a dance in 3/4
time, similar to the Mazurka, which originated in Poland in the 1850’s. Later
it became popular as a ballroom dance in Paris; in Texas it became a cowboy
dance and more familiar as ‘Put your little foot’. The dance below is for older children. Younger ones can,
individually or in pairs, tap one foot and then the other to the music, then
step left and right as below and lastly walk forwards and turn in time to the
words of the song. Verse 1:
Children stand in a circle holding hands. Place tip of left foot to the right
of right foot and then back to the left where the right foot slides to join
it; stamp twice. Repeat this sequence with the right foot. Verse 2:
Step to the right with both feet, step to the left, step back and then
forward. Repeat sequence one more time. Verse 3:
Walk round the circle facing to the left, turn and walk back. Repeat this
sequence three more times. |
Put
your little foot, put your little foot, put your little foot right there; Put
your little foot, put your little foot, put your little foot right there.
}x2 Take
a step to the rear, but forever stay near. Put
your little foot, put your little foot, put your little foot right there; Put
your little foot, put your little foot, put your little foot right there.
}x2 Walk
and walk and walk, and walk and turn. |
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