Seasonal songs

Spring D-H

Daffodowndilly

Daffodillies yellow / Daffodilly came to town

Dancing daffodils

Dear friends

Do you know the trees by name / Naming the trees

Dragon of a thousand lanterns

Early one morning

Early Spring

Five baby crocuses / Getting up

Five crispy pancakes

Five Spring flowers

Five little eggs in a nest of straw

Five warm eggs

Flowers tall, flowers small

Fly, fly, butterfly fly

Fukien boat song

Good morning, Mr. Hedgehog

Hal-an-Tow

Have you ever seen a rainbow?

Here’s a baby birdie

Here’s a branch of snowy May. / Maypole song

Hot cross buns

How many Valentine’s?

 

Also find poems and songs at:

Little Tommy Tadpole

Pussy willow

If you see a daffodil

 

Last updated: 3/6/2023 9:39 AM

The songs below are part ofAway we gocompiled, 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:

 

© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved

You are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the following conditions:

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Your fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.


 

 

Daffodowndilly 🔊

 

 

 


Just love the cheerful daffodil, the herald of Spring.

By A. A. Milne, from ‘When We Were Very Young’

A hand play set to music by Dany Rosevear.’

 

1. Hold palms of hand above head. Sweep hands down body. 2.. Turn left and make hand flow and bob head. 3. Look up and make a circle with hands, shake head. 4. Place finger on lips, shake finger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south wind

And curtsied up and down.

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbor:

"Winter is dead.”

 


 

 

 

Daffodillies yellow / 🔊

Daffodilly down came to town

 

 

 


The colour of Easter: daffodils, the golden crocus, primroses, catkins and fluffy chicks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Daffodillies yellow,

Daffodillies gay,

To put upon the table

On Easter Day.

 

Daffodilly down came to town

With her yellow bonnet

And her green gown!

 


 

 

Dancing daffodils 🔊

 

 


a cheerful song for early Spring.

In warm hollows and on sunny banks daffodils are beginning to push their way through from February onwards; perhaps not as early as the snowdrops but certainly one of the heralds of Spring. 20 Best Spring Flowers | BBC Gardeners World Magazine

Words and music by Dany Rosevear inspired by a Japanese Haiku.

A gentle circle dance or one with waving yellow scarves would well with this song.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


It may be cold, there may be chills,

But it’s early Spring and there’s daffodils,

Dancing daffodils!

La la la, la la la,

La la la, la la la, la la la,

La la la, la la la,

La la, la la la, la,

Dancing daffodils,

Dancing daffodils.


 

 

Dear friends 🔊

 

 


Feeling love for our friends, family and fellow beings.

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in mid February when there is a skip in our hearts as Spring begins and love is in the air; a good time to remember that love isn’t just for family and a chosen few but that other friends and acquaintances are worthy of our love and fellow feeling.

Words and music by Dany Rosevear.

1. Play as a circle dance holding hands and swinging them gently in and out.

Or 2. Stand opposite each other in pairs holding and swinging hands and then on the last line‘toss the blanket’, swing hands over heads. Find another partner and then continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dear friends we love you,

Dear friends we love you,

Dear friends we love you,

We love you with all of our hearts,

Yes, we do, yes. we do, yes, we do!

For our friendship is caring and true,

Yes, our friendship is caring and true.


 

 

 

Do you know the trees by name 🔊

 

 


In the Spring watch in wonder as the leaves unfurl and trees are decked in catkins, pussy willow and blossom.

All children should be able to identify some of the more common trees – it will stay with them for life. Go on nature walks along country lanes, visit woodlands or just the park in town. Play I-Spy trees and make collections.

By Rebecca B Foresman from ‘The music hour, one-book course’ McConathy, Miessner, Birge and Bray, Silver Burdett and Co., 1932.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Do you know the trees by name

When you see them growing

In the fields or in the woods?

They are well worth knowing.

 

Watch them in the early spring,

When their buds are swelling;

Watch each tiny little leaf

Leave its little dwelling.

 

Watch them later, when their leaves

Everywhere are showing;

Soon you'll know the different trees

When you see them growing.


 

 

Dragon of a Thousand Lanterns O

 

 


A great song for Chinese New Year; make your own large class dragon and get the children marching round the playground underneath it as they sing this song for maximum effect!

 

The song features in Ming-Ming and the Dragon Lantern from Time and Tune BBC radio for schools Spring 1980. I don’t know who wrote it – let me know if you find out - it’s a great song.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


To the sound of gongs and cymbals,

And the playful beat of drums,

With flute and bell for his warcry yell,

The Lantern Dragon comes.

Snip-snap teeth, bamboo sticks!

Dragon of a Thousand Lanterns;

Glinting eyes, magic tricks!

Dragon of a Thousand Lanterns

 

With a tail of dancing children,

And a vast array of feet,

His body led by the Panda head,

All dragons he can beat.

 

To the river-bank he marches,

In a wiggle-waggle way,

And when Kong-Sang in a fury sprang,

That monster fell astray.

 

For the Lantern Dragon teased him,

With a thousand artful wiles,

The dragon fray could be heard that day, For miles and miles and miles.

 


 

 

Early one morning O

 

 


The tune and the title will be very familiar to those at school in the 1940s to 60s but these seasonal words by Nathan Haskell Dole are not the ones I sang at school in the 1950s but are more suitable for young children. It appears in The Concord series, no 7 “140 Folk tunes” published in 1915 in Boston. ‘Bluebirds’ could be changed to ‘blackbird’ a more familiar bird in the U.K.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Early one morning, before the sun has risen

I heard a bluebird in the fields gaily sing:

“South winds are blowing, green grass is growing.

We come to herald the merry, merry Spring.”

 

One autumn afternoon, just as the sun was setting,

I heard a bluebird on a tree pipe a song:

“Farewell, we're going. Cold winds are blowing!

But we'll be back when the days grow long.”

 


 

 

Dancing daffodils 🔊

 

 


In warm hollows and on sunny banks daffodils are beginning to push their way through from February onwards; perhaps not as early as the snowdrops but certainly a herald of Spring. 20 Best Spring Flowers | BBC Gardeners World Magazine

Words and music by Dany Rosevear inspired by a Japanese Haiku.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


It may be cold, there may be chills,

But it’s early Spring and there’s daffodils,

Dancing daffodils!

La la la, la la la,

La la la, la la la, la la la,

La la la, la la la,

La la, la la la, la,

 

 


 

 

 

Five baby crocuses / Getting up O

 

 


A poem and hand play by Hilda I. Rostron.

Set to music by Dany Rosevear.

 

1. Tightly clench left hand. Shake wrist gently with right hand.

2. Half open fingers of left hand, shake wrist as before.

3. Left hand fingers stand tall, left hand shakes right in greeting.

4. Clap hands three times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Five baby crocuses,

Each a sleepy head;

Someone shook their blanket

And sang: ‘Get out of bed!’

 

Five baby crocuses,

Opened sleepy eyes;

Someone shook their blanket

And sang: ‘It’s time to rise!’

 

Five tall crocuses,

Wide-eyed in a ring;

Robin sang: ‘Good morning

It’s time to meet the Spring!’

And they did!

 


 

 

 

Five crispy pancakes  O

 

 


Let each child decide what they want on their pancake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Five crispy pancakes in a frying pan,

Flip them and toss them and catch them if you can.

Along came (child’s name) for a pancake one day,

Sprinkled it with sugar and took it away.

 

Four crispy pancakes in a frying pan...

Three crispy pancakes in a frying pan...

Two crispy pancakes in a frying pan...

One crispy pancake in a frying pan...

 

No crispy pancakes in a frying pan,

Time to tidy up, all spick and span.

And then next year on Pancake Day,

We’ll make more pancakes, hip, hip, hooray!

 

 


 

 

Five little eggs in a nest of straw  🔊

 

 


A hand play.

Set to music by Dany Rosevear.

 

Verse 1. Show five fingers, cup hands like a nest. Make egg shape and then open hands. 2. Show four fingers, cup hands, one under the other, like a nest. Make tree shape. As before. 3. Show three fingers, tickle hand. 4. Show two fingers, hands pass each other in a wavy movement. 5. Show one finger, shape hands like the sun. Shake head and wave finger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Five little eggs in a nest of straw

One egg hatched and then there were four.

 

Four little eggs in a nest in a tree,

One egg hatched and then there were three.

 

Three little eggs all speckled blue,

One egg hatched and then there were two.

 

Two little eggs where the waters run,

One egg hatched and then there was one.

 

One little egg in the morning sun,

That egg hatched and then there were none.”

 


 

 

Five Spring flowers  

 

 


Who’s afraid of thunder and lightning? Lots of youngsters! This rhyme might just make children more comfortable and hopefully excited at the prospect.

 

Line 1. Hold up and wiggle five fingers, 2-5. Wiggle thumb and then each of the fingers in sequence. 6. Clap hands loudly. 7. Draw a zigzag in the air. 8. Squeeze hands together and look afraid. 9. Shake your head and wag finger. 10. Raise hands up to the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five spring flowers, all in a row,

The first one said, “We need rain to grow!”

The second one said, “Oh my, we need water!”

The third one said, “Yes, it is getting hotter!”

The fourth one said, “I see clouds in the sky.”

The fifth one asked, “I wonder why?”

 

Then BOOM went the thunder!

And ZAP went the lightning!

That springtime storm was really frightening

But the flowers weren’t worried – oh, no, no!

The rain helped them to grow, grow, GROW!


 

 

Five warm eggs 🔊

 

 


A number bond song for Easter.

Words and music by Veronica Clark.

How wonderful for children to watch young hatchling emerging from their shells. Ideally sing this song as the eggs break.

 

1. Hold up five fingers close them up with the other hand. 2. Tap back of with two fingers. 3. Open both hands up. 4. Rest one finger on the palm of one hand. Continue until there are five hatched eggs and no eggs in the incubator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Five warm eggs in an incubator,

Tipper tipper tap and a little bit later

Broken shell in an incubator,

One damp chicken on the floor.

 

Four warm eggs in an incubator,

Tipper tipper tap and a little bit later

Broken shell in an incubator,

Two damp chickens on the floor.

.... etc

 


 

 

Flowers tall, flowers small 🔊

 

 


A gentle action rhyme or finger play and counting song.  

Five Spring flowers’, what might they be?

Raising the required fingers will be a challenge for some and will need practice. For a challenge try ten fingers once children have got the hang of doing this with one hand.

Author unknown. Music by Dany Rosevear.

 

Action rhyme:

1. Stretch tall. 2. Bend down low. 3. Sway arms back and forth. 4. Count fingers.

Finger play:

1.  Raise middle fingers. 2. Raise little finger and thumb. 3. Make a circle over your head. 4. Wiggle fingers. 5. Touch each finger as you count. Repeat with ten fingers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Flowers tall, flowers small,

In the springtime sun.

Blowing gently in the breeze,

Count them one by one.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

 


 

 

Fly, fly, butterfly fly 🔊

 

 


The world awakes in the Springtime, time for a simple hand play.

 I found this in ‘Dancing as we sing’, it is from ‘Bimbam Bellatje’ translated by K. Willwerth.  Adapted by Dany Rosevear; I had some difficulty with the lovely tune so I wrote my own easier version for younger children that could easily be played on the guitar; it needed very slight changes to the words to accommodate the new music.

 

1. Cross hand s at the wrist and flap. 2. Throw out hands. 3. Hands make a big circle. 4. Hands fly upwards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Fly, fly, butterfly fly,

Whither lies your way?

I fly to the sun

On this lovely Springtime day.

 

Fly, fly, butterfly fly,

With your wings of every hue.

From the sun please bring us,

Warm greetings from the blue.

 


 

 

 

Fukien boat song 🔊

 

 


A Chinese children’s song sung sometimes as a lullaby. I found it in Jean Gilbert’s book ‘Festivals’ published by OUP in 1986. The English words and arrangement are by Gaik See Choo who taught at a school in London. The language is the Hokkeien dialect spoken in Penang, Malaysia. You can find out more about this language at: http://www.lewismicropublishing.com/Publications/HokkienEnglish/HokkienEnglishFrames.htm

 

Younger children can enjoy the rowing movements as they sing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Row, row the boat to Hokkien Bay,

This is the time to get away.

Row, row the boat to Hokkien Bay,

Surely we’ll get there by midday.

 

Chichia eh hoay chun kia’tee Hokkien,

Kia kou tee poa hai chut or ean.

Ah Hock ee chin sooi goa boh gian.

Kam goan khee chia chia khee seng tian.

 


 

 

 

Good morning, Mr. Hedgehog 🔊

 

 


How sad it is that our garden friend is a rarer and rarer sight in this country. This song is still being sung in classrooms around the country.

From ’The nursery song and picture book’ published 1935 with words by Hilda M. Dodd, music by Annie Irwin Dodd. Arranged by Dany Rosevear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Good morning Mr. Hedgehog,

And how are you today?

The morning’s fine, the sunbeams shine,

We hope you’ve come to stay.

 

We miss you Mr. Hedgehog,

As winter days go by,

We cannot see where you can be,

However hard we try!

 

We love your bright eyes twinkling,

Your shining prickles too.

So small and round, upon the ground,

How funny to be you!

 


 

 

Hal-an-Tow 🔊

 

 


A late Spring song to usher in the summer.

Sung at May Day processions accompanied by Morris Dancers and a hobby horse and other traditions which can still be seen at Helston in the South West of England.

Find out more at:  https://mainlynorfolk.info/watersons/songs/halantow.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Chorus

Hal-an-tow, jolly rumble-O

For we’ve been up, long before the day-O!

To welcome in the summer,

To welcome in the May-O,

For summer is a-coming in

And winter’s gone away-O.

 

Robin Hood and Little John,

Are both gone to the fair-O,

And we shall go to the merry green wood

To chase the buck and hare-O,

To chase the buck and hare-O!

 

Hal-an-tow, jolly rumble-O

For we’ve been up, long before the day-O!

To welcome in the summer,

To welcome in the May-O,

For summer is a-coming in

And winter’s gone away-O.

 


 

 

Have you ever seen a rainbow? 🔊

 

 


So lovely to see a rainbow at any time of year but there is a freshness in the air and quality of light that somehow makes the rainbow seem brighter and more colourful!

Music by Dany Rosevear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Have you ever seen a rainbow

On a sunny springtime day,

After it's been raining

In the misty month of May?

Out from the clouds it will appear,

And then it's gone away.

Have you ever seen a rainbow

On a sunny springtime day?

 


 

 

Here’s a baby birdie O

 

 


A lap game for a baby as below or an action game for a toddler.

Learn to go up and down the musical scale with this song. .

Show young children how they might move – older ones will have their own ideas especially for the dinosaur verse.

1. Hold baby ‘bird’ close .2.Touch head and wiggle bottom 3. Stretch legs and flap elbows 4. Lift baby up 5. Gently lower baby to the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Here’s a baby birdie, hatching from a shell;

Out pops her head, then out comes her tail.

Now her legs she stretches, her wings she gives a flap.

Then she flies and flies and flies,

Now what do you think of that?

Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, BOOM !

 

Here's a baby dinosaur, hatching from a shell;

Out pops his head, then out comes his tail.

Now his feet he's stomping, he gives a little roar ROAR!

He turns around and turns around,

Then sits down on the floor!

Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, BOOM !


 

 

Here’s a branch of snowy May

Maypole song 🔊

 

 


A song and dance to celebrate arrival of late Spring; children wear blossom in the hair to symbolize new growth when dancing round the Maypole.

 

For a simple Maypole dance weave ribbons in an over and under patern. The children then turn and skip in the opposite direction to unweave the ribbons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Here's a branch of snowy May,

A branch the fairies gave me.

Would you like to dance today,

With a branch the fairies gave me?

Dance away, dance away,

Holding high the branch of May.

Dance away, dance away,

Holding high the branch of May.


 

 

Hot cross buns O

 

 


This is a street cry used in days gone by to sell spicy buns with a white cross which are associated with Good Friday. These days you can buy such buns all the year round! Find out more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Cross_Buns or http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8598312.stm

This song is often sung as a round.

Play a pat-a-cake clapping sequence with a partner; clap own hands, partner’s right hand and then left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Hot cross buns,

Hot cross buns,

One a penny,

Two a penny,

Hot cross buns.

 

If you have no daughters,

Give them to your sons,

One a penny,

Two a penny,

Hot cross buns.

 

If your sons don't like them,

They're the only ones,

One a penny,

Two a penny,

Hot cross buns.

 

Buy them when they're hot

And eat them by the ton,

One a penny,

Two a penny,

Hot cross buns.

 


 

 

 

How many Valentines?

 

 


Count those you love, a hand play. With the second verse be generous and inclusive when choosing names so no-one feels left out.

 

Tap each finger in turn. On last line of each verse make heart shape with forefingers and thumbs. Go round more than once if the group is large.

 

 

 

Valentines, valentines;

How many do you see?

Valentines, valentines,

Can you count them with me?

One for father,

One for mother,

One for grandma, too,

One for sister,

One for brother,

And here is one for YOU!

 

Valentines, valentines;

How many do you see?

Valentines, valentines,

Can you count them with me?

One for Florence,

One for Jacob,

One for Mia, too,

One for Alisha,

One for Jesse,

And here is one for YOU!


 

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