Winter songs M-O

Mark your steps

Merry little snowflakes

Merry little snowflakes dancing in the air

Mince pie or pudding

New Year carol

New Year’s Day

November

Old Man Winter’s on his way

Old Mother Goose

On a frosty morning

Once there was a snowman

One day we built a snowman

Over the river and through the woods

Also see:

A - I

J - O

P- Z

The North wind doth blow

A chubby little snowman

The mitten song

Five little men made out of snow

And the YouTube playlist: Winter songs and poems

Last updated: 12/26/2022 10:33 AM

The songs below are part of ‘Away we go’ compiled, adapted and illustrated 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:

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Mark your steps 🔊

A winter ‘follow my leader’ song with a steady beat; a rhyme from the Steiner tradition.

Walk in the snow and look back at the footsteps behind you.

As a young child for three years I lived in Norfolk in the east of England, in winter, I remember, deep snow settling over the countryside which made for an interesting walk to school across the fields – snow shoes would have come in very handy!

This little winter game came from: Living Arts Weekly: Winter Circle Song – LifeWays (lifewaysnorthamerica.org)

Music by Dany Rosevear.

On a circle or line follow the leader. 1. Walk in a measured way. 2. Walk quickly then lift feet. 3. Put hands to eyes then look around.

Mark your steps with your feet,

In the white snow, deep so deep.

Little holes, bigger holes,

Watch where you go!

Merry little snowflakes 🔊

A winter hand play from Maud Burnham’s ‘Rhymes for little hands’.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

1. Fingers raised high move downwards. 2. Make steeple with two forefingers and then raise arms for branches. 3. Two hands form roof and then clasp hands. 4. Move one hand down sloped forearm. 5. As before. 6. Spread hands then place palms to cheek. 7. Circle arms to make sun. 8. Hide hands behind back.

Merry little snowflakes, falling through the air,

Resting on the steeple and tall trees everywhere;

Clothing roofs and fences, capping every post,

Covering the hillside, just where we like to coast.

Merry little snowflakes, try their very best,

To make a soft, white blanket, so buds and flowers may rest.

But when the bright spring sun shines

and says it’s come to stay,

Then those little snowflakes quickly run away!

Merry little snowflakes dancing in the air 🔊

Words by Patty S. Hill ‘Song Stories For The Kindergarten’ published in 1940. Her sister, Mildred J. Hill, wrote the original tune

Here the music set to a simple familiar tune by Dany Rosevear.

Encourage the children to act out the rhyme either with hands or freely moving about the room.

Merry little snowflakes,

Dancing in the air!

Busy little snowflakes,

Falling everywhere.

Blowing in our faces,

Falling at our feet,

And kissing all the children,

As they run along the street!

Mince pie or pudding 🔊

A Shaker welcome song. I came across it in ‘Music now and long ago’ published 1956 by Silver Burdett.

Chorus

Welcome here, welcome here,

All be alive and be of good cheer.

Welcome here, welcome here,

All be alive and be of good cheer.

I've got a pie all baked complete,

Pudding too, that's very sweet.

Chestnuts are roasting, join us here

While we dance and make good cheer.

Chorus

I've got a log that's burning hot,

Toddy's bubbling in the pot.

Come in, ye people, where it's warm,

The wind blows sharp and it may storm.

Chorus

I made a loaf that's cooling there,

With my neighbours, I will share.

Come, all ye people, hear me sing

A song of friendly welcoming.

Chorus

New Year carol 🔊

A Welsh wassailing song, ‘Calennig’ from ‘A second sixty songs for little children’ published in1945 with a new text by Frances B. Wood..

Adapted and arranged by Dany Rosevear.

O, bright are the stars,

And cold is the night,

Soft snowflakes are covering

The world in white,

But we cheerfully carol,

We carol to you,

“Goodnight to the old year,

Good day to the new!”

A good year to each,

A good year to all,

Good blessings a-plenty

On everyone fall!

O, spare us a penny

And we’ll sing to you,

“Goodnight to the old year,

Good day to the new!”

New Year’s Day 🔊

A song that dates back to the seventeenth century.

You can find another version of ‘I saw three ships’ with a different tune and words www.singinggamesforchildren.com/A Cluster 2.2 Awaywego/22 Songs for the Christmas F-N w.htm. Find out more here:

I saw three ships come sailing by,

Sailing by, sailing by,

I saw three ships come sailing by,

On New Year's Day in the morning.

And what do you think was in them then,

In them then, in them then,

And what do you think was in them then,

On New Year's Day in the morning?

Three pretty girls were in them then,

In them then, in them then,

Three pretty girls were in them then,

On New Year's Day in the morning.

And one could whistle, and one could sing,

The other play on the violin;

Such joy there was at my wedding,

On New Year's Day in the morning.

November 🔊

A seasonal poem.

Winter creeps up on us even while the fox is still sunbathing in the garden!

Music by Dany Rosevear.

No sunshine, lots of rain,

No warm days, snow again!

No bugs or bees

No leaves on trees.

You must remember

This is November!

Old Man Winter’s on his way 🔊

Change is coming; new season, new clothes.

Words and music by Gil Slote From ‘Musical plays for special days’ 1960.

Get out that winter overcoat

And heavy rubbers too;

‘Cause Old Man Winter’s on his way

And he has cold news for you.

Get out that heavy woollen scarf

To protect you from the breeze;

‘Cause Old Man Winter’s on his way

And he’s out to make you freeze.

Now Old Man Winter is a rough and tough,

And can roar like a lion in the zoo.

But if you’re ready whenever he comes

He’ll just be fun for you.

So get out that sled and shiny skates.

Now hurry , don’t be slow;

‘Cause Old Man Winter’s on his way

With lots of soft white snow.

Old Mother Goose 🔊

In Scandinavian countries there is a legend that snowflakes are the feathers that an old woman in the sky picks from her geese and throws away.

Children can swing their arms to the rhythm of the music. The can also use their hands and fingers to show plucking geese, throwing the feathers away, and making it snow.

Old Mother Goose is plucking her geese,

Plucking her geese, plucking her geese;

Old Mother Goose is plucking her geese,

And throwing the feathers away.

Old Mother Goose is making it snow,

Making it snow, making it snow;

Old Mother Goose is making it snow,

She’s making it snow today.

On a frosty morning 🔊

Squirrel is out gathering food for winter.

A French folk song with words by John Erwin from ‘140 Folk Tunes’ published 1921.

Move around the room with paws in front scampering and jumping like a squirrel and picking up nuts to take back to a hidden store.

Patter go the nuts on a frosty morning,

Falling from the trees to the ground below;

Here's Mister Squirrel going Hop! Hop! Hop!

Picking them up as fast they drop;

Packing them away for his food in winter,

When the woods and fields will be white with snow.

Mister Squirrel lives in a hollow maple;

Window there is none, and but one small door.

Time after time fast home he hops,

Into his door the nuts he drops;

Who do you suppose is inside to meet him?

Mother Squirrel grey and her children four.

Once there was a snowman 🔊

A simple Winter movement play to encourage understanding the concept of size.

Words and music by Moiselle Renstrom, 1889–1956. This song easily adapts to other circumstances.

1. Begin on the floor and move up slowly then move slowly back down to the floor. 2. Start as before but finish tall and proud. 3. As before but spread arm and hand branches.

Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman,

Once there was a snowman, tall, tall, tall.

In the sun he melted, melted, melted.

In the sun he melted, small, small, small.

Once I was a baby, baby, baby,

Once I was a baby, small, small, small.

Now I'm getting bigger, bigger, bigger,

Now I'm getting bigger, so tall, tall, tall.

Once there was an acorn, acorn, acorn,

Once there was an acorn, small, small, small,

Now it’s growing higher, higher, higher,

Now it’s growing higher, tall, tall, tall.

One day we built a snowman 🔊

This delightful poem was published by an American, W.W. Ellsworth, in 1915 and adapted over the years; you can still find the original at: https://archive.org/stream/stnicholasserial251dodg/stnicholasserial251dodg#page/347/mode/1up

One day we built a snowman,

We built him out of snow;

You should have seen how fine he was,

All white from top to toe!

We poured some water over him,

To freeze his legs and ears;

And then we went indoors to bed,

We thought he’d last for years.

But in the night a warmer kind

Of wind began to blow;

And Jack Frost cried and ran away,

And with him went the snow.

When we went out next morning

To bid our friend "Good Day",

There wasn't any snowman there...

He'd melted right away!

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