Nursery rhymes (2024)

Children for generations have enjoyed their parents, or grandparents, saying or singing nursery rhymes to them. The comforting rhythm of the verses means that even at a very early age, babies recognise familiar nursery rhymes.

They start by anticipating what is going to come, be it a word, sound or action, and later they grasp the words and love joining in, over and over again! It’s the very repetition that they enjoy.

Some of the most traditional nursery rhymes have meanings which are irrelevant and pretty meaningless in this modern day and age, but still the rhymes live on from generation to generation. Some are clearly educational, teaching little ones to count and increase their vocabulary along the way.

A few, like London Bridge Is Falling Down, have various versions (possibly depending on where you live) and yours may differ from the one your partner heard as a toddler…

The benefits of teaching your kids nursery rhymes

Our list of nursery rhymes

Just in case you’re a little rusty on some of the classics, here is Emma’s Diary’s selection of some of the best known traditional nursery rhymes… get ready to sing along!

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky, twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.

I'm a Little Tea Pot

I’m a little teapot, short and stout
Here’s my handle (place hand on hip)
Here’s my spout (stick your other arm out straight)
When I get all steamed up, hear me shout
Just tip me over and pour me out (lean over with your spout arm)

London Bridge is Falling Down (Short Version)

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair lady.

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,
His fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go

He followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.

"What makes the lamb love Mary so?"
The eager children cry;
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
The teacher did reply.

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

Hey diddle diddle, Mother Goose

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon!

Baa baa black sheep

Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!
One for the master, one for the dame,
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.

One, two, three, four

One, two, three, four, five
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right.

Hickory dickory dock

Hickory dickory dock (Gently bounce baby to the beat)
The mouse ran up the clock (run your fingers from your baby's toes to their chin)
The clock struck one (clap once)
The mouse ran down (run your fingers down to your baby's toes)
Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock (Gently bounce baby to the beat)
The mouse ran up the clock (run your fingers from your baby's toes to their chin)
The clock struck two (clap twice)
The mouse went "boo!" (cover baby's eyes with your hands then pull them away on boo!)
Hickory dickory dock.

Three… the mouse went weeee (lift baby in the air on weeee)
Four…The mouse went "no more!" (shake your finger no more!)

Polly put the kettle on

Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
We’ll all have tea.

Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
They’ve all gone away.

Pop! Goes the weasel

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

Up and down the City road,
In and out the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

Ring-a-ring o’roses

Ring-a-ring o’roses
A pocketful of posies
Atishoo, atishoo
We all fall down.

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
He went to bed to mend his head,
With vinegar and brown paper.

This old man

This old man, he played one
He played knick-knack on my thumb
With a knick knack paddywhack give the dog a bone
This old man cam rolling home…

Two… on my shoe
Three… on my knee
Four… on my door
Five… on my hive
Six… on my sticks
Seven…up to heaven
Eight… on my gate
Nine… on my spine
Ten… once again

Round and round the garden

Round and round the garden, like a Teddy Bear (drawn a circle with your finger on baby’s palm)
One step, two step, (walk your finger up baby’s arm)
Tickle you under there! (tickle baby under the chin)

Sing a song of sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?

The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey,
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

This little piggy

This little piggy went to market (touch baby’s biggest toe)
This little piggy stayed at home (touch the next toe)
This little piggy had roast beef (and the next)
This little piggy had none (and the next)
And this little piggy went...Wee wee wee all the way home... (touch the little toe and then run your hand up baby tickling gently as you go)

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider, who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away!

Duke of York

Oh, the grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

Oh, the grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

Oh, the grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again

And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down

The best Mr Tumble Nursery Rhymes

Who doesn’t love Mr Tumble? Well, here at Emma’s Diary we’re BIG fans, so here are our favourite nursery rhymes from Mr Tumble with lyrics…

Wheels on the Bus with Mr Tumble

The wheels on the bus go round and round

Round and round

Round and round

The wheels on the bus go round and round

All day long

No, it started to rain

Oh no, we need to make the wipers go swish, swish, swish

Are you ready? Here we go

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish

Swish, swish, swish

Swish, swish, swish

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish

All day long

Wow, it suddenly got very noisy on the bus

Lots of people have gone on and started to chat

Are you ready?

The people on the bus go chat, chat, chat

Chat, chat, chat

Chat, chat, chat

The people on the bus go chat, chat, chat

All day long

Alright everyone, it's time to beat the horn on the bus

Get ready with your 'uh, uh, uh'

Here we go

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep

Beep, beep, beep

Beep, beep, beep

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep

All day long

Yeah, well done everyone

Great singing

Come on, let's ride the bus one more time

Ready to sing? Here we go

The wheels on the bus go round and round

Round and round

Round and round

The wheels on the bus go round and round

All day long

Little Bo Beep by Mr Tumble

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep

And doesn’t know where to find them;

Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,

Bringing their tails behind them.

Little Bo Peep fell fast asleep

And dreamt she heard them bleating;

But when she awoke, she found it a joke,

For they were still a-fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook,

Determined for to find them;

She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,

For they’d left their tales behind them.

It happened one day, as Bo Peep did stray

Into a meadow hard by,

There she espied their tales side by side,

All hung on a tree to dry.

She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye,

And over the hillocks went rambling,

And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,

To tack each again to its lambkin.

I’m a Little Teapot by Mr Tumble

I'm a little teapot,

Short and stout,

Here is my handle

Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up,

Hear me shout,

Tip me over and pour me out!

I'm a very special teapot,

Yes, it's true,

Here's an example of what I can do,

I can turn my handle into a spout,

Tip me over and pour me out!

If You’re Happy And You Know It by Mr Tumble

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

If you're happy and you know it and you really want to show it

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

If you're happy and you know it turn around

If you're happy and you know it turn around

If you're happy and you know it and you really want to show it

If you're happy and you know it turn around

Round and Round the Garden with Mr Tumble

Round and round the garden

Like a teddy bear.

One step, two step,

Tickle you under there.

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