Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Afrikaans — Afrikaans
  • Albanian — Shqip
  • Amharic — አማርኛ
  • Arabic — العربية
  • Armenian — Հայերեն
  • Assamese — অসমীয়া
  • Aymara — Aymar aru
  • Azerbaijani — Azərbaycan dili
  • Bambara — Bamanankan
  • Basque — Euskara
  • Belarusian — Беларуская
  • Bengali — বাংলা
  • Bhojpuri — भोजपुरी
  • Bosnian — Bosanski
  • Bulgarian — Български
  • Cantonese — 廣州話
  • Catalan — Català
  • Cebuano — Sinugbuanong Binisayâ
  • Chichewa — Chichewa
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 简体中文
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 繁體中文
  • Corsican — Corsu
  • Croatian — Hrvatski
  • Czech — Čeština
  • Danish — Dansk
  • Dhivehi — ދިވެހި
  • Dogri — डोगरी
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • English — English
  • Esperanto — Esperanto
  • Estonian — Eesti
  • Ewe — Eʋegbe
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • Finnish — Suomi
  • French — Français
  • Frisian — Frysk
  • Galician — Galego
  • Georgian — ქართული
  • German — Deutsch
  • Greek — Ελληνικά
  • Guarani — Avañe’ẽ
  • Gujarati — ગુજરાતી
  • Haitian Creole — Kreyòl ayisyen
  • Hausa — Hausa
  • Hawaiian — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
  • Hebrew — עברית
  • Hindi — हिन्दी
  • Hmong — Hmoob
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Icelandic — Íslenska
  • Igbo — Asụsụ Igbo
  • Ilocano — Ilokano
  • Indonesian — Bahasa Indonesia
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Japanese — 日本語
  • Javanese — Basa Jawa
  • Kannada — ಕನ್ನಡ
  • Kazakh — Қазақ тілі
  • Khmer — ភាសាខ្មែរ
  • Kinyarwanda — Ikinyarwanda
  • Konkani — कोंकणी
  • Korean — 한국어
  • Krio — Krio
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji) — Kurdî
  • Kurdish (Sorani) — کوردی
  • Kyrgyz — Кыргызча
  • Lao — ລາວ
  • Latin — Latina
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lingala — Lingála
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių
  • Luganda — Luganda
  • Luxembourgish — Lëtzebuergesch
  • Macedonian — Македонски
  • Maithili — मैथिली
  • Malagasy — Malagasy
  • Malay — Bahasa Melayu
  • Malayalam — മലയാളം
  • Maltese — Malti
  • Maori — Māori
  • Marathi — मराठी
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri) — ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ
  • Mizo — Mizo ṭawng
  • Mongolian — Монгол хэл
  • Myanmar (Burmese) — မြန်မာစာ
  • Nepali — नेपाली
  • Norwegian — Norsk
  • Odia (Oriya) — ଓଡ଼ିଆ
  • Oromo — Afaan Oromoo
  • Pashto — پښتو
  • Persian — فارسی
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Punjabi — ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
  • Quechua — Runa Simi
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Samoan — Gagana Samoa
  • Sanskrit — संस्कृतम्
  • Scots Gaelic — Gàidhlig
  • Sepedi — Sepedi
  • Serbian — Српски
  • Sesotho — Sesotho
  • Shona — Shona
  • Sindhi — سنڌي
  • Sinhala — සිංහල
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Slovenian — Slovenščina
  • Somali — Soomaali
  • Spanish — Español
  • Sundanese — Basa Sunda
  • Swahili — Kiswahili
  • Swedish — Svenska
  • Tajik — Тоҷикӣ
  • Tamil — தமிழ்
  • Tatar — Татар теле
  • Telugu — తెలుగు
  • Thai — ไทย
  • Tigrinya — ትግርኛ
  • Tsonga — Xitsonga
  • Turkish — Türkçe
  • Turkmen — Türkmençe
  • Twi — Twi
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Urdu — اردو
  • Uyghur — ئۇيغۇرچە
  • Uzbek — Oʻzbekcha
  • Vietnamese — Tiếng Việt
  • Welsh — Cymraeg
  • Xhosa — IsiXhosa
  • Yiddish — ייִדיש
  • Yoruba — Yorùbá
  • Zulu — IsiZulu
  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Education
    3. Schools, learning and development
    4. Give your child a helping hand
    5. Helping your child with learning
    6. Playing and learning
    Mum and daughter high five
    Give your child a helping hand

    Songs to sing with your child

    Singing songs can help your child understand words and develop speech. You can use counting songs and action songs. It's a fun way for your child to learn.

    Contents

    Skip table of contents
    • Ten green bottles
    • One, two, three, four, five
    • Five little ducks
    • Ten in the bed
    • This little piggy
    • Horsey horsey
    • Dance to your daddy
    • Baa baa black sheep
    • Twinkle twinkle little star
    • Old MacDonald
    • Two little dickey birds
    • I'm a little teapot
    • Incy wincy spider
    • The wheels on the bus
    • Pat a cake
    • Round and round the garden
    • Rhythm and rhyme

    Ten green bottles

    Ten green bottles sitting on a wall,
    ten green bottles sitting on a wall,
    and if one green bottle should accidently fall
    there’ll be nine green bottles sitting on a wall

    Continue until …

    There'll be one green bottle, sitting on the wall,
    one green bottle, sitting on the wall.
    and if that green bottle,
    should accidently fall,
    there'll be no green bottles, sitting on the wall.

    One, two, three, four, five

    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 the right.

    Five little ducks

    Five little ducks went swimming one day,
    over the hill and far away.
    Mummy duck said,
    quack, quack, quack, quack.
    But only four little ducks came back.

    Four little ducks went swimming one day...

    until

    Sad mummy duck went swimming one day,
    over the hill and far away.
    The sad mummy duck said,
    quack, quack, quack, quack.
    All of the five little ducks came back.

    Ten in the bed

    There were ten in the bed,
    and the little one said, 'Roll over, roll over'.
    So they all rolled over,
    and one fell out,

    There were nine in the bed...

    Continue until

    There was one in the bed,
    and the little one said, 'Roll over, roll over'.
    So he rolled over,
    and he fell out.
    There were none in the bed,
    so no one said, 'Roll over, roll over'.

    This little piggy

    This little piggy went to market,
    this little piggy stayed at home.
    This little piggy had roast beef,
    this little piggy had none.
    This little piggy cried 'wee wee wee' all the way home.

    Horsey horsey

    If you’re playing on the carpet with your toddler, surprise them by giving them a pony ride around the living room. You can sing this song too.

    Horsey Horsey, don’t you stop,
    just let your feet go clippety clop,
    your tail goes ‘swish’ and your wheels go round,
    giddy up, we’re homeward bound.

    Don’t forget to hold on tight.

    Dance to your daddy

    Dance to your daddy, my little baby,
    dance to your daddy, my little lamb!
    You shall have a fishy, on a little dishy,
    you shall have a fishy, when the boat comes in.

    Baa baa black sheep

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

    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!

    Old MacDonald

    Old MacDonald had a farm,
    E-I-E-I-O,
    and on that farm he had some sheep,
    E-I-E-I-O,
    with a baa baa here and a baa baa there,
    here a baa, there a baa,
    everywhere a baa baa,
    Old MacDonald had a farm,
    E-I-E-I-O.

    Old MacDonald had a farm,
    E-I-E-I-O,
    and on that farm he had some cows,
    E-I-E-I-O,
    with a moo moo here and a moo moo there,
    here a moo, there a moon,
    everywhere a moo moo
    Old MacDonald had a farm,
    E-I-E-I-O.

    (Make up verses using other animals and their sounds).

    Two little dickey birds

    This is a fun song to sing at the table. You can pretend your fingers are the dickey birds and make them fly away and come back again.

    Two little dickey birds,
    sitting on a wall,
    one named Peter,
    one named Paul.
    Fly away Peter,
    fly away Paul,
    come back Peter,
    come back Paul.

    I'm a little teapot

    I’m a little teapot,
    short and stout,
    here’s my handle (put your hand on your hip),
    here’s my spout (put your other hand in the air to make a spout),
    when the kettle’s boiling,
    hear me shout,
    tip me up (stand on your tip toes),
    and pour me out! (Lean to the side and pretend to pour).

    Incy wincy spider

    Try showing your toddler how to put their fingers together into a spider shape to make Incy Wincy. Then you can move their hand slowly as Incy goes up and down the spout.

    Incy wincy spider,
    climbed the water spout,
    down came the rain (wiggle your fingers downwards in the air),
    and washed poor Incy out,
    out came the sunshine (spread your hands out above your child’s head),
    and dried up all the rain,
    Incy wincy spider,
    climbed up the spout again.

    The wheels on the bus

    The wheels on the bus go round and round (move your arms round in a circle at the side of your body),
    round and round, round and round,
    The wheels on the bus go round and round, all day long.

    The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish (Hold your hands up in front of you and move your hands from side to side),
    swish swish swish, swish swish swish,
    The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish, all day long.

    The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep (press your baby's nose)
    beep beep beep, beep beep beep,
    The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep, all day long.

    The children on the bus go up and down (lift your child up into the air, and back down again),
    up and down, up and down,
    the children on the bus go up and down, all day long.

    The babies on the bus go wah wah wah,
    wah wah wah, wah wah wah,
    the babies on the bus go wah wah wah, all day long.

    The mums on the bus go sshh sshh sshh (put your fingers on your lips)
    sshh sshh sshh, sshh sshh sshh,
    the mums on the bus go sshh sshh sshh, all day long.

    (faster)

    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!

    Pat a cake

    You can sit on the floor facing your toddler for this. Try showing your toddler how to hold their palms up high, and gently clap your hands against theirs in time to the rhyme:

    Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man,
    bake me a cake, as fast as you can,
    pat it and prick it and mark it with 'B',
    and put it in the oven for baby and me.

    Round and round the garden

    Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear (try gently making a circle on your child's palm with your finger),
    One step, two step (slowly walk your fingers up your child's arm),
    Tickle you under there (gently tickle your child under their chin).

    Rhythm and rhyme

    Rhythm and rhyme is a free programme that introduces babies and toddlers rhymes, songs and stories in local libraries. Joining a library is a great way for you and your child to borrow books and music and meet new friends.

    More useful links

    • Libraries NI(external link opens in a new window / tab)external link opens in a new window / tab
    • CBeebies Babies and toddlers clips and songs(external link opens in a new window / tab)external link opens in a new window / tab
    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Playing and learning

    • Baking with your child
    • Songs to sing with your child

    What do you want to do?
    Report a problem
    Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

    Messages

    Warning You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

    Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

    3000 character(s) remaining
    3000 character(s) remaining
    What is your question about?

    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

    Related sites

    • gov.uk
    • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

    Links to supporting information

    • Accessibility statement
    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • RSS