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.
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.