Nursery Rhymes: Singing to Enhance Play Time

Often by the time you reach parenthood, you may have forgotten many of the nursery rhymes from your childhood. Nursery rhymes are great additions to playtime. They capture babies’ attention in a way most sounds cannot. They can teach important lessons or skills, like self-care, speech sounds, and counting. Plus, when parents sing the songs, it creates a wonderful bonding opportunity. Pediatric physical therapists know it’s also a great tool for calming or encouraging movement, depending on the song! 

Babies are much more likely to listen to the songs when you sing it for them. So if you’re ready to start singing, but forgot the words, I have you covered! Here are some of the more popular nursery rhymes for babies:

(Please note that although I organized these songs into “calming” and “energizing” songs, you can transform any song by changing the tone, pace, and energy of your singing!) 

Calming Songs:

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

Hush Little Baby

Hush little baby don’t say a word

Mama’s gonna buy you a mocking bird

If that mocking bird don’t sing

Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring

If that diamond ring turns brass

Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass 

If that looking glass gets broke

Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat

If that billy goat don’t pull

Mama’s gonna buy you a cart and bull

If that cart and bull tip over

Papa’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover

If that dog named Rover don’t bark

Mama’s gonna buy you a horse and cart

If that horse and cart fall down

You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

Five Little Ducks

5 little ducks went out one day 

Over the hills and far away

Mama duck said “quack, quack, quack, quack”

But only 4 little ducks came back

4 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away

Mama duck said “quack, quack, quack, quack”

But only 3 little ducks came back

3 little ducks went out one day 

Over the hills and far away

Mama duck said “quack, quack, quack, quack”

But only 2 little ducks came back 

2 little ducks went out one day

Over the hills and far away

Mama duck said “quack, quack, quack, quack”

But only 1 little ducks came back

1 little duck went out one day

Over the hills and far away

Mama duck said “quack, quack, quack, quack”

But none of the 5 little ducks came back

Sad mother duck went out one day

Over the hills and far away

Mama duck said “quack, quack, quack, quack”

And all of her 5 little ducks came back

ABC’s

A B C D E F G H I J KL M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Now I know my ABC’s, next time won’t you sing with me

Ba Ba Black Sheep

Ba ba black sheep have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir, 3 bags full

1 for the farmer, 1 for the dame

1 for the little boy you lives down the lane 

Ba ba black sheep have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir, 3 bags full

1, 2 Buckle My Shoe

1, 2 buckle my shoe

3, 4 open the door

5, 6 pick up sticks

7, 8 lay them straight

9, 10 a big fat hen

Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed the spider out

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again

Energizing Songs:

Here We Go ‘Round The Mulberry Bush

Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush

Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush so early in the morning 

This is the way we get dressed, get dressed, get dressed

This is the way we get dressed so early in the morning

This is the way we comb our hair, comb our hair, comb our hair

This is the way we comb our hair so early in the morning

This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth

This is the way we brush our teeth so early in the morning

Five Little Monkeys

5 little monkeys jumping on the bed

1 fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

4 little monkeys jumping on the bed

1 fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

3 little monkeys jumping on the bed

1 fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

2 little monkeys jumping on the bed

1 fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

1 little monkey jumping on the bed

1 fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

5 green and speckled frogs

Sitting on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs “yum, yum”

1 jumped into a pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there are 4 green specked frogs “glub, glub”

4 green and speckled frogs

Sitting on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs “yum, yum”

1 jumped into a pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there are 3 green specked frogs “glub, glub”

3 green and speckled frogs

Sitting on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs “yum, yum”

1 jumped into a pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there are 2 green specked frogs “glub, glub”

2 green and speckled frogs

Sitting on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs “yum, yum”

1 jumped into a pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there is 1 green specked frogs “glub, glub”

1 green and speckled frog

Sitting on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs “yum, yum”

1 jumped into a pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there are no green specked frogs “glub, glub”

Ants Go Marching

The ants go marching 1 by 1 hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 1 by 1 hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 1 by 1,

The little one stops to play a drum

And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain boom, boom, boom, boom

The ants go marching 2 by 2 hurrah, hurrah,

The ants go marching 2 by 2 hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 2 by 2,

The little one stops to tie his shoe

And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain boom, boom, boom, boom

The ants go marching 3 by 3, hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 3 by 3, hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 3 by 3,

The little one stops to climb a tree

And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain boom, boom, boom, boom

The ants go marching 4 by 4, hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 4 by 4 hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 4 by 4,

The little one stops to shut the door

And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain boom, boom, boom, boom

The ants go marching 5 by 5, hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 5 by 5 hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching 5 by 5,

The little one stops to take a dive

And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain boom, boom, boom, boom

Wheels on the Bus

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 through the town

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish

Swish, swish, swish,

Swish, swish, swish,

The wiper on the bus go swish, swish, swish, all through the town

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 through the town

The doors on the bus go open and shut,

Open and shut,

Open and shut,

The doors on the bus go open and shut, all through the town

The driver on the bus says move on back,

Move on back,

Move on back,

The driver on the bus says move on back, all through the town

The people on the bus go up and down,

Up and down,

Up and down,

The people on the bus go up and down, all through the town

The babies on the bus go waa, waa, waa

Waa, waa, waa

Waa, waa, waa

The babies on the bus go waa, waa, waa, all through the town

The mommies on the bus go sh, sh, sh

Sh, sh, sh

Sh, sh, sh

The mommies on the bus go sh, sh, sh, all through the town

The daddies on the bus say I love you,

I love you,

I love you,

The daddies on the bus say I love you, all through the town

Old MacDonald

Old Mac Donald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o

And on his farm he had a cow, e-i-e-i-o

With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo, moo

Old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o

Old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o

And on his farm he had a horse, e-i-e-i-o

With a neigh, neigh here and a neigh, neigh there, here a neigh, there a neigh, everywhere a neigh, neigh

Old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o

Old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o

And on his farm he had a pig, e-i-e-i-o

With an oink, oink here and an oink, oink there, here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink, oink

Old Mac Donald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o

Zoom Zoom Zoom, We’re Going to the Moon

Zoom zoom zoom, we're going to the moon,

Zoom zoom zoom, we're going to the moon,

If you want to take a trip,

Climb aboard my rocket ship

Zoom zoom zoom, we're going to the moon,

In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Blast off!