Entertaining your toddler AND teaching them new words and skills is as easy as a nursery rhyme! Sometimes I get a little tired of singing the same ones over. and over. and over. again. It can be fun to learn some that are a more unique and still have hand actions and a nice tune to them.
So I am going to share 10 of the best with you. This is a mix of the more popular and the lesser known. All are great for the little hands and little minds!
The Wheels on the Bus
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round.”
- Action: Roll your hands over each other in a circular motion.
- Verse 2: “The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish.”
- Action: Move your hands back and forth in front of you like windshield wipers.
- Verse 3: “The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep.”
- Action: Pretend to press a horn with your hand.
- Verse 4: “The doors on the bus go open and shut.”
- Action: Open and close your hands like bus doors.
- Verse 5: “The driver on the bus says ‘Move on back.'”
- Action: Point your thumb over your shoulder.
- Verse 6: “The babies on the bus go ‘Wah, wah, wah.'”
- Action: Rub your eyes with your fists.
- Verse 7: “The parents on the bus go ‘Shh, shh, shh.'”
- Action: Put your finger to your lips.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.”
- Action: Use your fingers to mimic a spider climbing up.
- Verse 2: “Down came the rain and washed the spider out.”
- Action: Wiggle your fingers downwards to mimic rain.
- Verse 3: “Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.”
- Action: Form a circle with your arms above your head to mimic the sun.
- Verse 4: “And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.”
- Action: Repeat the climbing motion with your fingers.
Little Green Frog
Tune: Find it on Youtube
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “Mm-mm went the little green frog one day, mm-mm went the little green frog.”
- Action: Blink your eyes and open and close your mouth like a frog.
- Verse 2: “Mm-mm went the little green frog one day, and they all went mm-mm-ah!”
- Action: Blink your eyes, open and close your mouth, then open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue.
- Verse 3: “Honk, honk went the big blue truck one day, honk, honk went the big blue truck.”
- Action: Pretend to honk a horn with your hand.
- Verse 4: “Honk, honk went the big blue truck one day, and they all went honk, honk, beep!”
- Action: Pretend to honk a horn and then beep with your hand.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.”
- Action: Open and close your fingers to mimic twinkling stars.
- Verse 2: “Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.”
- Action: Raise your hands above your head and form a diamond shape with your fingers.
- Verse 3: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.”
- Action: Open and close your fingers to mimic twinkling stars.
The Elephant Song
Tune: Similar to For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “The elephant goes like this and that, he’s terribly big and terribly fat.”
- Action: Use your arms to mimic a big elephant’s trunk and body.
- Verse 2: “He has no fingers and has no toes, but goodness gracious, what a nose!”
- Action: Point to your nose and then use your arm to mimic an elephant’s trunk.
- Verse 3: “The elephant goes stomp, stomp, stomp, with his big feet going clomp, clomp, clomp.”
- Action: Stomp your feet to mimic an elephant walking.
- Verse 4: “He swings his trunk from side to side, and he opens his mouth so wide.”
- Action: Swing your arm like a trunk and open your mouth wide.
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.”
- Action: Clap your hands twice.
- Verse 2: “If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet.”
- Action: Stomp your feet twice.
- Verse 3: “If you’re happy and you know it, shout hooray.”
- Action: Shout “Hooray!” and raise your arms in the air.
- Verse 4: “If you’re happy and you know it, do all three.”
- Action: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and shout “Hooray!”
Five Little Ducks
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “Five little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away.”
- Action: Hold up five fingers and move your hand in a wave motion.
- Verse 2: “Mother duck said quack, quack, quack, quack, but only four little ducks came back.”
- Action: Use your hand to mimic a duck’s beak opening and closing.
- Verse 3: “Four little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away.”
- Action: Hold up four fingers and move your hand in a wave motion.
- Verse 4: “Mother duck said quack, quack, quack, quack, but only three little ducks came back.”
- Action: Use your hand to mimic a duck’s beak opening and closing.
- Continue until: “No little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mother duck said quack, quack, quack, quack, and all five little ducks came back.”
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
Tune: Similar to For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “The bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain.”
- Action: Use your hands to mimic climbing a mountain.
- Verse 2: “The bear went over the mountain, to see what he could see.”
- Action: Shade your eyes with your hand as if looking far away.
- Verse 3: “And all that he could see, and all that he could see.”
- Action: Continue shading your eyes and looking around.
- Verse 4: “Was the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain.”
- Action: Point to the other side.
- Verse 5: “The other side of the mountain, was all that he could see.”
- Action: Continue pointing and looking around.
The Little Fish
Tune: Similar to The Wheels on the Bus
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “The little fish are swimming in the water, swimming in the water, swimming in the water.”
- Action: Move your hands in a swimming motion.
- Verse 2: “The little fish are swimming in the water, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, pop!”
- Action: Move your hands in a swimming motion, then clap your hands together on “pop.”
- Verse 3: “The big fish are swimming in the water, swimming in the water, swimming in the water.”
- Action: Move your hands in a larger swimming motion.
- Verse 4: “The big fish are swimming in the water, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, pop!”
- Action: Move your hands in a larger swimming motion, then clap your hands together on “pop.”
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Lyrics and Actions:
- Verse 1: “Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head.”
- Action: Hold up five fingers and bounce them up and down, then mimic falling and bumping your head.
- Verse 2: “Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, ‘No more monkeys jumping on the bed!'”
- Action: Pretend to hold a phone to your ear and wag your finger as if scolding.
- Verse 3: “Four little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head.”
- Action: Hold up four fingers and bounce them up and down, then mimic falling and bumping your head.
- Verse 4: “Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, ‘No more monkeys jumping on the bed!'”
- Action: Pretend to hold a phone to your ear and wag your finger as if scolding.
- Continue until: “No little monkeys jumping on the bed, none fell off and bumped their head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, ‘Put those monkeys straight to bed!'”
- Action: Pretend to hold a phone to your ear and then point to the bed.
