I Am Learning Letter U

(Tune: London Bridge )

I am learning letter U,

Letter U, letter U.

I am learning letter U

U-u-u-u!

Other verses:

Umbrella starts with letter U

Under starts with letter U

Up begins with letter U

Us begins with letter U

Children can add other verses and hand motions as they think of them.

Under The Umbrella Game

(Tune: Frere Jacques )

Choose one child to wait in the bathroom (or hide his/her eyes.)

Pick another child to hide behind a large umbrella.

Class Sings: Who is missing? Who is missing?

Do you know? Do you know?

Child who was in the bathroom:

Is it _______? Is it ________?

Class: You are right. You are right.

or Guess again. Guess again.

U Song

(Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean )

Let's stand up and sing for umbrella,

Umbrella starts with U.

Let's stand up and sing for umbrella,

And for the letter U.

U, U, U, U,

Let's sing for the letter U, U, U.

U, U, U, U,

Let's sing for the letter U.

(Repeat using other words that begin with U in place of the word umbrella.)

Unicorn Song

(Tune: Pop! Goes The Wheel )

One night I dreamed of a little white horse

That had a great big horn

Right in the middle of its head.

It was a unicorn.

I rode all night upon its back,

As I dreamed along.

But when the morning light appeared,

Poof! It was gone!

I'm The Umpire

(Tune: Take Me Out To The Ball Game )

I like to work at the ball games.

I like to work with a crowd.

I judge the balls and the pop up flies.

I rule what's right and I'll tell you why

I'm the ump-ump-ump-ump-ump-umpire

And every game is the same.

"Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out

At the old ball game!

I'm a Little Airplane

(Sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")

I'm a little airplane (children raise arms from sides to shoulder height)

Watch me fly! (Spin one arm in front as if a propeller)

Here are my instruments

From down low to up high (With their other arm, they reach from the ground to above their heads)

First I get all revved up (Make engine-like noises while still spinning their arms)

Then I can fly (Raise arms to shoulder height)

Lifting off the runway (start walking forward)

Up into the sky! (Go up on their tiptoes and continue to move forward. Let them circle awhile before returning to their original positions.)


Ants

Ants, ants,

Everywhere,

Rushing here,

Rushing there.

Carrying treasures

To their nest,

Never stopping

For a rest.

Ants, ants

Here and there,

Hurrying and scurrying

Everywhere.


Alligators and the Monkeys

5 little monkeys

Sitting in a tree

Teasing the alligator

"Can't catch me!"

Along came the alligator

Quiet as can be (whisper this part loudly)

SNAP!!! No more monkeys sitting in the tree! (snap your hands together and tickle the kids)

Sing Hurray for A!

(To the tune of "Farmer in the Dell")

Let's sing hurray for A,

Let's sing hurray for A,

Let's sing hurray for A today

Let's sing hurray for A.

Apple starts with A,

Asparagus starts the same way,

Let's sing hurray for A today,

Let's sing hurray for A.

When the Ants Go Marching In

Oh when the ants

Go marching in

Oh when the ants go marching in

How I want

To be in that number

When the ants go marching in

(Good song for the children to march around the room to)


Lullabies

Teach the children to sing "Rock-a-Bye Baby" and invite them to share other lullabies they know.

Bounce the Balloons

(Sing to: "The Mulberry Bush") This is the way we bounce the balloons

Bounce the balloons, bounce the balloons

This is the way we bounce the balloons,

Gently in the air.

Sing London Bridges

Have children stand in 2 rows, facing each other, link hands and raise to form a long bridge.
One child at a time goes under the bridge, and the bridge "collapses" on the words "We all fall down", catching whichever child is under the bridge.

Sing Little Bunny Foo Foo

Add features to the letter B to make a bunny

Bubbles

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle)

Bubbles floating all around (pretend to catch bubbles)

Bubbles fat and bubbles round (make a big circle w/arms)

Bubbles on my toes and nose (point to toes; point to nose)

Blow a bubble. ..up it goes! (pretend to blow bubble; point up)

Bubbles floating all around. (pretend to catch bubbles)

Bub. . .bles fall. ..ing to...the...ground. (sing slowly & sink to ground)


For a full directory of Toddlers Songs visit our Games Directory Page for a full selection of Songs and activities A to Z here.

Toddlers Activity & Free Kids Games

17th century England, and was spread across the Empire by colonists.

The song is also associated with jack-in-the-box toys (when the song gets to "pop" the "jack" pops up). The tune or melody is as follows, or a variation:

Lyrics

There are many different versions of the lyrics to the song. Most share the basic verse:

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.

That's the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

Or the alternative verses:

All around the Mulberry Bush,
The monkey chased the weasel.

The monkey stopped to pull up his sock, (or The monkey stopped to scratch his nose)
Pop! goes the weasel.

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.

Mix it up and make it nice,
Pop! goes the weasel.

Up and down the city road, (also seen as Up and down the King's Highway)
In and out the Eagle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

For you may try to sew and sew,
But you'll never make anything regal,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

The monkey and the weasel fought,
The weasel's really feeble,
The monkey punched him in the face,
Pop! goes the weasel.

Every time when I come home
The monkey's on the table,
Cracking nuts and eating spice
Pop! goes the weasel.

Every time when I come home
The monkey's on the table,
Take a stick and knock it off
Pop! goes the weasel.

Contemporary verses in the United States consist of mainly these two:

All around the mulberry bush (or cobbler's bench)
The monkey chased the weasel;

The monkey thought 'twas all in fun, (or 'twas all in good sport)
Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,
A penny for a needle-
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

Skip to My Lou (Skip to The Lou) is a popular children's song.

History

Skip to My (The) Lou was a popular partner stealing dance from America's frontier period. Since instruments were frowned upon, particularly the fiddle, the dancers had to create their own music by clapping and singing.

Couples would dance around a lone male who sang "lost my partner, what'll I do." At the appropriate point in the lyrics, he would "steal" the partner of a dancing man as he sang "I'll find another one prettier than you." The displaced man would take his place in the circle.

"Lou" is apparently a corruption of "loo," the Scottish word for love.

An unconventional arrangement of this tune is featured in the 1944 Motion Picture "Meet Me in St. Louis"

Lyrics (Common Version)
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'.

Fly's in the buttermilk,
Shoo, fly, shoo,
Fly's in the buttermilk,
Shoo, fly, shoo,
Fly's in the buttermilk,
Shoo, fly, shoo,
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'.

Cows in the cornfield,
What'll I do?
Cows in the cornfield,
What'll I do?
Cows in the cornfield,
What'll I do?
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'.

There's a little red wagon,
Paint it blue
There's a little red wagon,
Paint it blue
There's a little red wagon,
Paint it blue
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'

Lyrics (Version 2)

Lost my partner,
What'll I do?
Lost my partner,
What'll I do?
Lost my partner,
What'll I do?
Skip to the lou, my darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip to the Lou, my darlin'.

I'll get another one
Prettier than you,
I'll get another one
Prettier than you,
I'll get another one
Prettier than you,
Skip to the Lou, my darlin'

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip to the Lou, my darlin'.

Can't get a red bird,
Jay bird'll do,
Can't get a red bird,
Jay bird'll do,
Can't get a red bird,
Jay bird'll do,
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip to the Lou, my darlin'.

Fly's in the buttermilk,
Shoo, fly, shoo,
Fly's in the buttermilk,
Shoo, fly, shoo,
Fly's in the buttermilk,
Shoo, fly, shoo,
Skip to my Lou, the darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip to the Lou, my darlin'.

Cat's in the cream jar,
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
Cat's in the cream jar,
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
Cat's in the cream jar,
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
Skip to my Lou, the darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip to the Lou, my darlin'.

Off to Texas,
Two by two,
Off to Texas,
Two by two,
Off to Texas,
Two by two,
Skip to my Lou, the darlin'.

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,
Skip to the Lou, my darlin'.

The Farmer in the Dale is a children's song, or nursery rhyme. It tells the story of a farmer in a dale who takes a wife, who takes a child, who takes a nurse, etc, until finally a rat takes a cheese, and the cheese "stands alone".

Lyrics
The farmer in the dale
The farmer in the dale
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dale
The farmer takes a wife
The farmer takes a wife
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer takes a wife
The wife takes a child
The wife takes a child
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The wife takes a child
The child takes a nurse
The child takes a nurse
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The child takes a nurse
The nurse takes a cow
The nurse takes a cow
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The nurse takes a cow
The cow takes a dog
The cow takes a dog
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cow takes a dog
The dog takes a cat
The dog takes a cat
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The dog takes a cat
The cat takes a rat
The cat takes a rat
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cat takes a rat
The rat takes the cheese
The rat takes the cheese
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The rat takes the cheese
The cheese stands alone
The cheese stands alone
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cheese stands alone

Variations

Like most children's songs, there are geographic variations, and in the United Kingdom this is known as The Farmer's In His Den. The 'Hi-Ho, the derry-o' is variously replaced with 'Ee-i, tiddly-i' in London, 'Ee-i, andio' (for instance in Northern England), and 'Ee-i, ee-i' (for instance in the West Country). In the UK, the rat is replaced with a dog and in the final verse, all other players pat the dog or alternatively its bone. Additionally, "Hi-ho the merry-o" is another variation of the lyrics sung.

The melody is also used for "A-Hunting We Will Go".

In French it's "Le fermier dans son pré"

Circle game

Ten children (or more) join hands and dance around the FARMER, who stands in the center of the circle as they sing. At the end of the first verse, the FARMER chooses his WIFE, who joins him inside the circle. At the end of the next verse, the WIFE takes a CHILD, and so on, until the last verse when everyone is in the circle except the CHEESE, who stands alone. Whoever ends up being the CHEESE becomes the FARMER for the next round.

"Old McDonald Had a Farm"
Is a children's song about a farmer named McDonald (or MacDonald) and the various animals he keeps on his farm. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective noise. In many versions, the song is cumulative, with the noises from all the earlier verses added to each subsequent verse.

Lyrics

In the version commonly sung today, the lyrics allow for a substitutable animal and its respective sound.

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
And on that farm he had a [animal name], E-I-E-I-O,
With a [animal noise twice] here and a [animal noise twice] there
Here a [animal noise], there a [animal noise], everywhere a [animal noise twice]
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

For example, a verse using a cow as an animal, and moo as the cow's sound would be:

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
And on that 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.

Early versions

In the 1917 book, Tommy's Tunes, a collection of World War I era songs by F. T. Nettleingham, the song "Ohio (Old Macdougal Had a Farm)" has quite similar lyrics--though with a slightly different farmer's name and refrain:

Old Macdougal had a farm in Ohio-i-o,
And on that farm he had some dogs in Ohio-i-o,
With a bow-wow here, and a bow-wow there,
Here a bow, there a wow, everywhere a bow-wow.

The Traditional Ballad Index consider the "Tommy's Tunes" version to be the earliest known version of "Old Macdonald Had a Farm", though it cites numerous variants, some of them much older.

Two of these variants were published in Vance Randolph's Ozark Folksongs in 1980. One was "Old Missouri", sung by a Mr. H. F. Walker of Missouri in 1922, a version that names different parts of the mule rather than different animals:

Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho,
And on this mule there were two ears, he-hi-he-hi-ho.
With a flip-flop here and a flip-flop there,
And here a flop and there a flop and everywhere a flip-flop
Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho.

The other variant from Ozark Folksongs was sung by Mr. Doney Hammondtree of Arkansas in 1942. He said he had learned the song around 1900 and that he "thinks it is the ancestor of another build-up song known as 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm'."

Old Massa had a very fine hog,
In the merry green fields of the lowland,
He turned him in to be seen
In the merry green fields of the lowland,
And it's oink here, and an oink there,
Naff-naff-naff and ev'rybody laugh as they go past
In the merry green fields of the lowland.

A British version of the song, called "The Farmyard, or The Merry Green Fields," was collected in 1908 from a 74-year-old Mrs. Goodey at Marylebone Workhouse, London, and published in Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs.

Up was I on my fa-ther's farm
On a May day morn-ing ear-ly;
Feed-ing of my fa-ther's cows
On a May day morn-ing ear-ly,
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, Here a pret-ty moo.
Six pret-ty maids come and gang a-long o' me
To the mer-ry green fields of the farm-yard.

Perhaps the earliest recorded member of this family of songs is a number from an opera called The Kingdom of the Birds, published in 1719-1720 in Thomas D'Urfey's Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy:

In the Fields in Frost and Snows,
Watching late and early;
There I keep my Father's Cows,
There I Milk 'em Yearly:
Booing here, Booing there,
Here a Boo, there a Boo, every where a Boo,
We defy all Care and Strife,
In a Charming Country-Life.