The Massive Collection of Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

Nursery rhymes are a great way of bonding with young children and engaging them in a fun yet educational activity. It’s also a great way of getting little ones to bond with other classmates as they all come together on the carpet and along.

Singing nursery rhymes helps young children develop their language skills by listening to different sounds and syllables. As a result, this can help them to read as they are practicing different words and beginning to understand their meaning which is pivotal to future learning.

If you’re a parent looking to further your child’s home development then nursery rhymes can be a great tool.

Similarly, if you’re a nursery school practitioner who wants to inject some playful education into the classroom setting, then nursery rhymes are an effective resource. They provide an exciting, engaging activity during the Early Years Foundation Stage, whilst positively enhancing a child’s skillset.

Nursery rhymes can be made even more interesting by asking the children to clap, dance, or make different sounds.

They will love being able to move around and get creative, which increases their participation and in turn, their learning experience.

Take a look at these classic nursery rhymes which are sure to have the whole class entertained!

Ring-A-Ring-O-Roses

Ring-a-ring-a-rosies
A pocket full of posies
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down
The king has sent his daughter
To fetch a pail of water
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down
The robin on the steeple
Is singing to the people
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down
The wedding bells are ringing
The boys and girls are singing
A tissue, a tissue
We all fall down

Polly Put the Kettle On

Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
We’ll all have tea.
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
They’ve all gone away.

Tommy Thumb

(“Hands in the air and raise Tommy Thumb.”)
Tommy Thumb, Tommy Thumb,
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am,
How do you do?
(“Now it’s Peter Pointer’s turn which is your index finger. He’s the one who points.”)
Peter Pointer, Peter Pointer,
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am,
How do you do?
(“Now it’s Toby Tall which is your middle finger. He’s the tallest one of them all.”)
Toby Tall, Toby Tall,
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am,
How do you do?
(“And now it’s Ruby Ring. She’s the fourth one along.”)
Ruby Ring, Ruby Ring,
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am,
How do you do?
(“Last, but not least is Baby Small. He’s the littlest finger of all!”)
Baby Small, Baby Small,
Where are you?
Here I am, here I am,
How do you do?
(“OK, now for the last time put your fingers in the air, give them a wiggle and wave them everywhere!”)
Fingers all, Fingers all,
Where are you?
Here we are, here we are,
How do you do?
Here we are, here we are,
How do you do?

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
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There were eight in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There were seven in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There were six in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There were five in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There were four in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There were three in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There were two in the bed
And the little one said,
“Roll over! Roll over!”
So they all rolled over
And one fell out
There was one in the bed
And the little one said,
“Good night!”

Simple Simon

Simple Simon met a pieman,
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
“Let me taste your ware.”
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
“Show me first your penny,”
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
“Indeed, I have not any.”
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale;
All the water he could find
Was in his mother’s pail!
Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.
He went to catch a dicky bird,
And thought he could not fail,
Because he had a little salt,
To put upon its tail.
He went for water with a sieve,
But soon it ran all through;
And now poor Simple Simon
Bids you all adieu.

Pop Goes the Weasel

Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
That’s the way the money goes
Pop, goes the weasel
Up and down the city road
In and out of the eagle
That’s the way the money goes
Pop, goes the weasel
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
That’s the way the money goes
Pop, goes the weasel
Up and down the city road
In and out of the eagle
That’s the way the money goes
Pop, goes the weasel
Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
That’s the way the money goes
Pop, goes the weasel
Up and down the city road
In and out of the eagle
That’s the way the money goes
Pop, goes the weasel
Pop, goes the weasel
Pop, goes the weasel

Ten Green Bottles

Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be nine green bottles hanging on the wall.
Nine green bottles hanging on the wall,
Nine green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be eight green bottles hanging on the wall.
Eight green bottles hanging on the wall,
Eight green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be seven green bottles hanging on the wall.
Seven green bottles hanging on the wall,
Seven green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be six green bottles hanging on the wall.
Six green bottles hanging on the wall,
Six green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be five green bottles hanging on the wall.
Five green bottles hanging on the wall,
Five green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be four green bottles hanging on the wall.
Four green bottles hanging on the wall,
Four green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be three green bottles hanging on the wall.
Three green bottles hanging on the wall,
Three green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be two green bottles hanging on the wall.
Two green bottles hanging on the wall,
Two green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be one green bottle hanging on the wall.
One green bottles hanging on the wall,
One green bottles hanging on the wall,
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
There’ll be zero green bottles hanging on the wall.

London’s Burning

London’s burning, London’s burning
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines
Fire, fire, fire, fire
Pour on water, pour on water
London’s burning, London’s burning
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines
Fire, fire, fire, fire
Pour on water, pour on water
London’s burning, London’s burning
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines
Fire, fire, fire, fire
Pour on water, pour on water
London’s burning, London’s burning
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines
Fire, fire, fire, fire
Pour on water, pour on water

Peter Rabbit

Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,
Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose.
Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,
So he flipped it and he flopped it
And the fly flew away.
Powder puffs and curly whiskers,
Powder puffs and curly whiskers,
Powder puffs and curly whiskers,
So he flipped it and he flopped it
And the fly flew away.

Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a big spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Little Jack Horner

Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said ‘What a good boy am I.

Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock
[Gently bounce your baby to the beat]
The mouse ran up the clock
[Run your fingers up from your baby’s toes to their chin and give them a tickle]
The clock struck one
[Clap your hands together once]
The mouse ran down
[Run your fingers back down to your baby’s toes and tickle them]
Hickory Dickory Dock
Other verses:
The clock struck two
[Clap your hands together twice]
The mouse went “boo!”
[Hide your baby’s eyes with your hands then pull them away on the word “boo!”]
The clock struck three
[Clap your hands together three times]
The mouse went “weeee!”
[Lift your baby up into the air on the word “weeee!”]
The clock struck four
[Clap your hands together four times]
The mouse went “no more!”
[Shake your finger on the words “no more!”]

The Old Grand of Duke

Oh, The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only half-way up,
They were neither up nor down

Five Currant Buns

Five currant buns in a baker’s shop.
Big and round with a cherry on the top,
Along came a boy with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away.
Four currant buns in a baker’s shop.
Big and round with a cherry on the top,
Along came a boy with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away.
Three currant buns in a baker’s shop.
Big and round with a cherry on the top,
Along came a boy with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away.
Two currant buns in a baker’s shop.
Big and round with a cherry on the top,
Along came a boy with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away.
One currant bun in a baker’s shop.
Big and round with a cherry on the top,
Along came a boy with a penny one day,
Bought the currant bun and took it away.

The House that Jack Built

This is the house that Jack built.
This is the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cock that crowed in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the farmer sowing the corn,
That kept the cock that crowed in the morn.
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day;
The Knave of Hearts
He stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he’d steal no more.

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 my right.

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again

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
When the blazing sun is gone
When he nothing shines upon
Then you show your little light
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Knick Knack Paddy Whack
This old man, he played one,
He played knick knack on my thumb.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two,
He played knick knack on my shoe.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played three,
He played knick knack on my knee.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played four,
He played knick knack on my door.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played five,
He played knick knack on my hive.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played six,
He played knick knack on my sticks.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played seven,
He played knick knack up in heaven.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played eight,
He played knick knack on my gate.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played nine.
He played knick knack on my spine.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played ten.
He played knick knack once again.
With a knick knack, paddy whack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes.
Heads, *, knees and toes
Knees and toes
Heads, *, knees and toes
Knees and toes
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Heads, *, knees and toes
Knees and toes.
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
And eyes and ears and * and nose
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes.
Heads, *, * and toes
* and toes
Heads, *, * and toes
* and toes
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Heads, *, * and toes
* and toes.
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes.

The 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 day long.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
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,
Beep, beep, beep,
Beep, beep, beep
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
all day long.

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocketful of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing—
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in the counting-house
Counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey,
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes.
Along came a blackbird
And snipped off her nose.
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing—
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?

Incy Wincy Spider

Incy Wincy 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
So, Incy Wincy spider went up the water spout again
Incy Wincy 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
So, Incy Wincy spider went up the water spout again
Incy Wincy 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
So, Incy Wincy spider went up the water spout again

Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?

The Massive Collection of Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

If you’re a parent or nursery school practitioner why not give some of these nursery rhymes a try and see how much your child enjoys singing along!

Learning nursery rhyme lyrics has so many educational benefits as well as being a fun, playful activity. These include helping to develop a child’s language skills, attention, cooperation, and their ability to follow instructions.

Furthermore, nursery rhymes can help a child learn how to read as they provide the basis for many words used later in literacy. Also, as many nursery rhymes have a beginning, middle, and end, this is a great introduction to storytelling for young children and teaches them about sequencing.

At learning Journals we understand the importance of monitoring a child’s development and being involved at every stage of this process.

With the Learning Journals platform you can easily record, upload and share observations, as well as being able to track these observations over a period of time. Don’t just take our word for it, request your free demo and see the benefits for yourself!