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Classic Nursery Rhymes and Songs for Babies and Toddlers

One of our favourite baby activities that we enjoyed all the way through to the preschool years is to sing aloud and Nursery Rhymes and Songs. Rhymes and Songs are a great way to encourage language development, make your baby smile as well as help them to sleep. However, as I discovered when I had my eldest I’d forgotten many of the words I don’t think I was alone. So if you are like me and can’t quite remember them we’ve put together our 10 Favourite Classic Nursery Rhymes for Babies and Toddlers that you can sing to them.

10 classic baby songs and nursery rhymes for kids

Even the youngest of babies can enjoy simple baby rhymes and songs and you will quickly find that they start to connect with you as you sing with them.

As babies with J and T, we used to either sing the rhymes to them whilst on our laps or get down on the floor with them and sing them.

As J & T became more active babies, toddlers and preschoolers they loved these action and movement rhymes.

10 Nursery Rhymes for Children

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Along with the words to each nursery rhyme, we have included toys, books and activities that we used with our children.

We’ve also put together all of these into a fabulous pack that you can now buy in our store. It includes fun pictures complete with words for all 10 rhymes PLUS we have the versions in British and American so you will find the right ones for you.

Just scroll to the bottom and you can purchase the pack for just $2.99.

Baby Rhymes for Sing Together with Lyrics

Humpty Dumpty Words

We like the traditional version of this classic baby rhyme although there are modern versions where Humpty gets put back together again. Both J and T love the falling off our laps when it comes to the part.

 Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
all the king's horses and all the king's men
couldn't put Humpty together again.

Row, Row, Row your Boat Lyrics to Sing with Babies and Toddlers

We have a full 6 verse version of this popular nursery rhyme going in our house, yes I didn’t realise either that there were so many verses to it, but it has to be one of our favourites – until recently it was always sung by me to J or T, but in the last week the two of them have started to do rowing to each other and J will sing it to T with his on mix up of all the verses

 Row, row, row, your boat gentle down the stream,
merrily merrily, merrily, merrily,
life is but a dream.

Row, row, row, your boat gentle down the stream,
if you see a crocodile don't forget to scream!

Row, row, row, your boat gentle down the river,
if you see a polar bear don't forget to shiver!

Row, row, row, your boat gentle down the creak,
if you see a little mouse don't forget to squeak!

Row row row your boat gentle to the shore,
if you see a lion don't forget to roar!

Rock, rock, rock, your boat gentle to and fro,
merrily merrily merrily merrily into the water you go!

Wheels on the Bus Words and Suggestions for other Verses

Another great action nursery rhyme, we tend to mix up the verses and have our own take on a few but this is T’s favourite – one of the first communications we had would be her sitting on my lap and grabbing my hands and moving them.

 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 children on the bus go up and down...

The doors on the bus go open and shut...

The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish

Try some of the Nursery Rhyme Crafts and Activities with your toddlers.

Grand Old Duke of York Lyrics to Sing with Tots

J has just started to march to this one, when both were tiny I would sit them on my lap facing me and sing this with them lifting them into the air when the Duke marched them up and bring them back down. Now J is older we’re starting to get him to march and stand up and kneel down at the right times.

 The grand old duke of york
he had 10 thousand men,
he marched them up to the top of the hill
and he marched them down again

When they were up they were up,
and when they were down they were down,
but when they were only half way up,
they were neither up nor down.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

I had sung this with J and T to try and get them to sleep every night since they were babies whilst nursing them, with J I can now stroke his hair at bedtime and sing this and he will drift off. We also sing this during the day with actions and this week T has started to put her hands together to form a diamond, she has always loved the up move in it.

 Twinkle twinkle little star,
how I wonder where you are?

Up above the world so high
like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle twinkle little star
how I wonder where you are?

Nursery Rhyme Printable Pack

We have put together these Classic Nursery Rhymes with lyrics into a printable pack for you that you could print and put together into a booklet to read with your child or like we have put on the walls in a reading centre, nursery or your toddler’s bedroom.

Words to popular nursery rhymes for children from a printable nursery rhyme pack from Rainy Day Mum

You can purchase these from our Store included in the set are the words in British English as well as in American English as whilst putting it together and sharing with some of our family, friends and readers of Rainy Day Mum we discovered the slight differences in the words in the Nursery Rhymes.

You can find out more about the pack – see some examples of the Print’s that you get and purchase over in our store.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Or a zoo when you let a 2 and a half year old choose the animals in the song especially now that T knows and will reply to the phrase “What noise does a Lion make” with “RARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR”, we frequently have crocodiles, monkeys, gorillas and even dinosaurs at Old MacDonald’s farm but it’s such a great rhyme and J and T love it for practising their animal noises.

 Old MacDonald had a farm eye eye io,
and on that farm,
he had a cow
eye eye io,
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 eye eye io!

Incy Wincy Spider (Itsy Bitsy Spider)

As young babies, I would lie J or T on my lap or on the floor in front of me and sing this song to them. As I sang my hand crawl up their legs and stomach and then pitter patter with my fingers for the rain. They would giggle away as the spider ran up their legs again at the end. Now we move our hands together to make the spider climbing up the spout.

 Incy wincy spider climbed up the water spout,
down came the rain and washed the spider out,
out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain
and incy wincy spider climbed up the spout again!

One, Two, Three, Four, Five

This has some great hand actions in it and really helps with counting. It sends T into hysterics every time. Especially when instead of biting her little finger the fish may bite her nose, toe or ear.

 One two three four five
once I caught a fish alive,
six seven eight nine ten
then I let him go again!

Why did you let him go?

Because he bit my finger so!

Which finger did he bite?

This little finger on my right!

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

This was J’s favourite as a baby, early toddler and one of the reasons why I think he counted backwards from 5 before he could count forwards! He loved being sent into space so much it was always met with either hand grabs for more or me being told MORE, MORE, MORE

 Zoom zoom zoom we're going to the moon,
zoom zoom zoom we'll get there very soon,
five, four, three, two, one,
blast off!
If you want to join my trip hop aboard my rocket ship,
zoom zoom zoom were going to the moon.

Hey Diddle, Diddle

Rainy Day Dad sings this with J and T and will change the words to include our dog, the kid’s names and all sorts of strange and wonderful variations of it.  J encourages him with more, more more.

 Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle,
the cow jumped over the moon,
the little dog laughed to see such fun
and the dish ran away with the spoon.

More Songs and Rhymes to Sing with Babies and Toddlers

Author
Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.

15 Comments

  1. The favorites at my house are: Row Row Row your boat(had no idea there are 6 verses to it!), Hey diddle diddle, If your happy and you know it clap your hands, Twinkle twinkle little star and Bingo.

    1. The are many more than 6 verses to row row! 2 of my favourites are:

      Rock, rock, rock your boat safely to the shore,
      If you see a lion there,
      Don’t forget to roar.

      Row, row, row your boat gentle down the Nile,
      If you see a camel there,
      Don’t forget to smile.

      1. I love the lion one but hadn’t heard the camel one before. Thank you for sharing that with us.

  2. Must look up zoom zoom zoom haven’t heard that one. We are big on nursery rhymes and most of your list are favourites of ours. Five fat sausages (we don’t eat them!) but my daughter loves the banging and five fat peas because of the pop.

  3. Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website? My website is in the exact same niche as yours and my visitors would genuinely benefit from a lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Thanks a lot!

  4. Kelly D < :) says:

    do you have a link to the words for each rhyme?

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