10 Classic Farm Animal Nursery Rhymes and Songs
I love the theme of farms and farm animals with kids, you can fit it in anytime you head to the farm or in spring or autumn when farms feature with baby animals and harvest time. One of the ways that I like to extend any visit or theme is to sing some songs with the kids. Whether this is in the classroom or at home these classic farm animal nursery rhymes are perfect to sing along to. Below you will find our top Farm Animal and Farm Themed Songs and Rhymes with the full lyrics – if you want to know the tune then I suggest looking on YouTube as you really don’t want to be tortured by my singing voice. So here we go.
Favourite Farm Themed Nursery Rhymes and Songs for Toddlers and Preschoolers
I have to say these 10 rhymes are fantastic, I chose them as we loved to sing them when my kids were young but also the fact that they incorporate different aspect some include counting, others actions and all help develop language skills.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Our favourite of these songs is Old MacDonald Had a Farm – it uses animal noises as well as animal names although at times we have also sang Old MacDonald has a Zoo and even Old MacDonald had a Dinosaur Park!!! But the classic is the best
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
Once you have the cow verse it’s time to change out the animals changing the bold red words in the verse above you can use the different farm animals some suggestions are below
Dog – WOOF
Sheep – BAA
Pig – OINK
Hen – CLUCK
Duck – QUACK
Horse – NEIGH
Of course, you can adjust this and add any other animals that you may think of or that your children suggest. Just watch out because very soon you will have Old MacDonald having a Dinosaur Park as well!
Little Bo Peep Has Lost her Sheep
This was one of my favourite Nursery Rhymes growing up – the pictures in the book were gorgeous and I loved singing this one with my parents and other family members.
Little Bo Beep has lost her sheep,
And doesn’t know where to find them!
Leave them alone,
And they will come home!
Wagging their tails behind them!
Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still a-fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they’d left their tails behind them.
It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray
Into a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.
She heaved a sigh and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks went rambling,
And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
To tack each again to its lambkin.
Growing up I would only normally sing the first couple of verses but when it was read from my nursery rhyme book to me then my mum or dad would read the full version.
5 Little Ducks
I love this rhyme and within my teaching notes I discovered recently the templates for creating this set of 5 Little Ducks to go along with this rhyme and I’ve shared a DIY with you. They are ideal for using as a prop as you sing and perfect to use with your babies as well as part of the activities we recommend for newborns onwards.
Five little ducks went swimming one day.
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck Said Quack Quack Quack Quack!
But only four little ducks came back!
Four little ducks went swimming one day.
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck Said Quack Quack Quack Quack!
But only three little ducks came back!
Three little ducks went swimming one day.
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck Said Quack Quack Quack Quack!
But only two little ducks came back!
Two little ducks went swimming one day.
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck Said Quack Quack Quack Quack!
But only one little duck came back!
One little duck went swimming one day.
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck Said Quack Quack Quack Quack!
But only no little ducks came back!
No little ducks went swimming one day.
Over the hills and far away.
Mother Duck Said Quack Quack Quack Quack!
And all five little ducks came back
Mary Had a Little Lamb
This classic rhyme is fun to sing and laugh about especially with your preschool – you can ask them what they would think and do if their friend brought a lamb to school one day!
Mary had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go
He followed her to school one day
School one day, school one day
He followed her to school one day
Which was against the rule
It made the children laugh and play
Laugh and play, laugh and play
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school
And so the teacher turned him out
Turned him out, turned him out
And so the teacher turned him out
But still he lingered near
And waited patiently
Patiently, patiently
And wai-aited patiently
Til Mary did appear
Mary had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go
One of the first crafts that we shared here on Rainy Day Mum that worked with multiple ages was our Little Lamb craft where a just turned 1 year old, a 2 year old and a 3 and a bit year old worked on creating their own little lambs based on this rhyme.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Growing up I was known for singing this rhyme usually at the most inappropriate moments like mine and my brother Christening when I was 2 and got bored so I stood in the middle of the church and sang Baa Baa Black Sheep to EVERYONE. I was apparently quite the performer at the time! But it’s one of those songs that I’ve never forgotten the words to and was surprised to discover when I attended Rhyme Time at the local library with my little ones that there are extra verses that you can sing as well!
Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.
One for my master, one for my dame;
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.
Cluck, cluck, red hen, have you any eggs?
Yes sir, yes sir, as many as your legs.
One for your breakfast and one for your lunch;
Come back tomorrow and I’ll have another bunch.
Moo, moo brown cow, have you milk for me?
Yes sir, yes sir, as tasty as can be.
Churn it into butter, make it into cheese,
Freeze it into ice cream or drink it if you please.
Buzz, buzz busy bee, is your honey sweet?
Yes sir, yes sir, sweet enough to eat.
Honey on your muffin, honey on your cake,
Honey by the spoonful, as much as I can make.
Would you like to continue the Farm theme with this fun game to play with your toddlers and preschoolers? Then head over to our Farm Animal Domino Game and get your set when you sign up for our toddler and preschool activities newsletter.
Farmers in the Den
So I’ve always sung Farmers in the Den but looking for the full words and not just the rhyme that I remember from my childhood I can across this song being called Farmers in the Dell… So whether you sing Farms in the Den or Farmers in the Dell this is a fun song for you and your kids to sing together.
The farmer’s in his den,
The farmer’s in his den,
EE- I- AD-I-O,
The farmer’s in his den.
There are lots more verses to sing you keep the EE-I-AD-I-O part and replace the rest of the words with the ones suggested below;
The farmer wants a wife….
The wife wants a child….
The child wants a nurse….
The nurse wants a dog….
The dog wants a bone…
Of course, this is the perfect song for you and your toddler to make up your own words – the cow needs a milk, the field needs some seeds etc…
Little Boy Blue
This is a CLASSIC British Nursery Rhyme, there are thoughts that it may be mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays and for us living in Suffolk, it may have even closer meanings as it’s possible to be written about Cardinal Wolsey who is from the town where my kids were born. It’s old-fashioned but a fantastic farm themed songs for kids.
Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
But where is the boy, who looks after the sheep?
He’s under a haystack, he’s fast asleep.
Will you wake him? No, not I,
For if I do, he’s sure to cry.
Three Blind Mice
When I learnt to play the recorder this was one of the songs that I drove my parents mad playing squeakily over and over again. I did get better and I have been trying to teach my eldest it now. However, when they were little it was a fun rhyme that we sang together.
Three blind mice,
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 sight in your life,
As three blind mice!
This Little Piggy Went to Market
I love this simple song and sung it frequently to my babies when they were on the changing mat as I tickled their toes or their fingers counting along to the piggies in the rhyme.
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
And this little piggy had none!
And this little piggy went weeeeee weeeee weeeeeee
All the way home!
Don’t forget to tickle as you finish off the rhyme!
Hickety Pickety My Black Hen
Our last rhyme is another classic rhyme to sing along with these Farm Animal and Farm-theme and is Hickety Pickety My Black Hen another classic song for toddlers and preschoolers.
Hickety, pickety, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen;
Gentlemen come every day
To see what my black hen doth lay.
Hickety, pickety, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen;
Sometimes nine, Sometimes ten,
Hickety, pickety, my black hen!
More Farm Theme Ideas for Toddlers and Preschoolers
More Rhymes and Songs to Sing with your Toddlers and Preschoolers
Looking for more inspiration of rhymes and songs to sing with your toddlers and preschoolers then check out our selection of themed songs and rhymes
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