Nursery number favourites to 10
A-N
A
happy green crocodile
A
mosquito one
A
Spring visit to the farm
Bees
come buzzing from the hive
Blackfriars
Caribbean
counting rhyme
Charlie’s
apple tree
Counting
song
Dumplins
Farmer
Brown had ten green apples
Gath’ring
the eggs
Good
morning Mrs. Hen
Happy
hands
Here
comes the bus
Hickety
picket
I
have five fingers on each hand
I
went up the apple tree
I’m
going to build a chimney pot
I've
got sixpence
I’ve
got ten little fingers
Jack
Jintle
Market
day
Mother
Duck’s ducklings
Nine
little planets
Last updated: 6/12/2023
9:19 AM
The songs below are compiled, illustrated and
sometimes adapted
by
Dany Rosevear
Return to the ‘Singing games for
children’ home
To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved
You
are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the
following
conditions:
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you must give the original author credit
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you may not use this work for commercial purposes
·
for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the
licence terms of this work
·
any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
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Your
fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.
|
A happy green crocodile O
Learn number bonds to ten. Younger children can do the
same with numbers to five. One hand snaps at a number fingers on the other
hand; these fingers are folded down and the others counted. Re-iterate e.g. three plus seven makes ten. |
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A happy green crocodile Eats three men. Then he has the others - how
many? 1, 2, 3… To make up to ten. |
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A mosquito one
Words with rhythm;
learn to move to the beat. This counting game comes from Guyana in the West
Indies and was collected and adapted by Doris Harper-Wills. Clap hands on the first syllable of every
“mosquito” and on the word “old”. Hold up fingers to correspond with the
number called. On each second line make up simple actions to go with the
words in the rhyme. Encourage children to come up with their own ideas. |
|
A mosquito one, a mosquito
two, A mosquito jump in the old
man shoe. A mosquito three, a
mosquito four, A mosquito open the old
man door. A mosquito five, a
mosquito six, A mosquito pick up the old
man sticks. A mosquito seven, a
mosquito eight, A mosquito open the old
man gate. A mosquito nine, a
mosquito ten, A mosquito biting the old
man again. |
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A Spring visit to the farm 🔊
A number rhyme and finger play to ten. Encourage children to talk about their favourite animal or item on
the farm. Music by by
Dany Rosevear. Put up a finger for each number. Make ears then,
whiskers. Place hats on heads. Elbows flap, thumb and forefinger open and
close. Chop fingers. Turn steering wheels. Open and close beaks. Cuddle self,
hands to heart. |
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A Spring visit to the farm One little dog, two little cats, Three scarecrows with old straw hats, Four clucking hens, five fluffy chicks, Six little axes for chopping up sticks, Seven red tractors, eight heavy trucks, Nine of the farmer's best white ducks, Ten white lambs so cuddly and small, Yes, I liked those lambs the best of all! |
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Bees come buzzing from the hive 🔊
A minibeast finger play. Adapted by
Dany Rosevear. Verse 1: Put up a finger for each number. Make hive
with curved hand on top of crossed forefingers, the bee, move out of the hive
and wiggle to make it fly to outstretched hand, the flower. Point to wrist.
Verse 2: As before. Put thumb and forefinger round eye then rub tummy. |
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One, two, three, four, five, Bees come buzzing from the hive, Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Watch them buzzing round again. Why so busy little bee? Because there's so much work you see; Collecting nectar from the flowers, Takes us hours and hours and hours. One, two, three, four, five, Bees come buzzing from the hive, Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Buzz around and back again. Please tell me busy bee, Why do you buzz so happily; Peep inside our hive and see, We're making honey for your tea. |
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Blackfriars O
A poem by Eleanor Farjeon
for ‘Nursery
rhymes of London town’: Each poem has a link with
an area of London. Music by Len Rosselson from ‘Count me in’. |
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Seven Black Friars, sitting back
to back, Fished from the bridge for a
pike or a jack. The first caught a tiddler, the
second caught a crab, The third caught a winkle, the
fourth caught a dab; The fifth caught a tadpole, the
sixth caught an eel, And the seventh one caught an
old cart-wheel! |
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Caribbean counting rhyme 🔊
Written by the
author, poet and children’s writer Pamela Mordecai, find out more about her
at: https://pamelamordecai.com/in-the-top-ten/. This could easily be used
as a hand play. |
|
One by one, one by one, waves are dancing in the
sun. Two by two, two by two, seashells pink and
purply-blue. Three by three, three by
three, big boats putting out to
sea. Four by four, four by
four, children fishing on the
shore. Five by five, five by five, little walking fish
arrive. Six by six, six by six, pelicans performing
tricks. Seven by seven, seven by
seven, puffy clouds patrolling
heaven. Eight by eight, eight by
eight, fishes nibbling juicy
bait. Nine by nine, nine by
nine, taking home a catch that’s
fine. Ten by ten, ten by ten, tomorrow we will come
again. |
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Charlie’s apple tree 🔊
A subtraction number play. Set to music and words
adapted by Dany Rosevear. I found it at: ED087019.pdf
and adapted it for cooler climes. For a multicultural
approach use the original: Up in Danny's
mango tree Ten ripe mangoes I can see. Some for you
and some for me, Pick a mango from the tree. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Up in Danny's
mango tree Nine ripe mangoes I can see. etc. Last verse -
Up in Danny's mango tree One ripe mango I can see. One for you but
none for me. Pick the mango from the tree. Subtract, bend down, one finger at a time from
finger tree. |
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Up in Charlie's apple tree Ten ripe apples I can see. Some for you and some for me, Pick an apple from the tree. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Up in Charlie's apple tree Nine ripe apples I can see. etc. Last verse - Up in Charlie's apple tree One ripe apple I can see. One for you but none for me. Pick that apple from the tree! |
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Counting song 🔊
Learn to count to ten with
this Mexican folk song. Sing it steadily. Here it
is played as a hand play. To find the Mexican version and a lively circle
game visit: http://www.singinggamesforchildren.com/A%20Cluster%202.5%20Spanish/1-9%20spanish%20songs%20w.htm Raise fingers one at a time then clap or make other
movements to the rhythm of the chorus. |
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One and two and three, Four and five and six, Seven, eight and nine, Yes, I can count to ten. La la la la la, La la la la la,
La la la la la. x2 |
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Dumplins
🔊
A question / answer
and number game from Jamaica. Count to ten and back
again. |
|
“Janey, you see nobody
pass here?” “No me friend.” “Well, one of me dumplins’
gone! “Don’t tell me so!” “One of me dumplins’
gone!” “Well, two of me dumplins’
gone!” Continue to ten “Janey, you see nobody
pass here?” “No me friend.” “Well, ten of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Nine of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Eight of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Seven of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Six of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Five of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Four of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Three of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “Two of me dumplins’
gone!” “Don’t tell me so!” “One of me dumplins’
goooone!” |
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Who gets the last apple!
Learn to subtract from ten with this apple themed song. To make this easier you can
start from five. Change the colour to red if you prefer. Put
up the appropriate number of fingers each time and mime eating the apple with
enthusiasm.
|
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Gath’ring the eggs O
Learn to count in twos. Another song
from ‘Singing fun’ pub1962.Words and music by Lucille F. Wood. |
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Down on the farm, gath’ring the
eggs, Chasing away the old red hen, How many eggs can you find? Two, four, six, eight, ten. |
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How many ways can you make ten?
This song will help you especially if you have sets of ten chicks to colour. Record other ways to make
ten perhaps with plasticene chicks, an abacus or by drawing pictures and
using numbers to record the outcome. Put up fingers to show
numbers of chicks.
|
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Happy hands 🔊
A number hand play. Practice the simple rhythm
‘clap, slap (on lap), clap, clap, clap!’as a whole group until children are
familiar with it. Once children have got the hang of the whole sequence
pattern as below Clap, slap and then
do three claps,encourage them to make up their own patterns to demonstrate.
Kneel, sit or stand opposite a partner, alternatively class face a leader. 1. and 2. Clap, slap (on lap), clap, clap, clap. 3. One child decides
where they do the three claps as their partner copies carefully in time.
4.and 5. As for first two lines. 6. Clap, tap, clap, tap, 4 quick claps and
final one. |
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1, 2, me and you, 3, 4, clap some more, 5, 6, up to tricks, 7, 8, feeling great! 9, 10, you’re my friend! Clapping hands are very happy
hands!. |
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Here comes the bus 🔊
Music by Dany Rosevear. A good way to understand
counting, counting on or number bonds to five or ten Provide a laminated bus and
encourage children to draw pictures of themselves to attach and then record with number sentences. Other ideas include rolling two
dice and counting on. |
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Here comes the bus, It's going to stop! Hurry up children, And in you hop. Four
inside And six on top. How many children have you got? |
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A nursery favourite that
encourages counting to ten and will help to distinguish left from right.
|
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I have five fingers on each hand 🔊
Identify parts of
the face and body and what they can do. Enjoy the specialness of ‘me’. You will need to be
sensitive to children in the class who might not have the full complement. Hold up both hands and wiggle fingers. Show
ten fingers the point to toes, ears, eyes, nose and mouth. Clap hands, tap, feet, cup hands behind ears,
wiggle nose and point to mouth then self. |
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I have five fingers on
each hand, Ten toes on my two feet. Two ears, two eyes, One nose, one mouth, With which to sweetly
speak. My hands can clap, my feet
can tap, My eyes can clearly see. My ears can hear, My nose can sniff, My mouth can say, “I’m me!” |
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I went up the apple tree 🔊
Based on a traditional
Irish counting out rhyme. Move a ball to a steady
beat and count and catch up to ten. If the class
is large divide into two or three circles Sit in a circle. One child has an ‘apple’ - a ball
or a beanbag and this is passed round the circle in time with the beat. On
the word ‘buy’ the child holding the ‘apple’ moves into the centre and
bounces the ball or throws and catches the beanbag until it drops or ten is
reached. Those in the circle count along with the one in the middle. This
child then sits outside the circle and the game begins again until everyone
has thrown or bounced the ball. |
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I went up the apple tree, All the apples fell on me. Apple pudding, apple pie, How many apples should I buy? |
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I’m
going to build a chimney pot O
A traditional rhyme with music by
Harriet Powell, adapted by Dany Rosevear. Have wooden bricks ready for building. Children take turns to decide
how many bricks tall the chimney will be. 1. Put one fist on top of the other
climbing upwards. 2. Build bricks up to ten. 3. Hands show movement of the
wind and rain. 4. Child who built chimney gets to knock it down! |
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I’m going to build a chimney pot Very, very high. I’ll build it with my bricks, And I’ll make it touch the sky – 1, 2, 3…. Here’s the wind and here’s the rain To knock my chimney down again. |
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I've got sixpence O
There
are many variations on this song that started as the nursery rhyme ‘I love
sixpence’ The one below is familiar in the scouting movement and was popular
with all the forces in England, the U.S.A. and Australia..We sang something
similar to the one below on the way to school in an army truck in Malaya in the
1950s. Find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=92279. |
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I've got sixpence; jolly,
jolly sixpence, I've got sixpence to last
me all my life! I've a penny to spend, and
a penny to lend, And fourpence to take home
to my wife. CHORUS No cares have I to worry
me, No clock upon the wall to
hurry me. I'm as happy as a lark,
believe me, As I go rolling home. Rolling home, rolling
home, As I go rolling home. I'm as happy as a lark,
believe me, As I go rolling home. I've got fourpence; jolly,
jolly fourpence, I've got fourpence to last
me all my life! I've a penny to spend, and
a penny to lend, And tuppence to take home
to my wife. CHORUS I've got tuppence; jolly,
jolly tuppence, I've got tuppence to last
me all my life! I've a penny to spend, and
a penny to lend, And nothing to take home
to my wife. CHORUS I've got nothing, jolly,
jolly nothing, I've got nothing to last
me all my life! I've got nothing to spend,
and nothing to lend, And nothing to take home
to my wife. Poor wife! |
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Learn number correspondence
with this song and to distinguish between left and right. The first verse is traditional
the second two are composed by Dany Rosevear.
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This song was probably the
precursor of the much more familiar ‘Nick nack paddy wack’. It is from
Manchester.
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Market day 🔊
From ‘Songs and
pictures’ published 1939 by Robert Foresman who I presume wrote the original
words to a Bahama folk tune. |
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Monday morning is market
day, I go to the market for one
fish, for two fish, And bring them both home
to eat. Monday morning is market
day, I go to the market for
three eggs, for four eggs, And bring them back home
to eat. Monday morning is market
day, I go to the market for
five figs, for six figs, And bring them back home
to eat. Monday morning is market
day, I go to the market for
seven crabs, for eight crabs, And bring them back home
to eat. Monday morning is market
day, I go to the market for
nine cakes, for ten cakes, SPOKEN: Oh no! I’ve got a
tummy ache. SUNG: So I’ll lay me down
to sleep! |
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Mother Duck’s ducklings 🔊
A farmyard counting
and hand play. Can Mother Duck
count? Learn to count carefully to ten and understand the concept of one
more. Words and music by
Dany Rosevear. Verse 1. Raise one finger at a time. Shrug shoulders
and throw out hands. Repeat count. 2. Make hands quack. Hand to ear. Hold up ten
fingers. Hands go up and down. Shape duck pond with thumb s and forefingers.
Count as before. |
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One, two, three, four,
five, six, Seven, eight, nine, Mother Duck’s ducklings Are waddling in line. But where is the last one? She counts once again, One, two, three, four,
five, six, Seven, eight, nine ten! “Quack, quack, quack,
quack, quack!” Hear Mother Duck’s sound, Ten ducklings follow her Up hill and down. Then back in the duck pond She counts them again, One, two, three, four,
five, six, Seven, eight, nine ten! |
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Nine little planets O
Learn the number,
names and order of the planets in our solar system. Since the 1930s when
Pluto was discovered children learnt there were nine planets; in 2006,
however, Pluto was reassigned as a dwarf planet so there are now only eight
‘proper’ ones. Update: Astronomers
are now surmising there is indeed a ninth planet, ‘Planet Nine’, in the outer
reaches of our solar system. |
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One little, two little,
three little planets, Four little, five little,
six little planets, Seven little, eight
little, nine little planets Orbiting round the sun. Mercury is nearest and
then comes Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune’s next, little
Pluto’s the furthest, Orbiting round the sun. Go outside and look at the
night sky, See each planet shining
brightly, Big ones, small ones,
spinning and twinkling, Orbiting round the sun. |
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