More circle games R-S

Rabbit in the hollow

Red balloon, pass it on

Rhymer’s roundelay

Ring around the rocket ship

Rocky mountain high

Rosy apple lemon and a pear

Round and round

Round and round and round we go

Round and round the apple tree

Round and round the wheel goes round

Sheep in the meadow

Skating away

Skip to my Lou

Slip one and two

Snake baked a hoecake

Somebody’s waiting

Last updated: 5/21/2019 3:09 PM

These songs are nursery rhymes and other traditional songs compiled, illustrated and music arranged by Dany Rosevear.

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Rabbit in the hollow O

This traditional game is set to the German tune ‘A little man is standing in the wood’.

Choose one child to be the hunter and one to be the rabbit; rabbit is inside the circle sleeping and hunter is outside. The children circle round rabbit singing as hunter creeps round and on the second line moves towards rabbit. The circle allows rabbit to move through easily but make it more difficult for the hunter. Once rabbit is caught the two choose a pair to replace them.

Rabbit in the hollow sits and sleeps.

Hunter in the forest nearer creeps.

Little rabbit, please take care,

Sleeping in the hollow there;

Quickly to your home

You must run, rabbit, run!

Red balloon, pass it on 🔊

Or any other colour balloon! A flexible game song that can easily be adapted to suit the circumstances.

By Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming and can be found in her wonderful collection of songs: ‘Come on Everybody, Let's Sing!’ published in 1989.

Children sit in a circle and pass an object from one child to another. At the end of the song the child with the object stands up and performs the actions in the next verse either on the spot or round the circle.

Older children might like to contribute their own ideas.

Red balloon, pass it on,

Stand up when the music stops.

Jump up and down with your red balloon,

Now sit down in your place.

Skip around with the red balloon…

Now go back to your place.

Turn on the spot with the red balloon…

Now sit down in your place.

Rhymer’s roundelay 🔊

A lively party game ideal for a large number of children, more the merrier. A great game for those of all ages to show off their knowledge of nursery rhymes.

Divide children into circles around the room. Each group selects a leader and is allocated a position first, second etc..

Children walk round as the alphabet song is sung. The first group immediately sing a nursery rhyme to the proper tune. The alphabet song is sung again as before and the second group sings a nursery rhyme of their choice. And so on. No nursery rhyme may be sung twice. The compere must be satisfied that the singing of each group is acceptable – fearlessly and firmly! Any group failing to produce a rhyme is ‘out’ and the winners are the survivors.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G,

H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P,

Q, R, S, T, U, V,

W, X, Y and Z.

Ring around the rocket ship 🔊

A simple circle game perfect for a space project or play.

Join hands and walk or skip in a circle. Move into the circle with hands raised and then back. ‘Twinkle’ fingers and twirl round. Slowly sink to the floor.

Ring around the rocket ship,

Try to grab a star.

Stardust, stardust,

Fall where you are!

Rocky mountain high O

A folk song from the Appalachians.

1. Walk eight steps into the circle. 2. Walk eight steps back. 3. Clap for times and turn around. 4. Repeat

Rocky mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high,

When you're on that rocky mountain, hang your head and cry.

Do, do, do, do, do remember me.

Sunny valley, sunny valley, sunny valley low,

When you're in that sunny valley sing it soft and low.

Running river, running river, running river long,

When you're on that running river sing a happy song.

Stormy ocean, stormy ocean, stormy ocean wide,

When you're on that stormy ocean, there's no place to hide.

Rosy apple, lemon and a pear O

Find many more versions of this song in The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland by Alice Bertha Gomme.

Children walk round in a circle holding hands while one child stands in the middle. This child chooses another child at the end of the first verse and they both make a bridge. The circle moves under the bridge and on the last word a child is caught underneath. This child then goes into the centre and the game continues.

Rosy apple, lemon, and a pear,

A bunch of roses you shall wear,

Gold and silver by your side,

Who shall be a bride?

Take her by the lily-white hand,

Lead her 'cross the water;

Give her kisses - one, two, three,

For she’s the captain’s daughter.

Round and round 🔊

A circle game written by Patty Zeitlin from her book ‘Castle in the city’ published 1968. Find out more about this wonderful songwriter at: http://www.bullfrogballades.com/castle-in-my-city.html

Stand in a circle. Verse 1: Dramatise bread making. Chorus: With hands joined skip round in a circle.. 2: Mimic singing shoes. 3. Pretend to skip.

Mama's home a-bakin' bread, brown as it could be.

If you get home before I do leave some there for me.

Round and round, round and round,

Round and round we go,

Round and round, pretty little miss,

And where we stop nobody knows.

Brother's home a-shinin’ shoes, shiny as can be.

If you get home before I do shine a pair for me.

Sister's home a-jumpin’ rope, never makes a miss.

If you get home before I do give her a hug and a kiss.

Round and round and round we go 🔊

Music by Tamara O’Brien and words by Mark Carthew. This song is from an Orff based programme ‘Here we all go, Fiddle diddle dee!’ published 2012.

Stand in a circle. Line 1 Turn round on the spot. 2. Stretch up high on tiptoes, bend down low and touch floor. 3. Bend knees and wiggle. 4. Thump fists one on top of the other, twice above and twice below and clap three times.

Round and round and round we go,

Sometimes high and sometimes low.

Here we all go fiddle-diddle-dee,

Chickaboom, chickaboom,

One, two, three.

Round and round the apple tree 🔊

A simple circle game for the autumn term.

This song is from ‘Music for the nursery school’ by Linda Chesterman published 1935.

Line 1&2. Standing next to a partner join hands and walk round in a circle. 3. Cross hands with partner and skip round on the spot. 4. Standing opposite partner clap own hands then clap partners hands three times (right, left, right).

Round and round the apple tree,

Little partner dance with me.

Fol-de-rol-di-ri-do. Fol-de-rol-di-ri-do.

Clap your hands with a one, two, three.

Round and round the wheel goes round 🔊

A simple circle game for harvest time. It can also be played moving forearms round each other, normal speed, slowly and then fast. To make mousie put thumb and forefinger to ear whispering. Put hands to mouth when shouting in consideration of others ears.

Make a circle with a sleeping miller and the mouse in the centre. 1. Join hands and walk around in a circle. 2. Walk slowly as miller snores. 3. Walk more slowly, mouse approaches the miller and whispers, Children, with hands to mouth, wake the miller who jumps up and gets to work. 4. Walk quickly. Put hands on hips and look pleased!

Round and round the wheel goes round.

As it turns the wheat is ground.

Round and round the wheel slows more.

It creaks and groans as miller snores.

Round and round the wheel now creeps.

Mousie whispers, “Do you sleep?”

WAKE UP MILLER!

Round and round the wheel turns fast.

The sacks are full of flour at last!

Sheep in the meadow 🔊

Throw a ball to a steady beat while learning the months of the year with this simple circle game. It is traditionally an old playground skipping game.

Children stand in a circle; one child with a bouncy ball stands in the middle and throws the ball to another one in the circle, it is caught and returned to the steady beat of the song. The ball is passed round the circle in this manner. At the end of the song the child in the middle should have the ball and proceeds to bounce it steadily reciting the months of the year until it is their birthday month. They then swap place with the last child to throw who continues passing the ball round the circle as before.

Sheep in the meadow, cows in the corn;

Tell me the month that you were born.

January, February, March ...

Skating away 🔊

This game is from ‘The handy play party book’ published in 1940 by the Cooperative Recreation Service.

Children stand in a single circle; two couples in centre make a right hand star.

1. The outside circle hands joined, circle to the right. The two couples in the center make a right hand star and walk clockwise. 2. The outside circle reverses and walks to the right, The two couples change to a left hand star and walk counter clockwise. 3. The outside circle stands still, the four inside chose four in the outer circle, take both hands and swing them into the circle. The four new ones come into the centre, form a right hand star and the dance continues.

There were two couples a-skating away,

A-skating away, a-skating away,

There were two couple a-skating away,

So early in the morning.

The ice was thin and they all fell in,

They all fell in, they all fell in,

The ice was thin and they all fell in,

So early in the morning.

The old swing out and the new swing in,

The new swing in, the new swing in,

The old swing out and the new swing in,

So early in the morning.

Skip to my Lou O

This is a popular partner stealing game from the U.S.A. play party tradition.

The "lou" in the title comes from the word "loo", a Scottish word for "love"

Find more about this song at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_to_My_Lou .d

Play as below with one child in the ring or have 4-6 children in the middle so everyone gets a go dancing in the centre.

Verse 1. Partners skip round in a single circle holding hands; one child skips in the middle in the opposite direction. Verse 2. This child sings ‘lost my partner…’ as the others stand still and clap; at the end of the second verse the child in the middle chooses a partner from the circle and skips round with them hands crossed during Verse 3. The abandoned partner then replaces the two in the centre and the game continues.

Flies in the buttermilk, Shoo fly, shoo! (3x)

Skip to my Lou, my darling.

Lou, Lou skip to my Lou! (3x)

Skip to my Lou, my darling.

Lost my partner, what shall I do? (3x)

Skip to my Lou, my darling.

Lou, Lou skip to my Lou, (3x)

Skip to my Lou, my darling.

I'll find another one, how about you? (3x)

Skip to my Lou, my darling!

Lou, Lou skip to my Lou! (3x)

Skip to my Lou, my darling.

Slip one and two O

Follow simple instructions.

Join hands in a circle. Take two sliding steps to the left. Make two little jumps then drop hands. Turn around quickly. Sit on the floor with legs crossed. Clap twice. Nod twice. Jump up and join hands ready to begin again.

Slip one and two,

Jump three and four,

Turn around swiftly,

And sit upon the floor.

Clap one and two,

Nod three and four,

Jump up again,

And we’re ready for more.

Snake baked a hoecake O

A dramatized story game. This version comes from Virginia and can be found in Peggy Seeger’s ‘Animal folk songs for children’ with slight changes. There are also versions that come from the Southern Appalachians and Pennsylvania.

Find out more at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=43935

Children sit in a circle; frog and snake sit inside and lizard lurks outside. Snake pretends to make a hoecake and then asks frog to watch it as he walks away. As frog falls asleep lizard sneaks in stealing the cake from frog and snake who sing ‘Bring back my hoecake, you long tailed nanny-o!’ and chase lizard until he is caught. The game then continues with three new children playing the part of the animals.

Snake baked a hoecake and set a frog to watch it,

The frog fell a- dozing and a lizard came and stole it.

Bring back my hoecake, you long-tailed nanny-o!

Somebody waiting 🔊

A traditional New England play party game from early American pioneer days.

If the circle is a big one more than one child can start in the centre.

Verse 1a. Children, holding hands, circle left while one child walks around inside in the opposite direction.

1b. Children circle right and the child in the centre changes direction.

2. The children in the outer circle clap to the beat and sing as the child in the middle chooses two from the ring and they circle holding hands.

3. The original child then selects one of those invited in and continues with a two hand swing. They then both return to the circle and with the others clap to the beat and sing; the child not chosen then becomes the new one in the middle and the game continues.

As I look into your eyes,

I can see with great surprise,

There is somebody waiting for me.

There is somebody waiting,

There is somebody waiting for me.

Choose two and leave the others,

Choose two and leave the others for me.

Swing one and leave the other,

Swing one and leave the other for me.

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