Winter
songs A-H
Bread
and milk for breakfast
Chickadee
Come
here, little Robin
Dance
like snowflakes
Dress
up warmly
Falling
snow
Feed,
feed, feed the birds
Five
little men made out of snow
Five
little snowflakes
Five
little snowmen
Five
little snowmen fat
Frosty
the snowman
Frosty
weather, snowy weather
Funny
little snowman
Goodbye
old year
Hands
are cold and feet are cold
Hedgehog
hibernates
Here
we come a-wassailing
Also see:
Five little men made out
of snow
And the YouTube playlist: Winter
songs and poems
Last updated: 12/29/2020
2:49 PM
The songs below are part of ‘Away we
go’ compiled, adapted and
illustrated by Dany Rosevear
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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
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for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the
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Your fair use and other
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|
Bread and milk for
breakfast, And woollen frocks to
wear, And a crumb for robin
redbreast On the cold days of the
year. |
Chickadee 🔊 Another song from
‘140 folk songs’ published in1921. Words by May Morgan to a German folk tune:
‘Hänschen klein, geht allein’ that I knew in the 1960s as ‘Little John will
be gone’. 1. Hold up both arms with fingers spread. 2. Hold up
hands flat and high. 3. Cross hands at wrists to make flapping bird. Put hand
to ear. 4. Hold upper arms with hands and shiver. 5. Put thumb and forefinger
to eye open and close. 6. Bird hands flutter away. |
Trees are bare everywhere,
Snows are deep and skies
are grey; Yet one bird may be heard On the coldest day. Ask his name and he'll
reply, Cocking up a roguish eye, "Chick-a-dee,
chick-a-dee, chick-a-dee-dee-dee." |
Come here, little Robin 🔊 A nursery rhyme
by Anonymous from ‘Easy poetry for children’ published 1837. Music by Dany
Rosevear. |
Cme here, little Robin,
and don't be afraid, I would not hurt even a
feather; Come here my sweet Robin, and
pick up some bread, To feed you this very cold
weather. I don't mean to frighten
you, dear little thing, And pussy-cat is not
behind me; So hop about pretty and
drop down your wing, And pick up some crumbs
and don't mind me. Cold winter has come, but
it will not stay long, And summer we soon shall
be greeting; Then remember, dear Robin,
to sing me a song, In return for the
breakfast you're eating. |
Dance
like snowflakes 🔊 Get moving, preferably outside in
the snow – well wrapped up! |
Dance like snowflakes Dance like snowflakes In the air, in the air Whirling, twirling snowflakes Whirling, twirling snowflakes Everywhere, everywhere! |
Dress up warmly 🔊 It’s time to
go outside but the weather is wintry – what to do! Learn the position of the
left and right foot. This
traditional action rhyme for winter has a calypso tune by Dany Rosevear. Dramatise the dressing and undressing process showing which body part
each piece of clothing matches as you sing. |
The
day is cloudy and the wind is bold; Dress up warmly, you mustn't get cold! Put on your coat and zip it up tight, Put on your left boot, put on your right. Put on your scarf and put on your hat, Put on your mittens and clap, clap, clap! Go outside and play and play; Come in again, and then we'll say- Take off your coat that was zipped up tight, Take off your left boot, take off your right. Take off your scarf and take off your hat, Take off your mittens… and then take a nap! |
Falling snow 🔊 A poem by
anonymous. Music by Dany Rosevear. Whirl and twirl like the falling snow. |
See the little snowflakes, Falling from the sky; On the hills and
housetops, Soft and thick they lie. On the window ledges, On the branches bare; See how fast they gather, Filling all the air! Look into the garden, Where the grass was green; Covered by the snowflakes, Not a blade is seen. Now the bare black bushes, All look soft and white, Every twig is laden, What a pretty sight! |
Feed,
feed, feed the birds 🔊 Don’t forget
the birds in wintertime. |
In the wintertime; When the days are dark and cold, Food is hard to find. Feed, feed, feed the birds, Till the spring has come; Scatter birdseed on the snow, Feeding birds is fun. |
Five little men made out of snow O This traditional song has several tunes but I love this one by Nancy
Stewart. This song can simply be played using the fingers and hands or with a
group of children where one child drops down each time to become a puddle. 1. Hold up five fingers. 2. Pretend to put on hat and tie bow. 3. Make
sun with a big movement and make it shine. 4. One finger wiggles downward. 5.
Shrug shoulders and throw out palms of hands. |
Five little men made out of snow, Each with a hat and a big red bow, Out came the sun and it stayed all day, One little snowman melted away! SPOKEN And he said, “Oops, I’m a puddle!” Four little men made out of snow… And so on. No little men made out of snow, None with a hat and a big red bow, Out came the sun and it winked my way, Put on your wellies, it’s time for puddle play! |
Five
little snowmen fat 🔊 A lovely winter song and action
game for younger children. Show number of fingers and indicate a fat snowman tummy. Show hat
above head. Make big circle above head. Wriggle fingers down. Pretend to cry.
Move down in increments. |
Five little snowmen fat, Each with a funny hat, Up came the sun and melted one, Aaaaaaah! What a sad thing was that! Down, down, down. Four little snowmen fat… Three… Two… One… No little snowmen fat, Only their funny hats. But the next time it snows, I'll build more of those, Oh what fun is that! |
Five little snowflakes O A lovely song to dance to while learning
about ‘one less’ Use hands or the whole body to dance like snowflakes. And on
the last verse, like the snowflakes, fall gently to the ground. |
Five little snowflakes dancing here and there One blew away in the cold winter air! Four little snowflakes dancing here and there One blew away in the cold winter air! Three little snowflakes dancing here and there One blew away in the cold winter air! Two little snowflakes dancing here and there One blew away in the cold winter air! One little snowflake dancing here and there One blew away in the cold winter air! No little snowflakes, not one to be found For five little snowflakes have fallen to the ground! |
Five little snowmen O A finger or action rhyme. Learn the
concept of ‘one less’. Put one finger down each time a
snowman melts. Alternately five children stand in
a row. Another child, the sun, shines on each one and that child melts down
to the ground. |
Five little snowmen made of snow, Five little snowmen standing in a row, Out came the sun and stayed all day, One little snowman melted away! Chorus Ho, ho, ho, don’t you know? One little snowman had to go! Four little snowmen… Three little snowmen… Two little snowmen… One little snowman made of snow, One little snowman standing all alone… That little snowman melted away! No little snowmen made of snow, No little snowmen standing in a row, Out came the sun and stayed all day, Melting every snowman in the town away! Ho, ho, ho, don’t you know? All the little snowmen had to go! |
Five
little snowmen fat 🔊 A lovely winter song and action
game for younger children. 6 Show number of fingers and indicate a fat snowman belly. Show hat
above head. Make big circle above head. Wriggle fingers down. Pretend to cry.
Move down in increments. |
Five little snowmen fat, Each with a funny hat, Up came the sun and melted one, Aaaaaaah! What a sad thing was that! Down, down, down. Four little snowmen fat… Three… Two… One… No little snowmen fat, Only their funny hats. But the next time it snows, I'll build more of those, Oh what fun is that! |
Frosty
the snowman 🔊 A story of a magical snowman written
by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson. It was made popular by Gene Autry who had
prevoisly recorded ‘Rudolf the red nosed reindeer’. Find out more at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frosty_the_Snowman |
Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul, With a corncob pipe and a button nose, And two eyes made out of coal. Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale they say, He was made of snow but the children know How he came to life one day. There must have been some magic In that old silk hat they found, For when they placed it on his head, He began to dance around. Oh, Frosty the snowman was alive as he could be, And the children say he could laugh and play, Just the same as you and me. Thumpity, thump, thump, Thumpity, thump, thump, Look at Frosty go. Thumpity, thump, thump, Thumpity, thump, thump, Over the hills of snow! Frosty the snowman knew the sun was hot that day, So he said, “Let's run and we'll have some fun Now before I melt away.” Down to the village, with a broomstick in his hand, Running here and there all round the square saying, “Catch me if you can!” He led them down the streets of town right to the traffic cop. And he only paused a moment When he heard him holler “Stop!” For Frosty the snowman had to hurry on his way, But he waved goodbye saying, “Don't you cry, I'll be back again some day.” Thumpity, thump, thump… |
Frosty
weather, snowy weather 🔊 A warming simple circle game for
the winter. It has been played by the Clancy children in Tipperary, Ireland
on ‘So early in the morning’. It can also be played as an action
game; Shiver and hold arms, fingers fall like snow. Whoosh hands about like
the wind. Raise hands up and then slowly down. Children dance round in a circle holding hands. On the third line they
stop, swoop into the centre raising hands as they go. They then move back in
an orderly fashion to the spoken words. The spoken words were suggested on: http://herdingcatsgeorge.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/song-of-month-december.html
|
Frosty weather, snowy weather, When the wind blows… We all go together. SPOKEN: Three steps back with-a one, two, three! Frosty weather, snowy weather, When the wind blows… We all go together. SPOKEN: Three steps back with-a one, two, three! |
Funny
little snowman 🔊 Can be played as a hand play as
below or a still / fast movement action game. Written by Louise B. Scott. Music
adapted and arranged by Dany Rosevear. Place one fist on the other. Ring eyes with thumb and forefinger,
hands make hat on head. Draw smile. Rub arms. Point to sun. Roll arms fast
round each other. |
Funny little snowman, Round and fat, With your eyes of coal and your stove pipe hat. Funny little snowman, Smiles all day , When the wind is cold and the skies are grey, Funny little snowman, Sees the sun, Quick! Little snowman, Run! Run! Run! |
Goodbye
old year 🔊 Dragon is on the move. One for
Chinese New Year. Not sure where this one came from – probably a more recent
offering. It would be good with loud percussion instruments combined with a
Chinese dragon dance. |
Goodbye old year, Celebrate the new one. This is the dragon’s time, We can have some good fun! Dragon’s play, Cymbals crash! Dragons leap, Colours flash! Goodbye old year, Celebrate the new one. This is the dragon’s time, We can have some good fun! Ribbons wave, Red and gold Dancers move Strong and bold! |
Hands
are cold and feet are cold O Cold weather play is fine as long
as you know how to keep warm. A traditional song from Barbara
Ireson’s ‘Over and over again’. The second verse is by Dany Rosevear. |
Hands are cold and feet are cold, Icy winds are blowing, Rub your hands and stamp your feet, And soon they will be glowing. Gloves are warm and scarves are warm When winter snows are falling, Jump about, run fast and shout, If Jack Frost comes a-calling. |
Hedgehog hibernates 🔊 A winter
handplay. An opportunity to consider the animals that need to hibernate once
the winter chill settles in. This rhyme come from a site where you can find
out more about such creatures: http://www.ks1resources.co.uk/thumbs-38-4.pdf
Music by Dany
Rosevear. Rub arms. Interlink fingers to make hedgehog, pull
into chest.Fingers move through the air. With palms curled up touching thumbs
make a circle. Make pile of leaves with finger tips. Make hedge hog. Put
hands to cheek. |
Here comes winter, cold
and grey, The hedgehog tucks itself
away. Here comes ice and frost
and snow, It needs somewhere warm to
go. Here comes mist and
freezing fog, Here's a good old hollow
log, Inside a pile of leaves so
deep; It curls up tight and goes
to sleep. |
Here we come a-wassailing 🔊 A festive song
to greet the New Year, a version made familiar by the Watersons. Chosen as it
is not unusual for rather scrawny red foxes to visit our garden and settle
and sleep in perfect circles on piles of grass cuttings in the sunshine. Just
love to watch them saunter through the garden. |
Here
we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green, Here we come a-wandering so fairly to be seen, Now is winter-time; stranger travel far and near, And we wish you, send you, a happy New Year. Bud and blossom, bud and blossom, bud and bloom
and bear, So we may have plenty of cider all next year; Apples all in capfuls and bushel bags and all, There’s cider running out of every gutter hole. Down in yonder muddy lane there sits an old red
fox, Starving and a-shivering and licking his old
chops; Bring us out your table and spread it if you
please, And give us hungry wassailers a bit of bread and cheese. I've got a little purse and it's made of leather
skin, A little silver sixpence would line it well
within; Now is winter-time; strangers travel far and near, And we wish you, send you, a happy New Year. And we wish you, send you, a happy New Year. |
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