Ring a Ring o’ Roses is a traditional nursery rhyme and singing game. It is believed to have originated in England in the 18th century. The rhyme describes a group of children holding hands and dancing in a circle, with the lyrics describing the various actions they perform as they go. There has been much …
The historical tracings of The Three Little Kittens have led to Eliza Folen (1787-1860), an influential writer in the New England Unitarian Movement. This verse was published in her collection, New Nursery Songs for All Good Children published sometime around 1843. Folen herself has been said to describe this and other verses as “traditional” although …
Two Little Dickie Birds is a traditional English rhyme that was sometimes known as Two Little Blackbirds. The rhyme can be traced back to 1765 in London when it was printed in Mother Goose’s Melody, an anthology of songs and stories. The words were different originally, replacing Peter and Paul sitting on a wall with …
Little Tommy Tucker is a rhyme that first appeared in 1744 in “Tom Thumb’s Pretty Song Book” but only the initial four lines were included. The full version was later printed in 1765 in Mother Goose’s Melody and became a popular rhyme to share with children. However, even though the rhyme received a lot of …
One, Two, Three, Four, Five Once I Caught a Fish Alive is a traditional nursery rhyme that is perfect for helping younger children learn to count. Other similar nursery rhymes include Ten in a Bed and Five Little Monkeys. The rhyme was first published in Mother Goose’s Melody in 1765 but the original version only …
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This Little Piggy is a famous nursery rhyme that’s used with children of all ages, including young babies. Although it’s a counting song, This Little Piggy is a fun tickling game that’s usually counted out on the fingers or toes. Small babies and younger children in particular enjoy the tactile nature of this rhyme! A …
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring is a much-loved children’s rhyme that has been handed down through the generations. Not much is known about its origins, but it’s believed to have come from England, not least because of the reference to the rainy weather! It first appeared in print in The Little Mother Goose in the US …
An English nursery rhyme, Old Mother Hubbard was first printed extensively in 1805 although the exact origins and date of creation are hotly disputed. The first printed version was titled The Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and her Dog and credited to Sarah Catherine Martin and accompanied by copper plate engravings. Although Old Mother …
The Queen of Hearts is a poem and nursery rhyme with a very interesting history.According to the Baring-Goulds in The Annotated Mother Goose, “The Queen of Hearts” nursery rhyme first appeared in print in 1782, in the European Magazine. This source and the Opies in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes concur that there were …
I Saw a Ship A-Sailing is one of the most fun nursery rhymes for kids to learn. Little is known about the origin of the song but there is substantial speculation that it is about Sir Francis Drake, an English admiral during the 16th century, who commanded slave ships and circumnavigated the world in search …
