The Ants Go Marching is a light-hearted nursery rhyme that describes the ants’ actions as they march to get out of the rain. Like many other children’s songs such as Ten in the Bed, The Ants Go Marching helps children to learn how to count.
The song can be accompanied by whole-body actions which include crouching down and springing back up, making it ideal for a fun group activity. It is a favorite for toddlers who are just getting acquainted with numbers, as the song progressively adds numbers up to however many you want to count.
This rhyme dates back to the Civil War and is adapted from the popular “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”, a song that celebrated soldiers returning safely from battle. There is also a Christian version of the song where the animals go into the ark two by two, with a variety of different species mentioned to make the song more fun.
The Ants Go Marching Lyrics
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb.
And they all go marching down,
To the ground, to get out of the rain.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
…two…tie her shoe…
…three….climb a tree…
…four…shut the door…
…five…take a dive…
…six…pick up sticks…
…seven…pray to heaven…
…eight…check the gate…
…nine…check the time…
…ten…say “The End!”
The Ants Go Marching Music Sheet
