15 Short Nursery Rhymes for Children
Looking for the perfect nursery rhymes to read with your children? Read on for our 15 top nursery rhymes.
Nursery rhymes are much more important for children than most parents give them credit for. Singing nursery rhymes to your little one can encourage bonding between parents and children. Short nursery rhymes encourage speech, memory and expose children to new words they have not yet experienced.
In this article I will share with you my 15 favourite children’s nursery rhymes to sing with your children.
If you think back to your own childhood you’ll realise how many of these rhymes you know by heart, decades after you first heard them.
Kids love repetition, and after hearing these words over and over they will come to recognize them and enjoy them even more. When they start to anticipate the next line, young children will feel the sense of pride that comes from being “with it.”
1. Star light, Star bright
Star light, Star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have this wish I wish tonight.
2. 1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive
One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right
3. Baa, Baa Black Sheep
Baa, baa black sheep
Have you any wool
Yes sir, yes sir
Three bags full.
One for my master
And one for my dame
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
4. Hey Diddle Diddle
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
5. Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
6. Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up Jack got and home did trot
As fast as he could caper;
And went to bed to mend his head
With vinegar and brown paper.
7. Rock-a-bye Baby
Rock a bye baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
8. London Bridge is Falling Down
London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair lady!
9. Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream!
10. Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
and the Itsy Bitsy spider went up the spout again.
11. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the sky so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are?
12. Five Little Monkeys
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.
On fell off and bumped his head!
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
13. Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day which was against the rules.
It made the children laugh and play, to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about, till Mary did appear.
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?” the eager children cry.
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know.” the teacher did reply
14. Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If he hollers let him go
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
15. Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Hickory, dickory, dock
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down
Hickory, dickory, dock
