German Children's Songs - Germany - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs, Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Music from Around the World

Question about a German or Pennsylvania Dutch Song
Janet Barnes sent me a video with a note asking for help with the song lyrics to a Pennsylvania Dutch or German song?. Here?s Janet?s note: My mother has written down a song her father used to sing to her and I think it might be German. If not German, it would be Dutch. They were definitely... Read more »
Learn 40 Languages for Free on the Internet
Open Culture has a page of free language learning links covering 40 languages. Here are some of the languages you can find links for… Arabic, English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Finnish, Gaelic, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Maori, Norwegian, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swahili,... Read more »
Poem about a Dog Eating at the Table with MP3 Recordings
Beware! This could be your dog or mine one day! MP3 of The Dog The Dog But good dog Tray is happy now; He has no time to say "Bow-wow!" He seats himself in Frederick’s chair And laughs to see the nice things there:... Read more »
Shock-headed Peter – A Cautionary Poem about Cleanliness, with an MP3
Your kids don’t want to groom themselves? Just read them this poem about Shock-headed Peter. It’s a cautionary story about what happens to children when they don’t keep themselves neat and clean… they can turn out like Shock-headed Peter! MP3 of Shock-headed Peter Shock-headed Peter by Heinrich Hoffman Just look at him! there he stands, With his nasty... Read more »
Happy St. Nicholas Day!
Today is St Nicholas Day! Many children in Europe receive gifts and treats in the shoes they left out last night for St. Nick. Read all about the traditions of St. Nick here. Read more »
St. Nicolas in Germany + a Song
St. Nicholas is very popular in Germany! There are various traditions of St Nick there, depending on the region. In some places he walks from house to house giving treats. In other places children leave out their polished shoes and boots to be filled with treats and gifts in the middle of the night of December... Read more »
The Advent Candle
Advent Candles are used to mark the days from December 1st until Christmas Eve on December 24th. The candles have the numbers 1 to 24 on them, starting at the top with 1 and ending near the bottom of the candle with 24. Each day you light the candle and let it burn down to... Read more »
Can Anyone Help with a German Kids Rhyme that Sounds Like Bumpity Bump?
Deborah wrote to me asking for help with a beloved German kids poem. Here’s her letter: Hello, my husband’s father (born 1896) and now he, both have used a poem with their children and grandchildren called "Rumpity Bump". Unfortunately I never wrote the words down and recently my husband suffered a stroke which left him with... Read more »
Krampus: A Scary Creature who Travels with St. Nick in Alpine Cultures
Krampus is a nasty demon with horns and a long red tongue. His name comes from the word for "Claw". He accompanies St. Nick on his rounds the night before St. Nick’s Day (December 6th). St. Nick gives all the good little boys and girls gifts. Krampus, on the other hand, gives the kids who... Read more »
Early Picture Sheets in France and Germany
Recently I wrote about Early Picture Sheets which were one page sheets with images on them that were popular in the 19th century. They were used to teach kids to draw. In Europe, they had similar pictures sheets, though sometimes they were used for different purposes. In France, these early picture sheets were called, "Les images... Read more »