Can Anyone Help with a Finger Naming Rhyme?
February 23rd, 2015

Jessica wrote, "Here is the video of my husband’s great grandma (102) reciting a fingers and toes rhyme (Swedish origin perhaps?)."

Can anyone help identify the language of the rhyme, write out the words and/or help with a translation?  If so, please comment below or email me.

Thanks in advance!

-Mama Lisa

This article was posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2015 at 9:58 pm and is filed under Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Languages, Readers Questions, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Children's Songs, YouTube. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

4 Responses to “Can Anyone Help with a Finger Naming Rhyme?”

  1. Lisa Says:
    March 11th, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    Christina wrote:

    Hi, I am a Swedish grandmother. I found your site and I like it very much. Especially the french songs for children. I have 2 grandchildren in France and they sing a song called “Au feu les pompiers”. I found the text and also sheet music.

    I saw the video from February 23rd 2015 with fingers and toes rhyme. And I heard that the first 3 words in the fingers rhyme sounds like Swedish. The toes rhyme I can’t identify. This is how I have learnt them in Swedish.

    Fingers rhyme, you start with the thumb: Tummetott, slickepott, långeman, gullebrand och lille vicke vire.

    Toes rhyme, you start with the smallest toe: Lilltåa, tåtilla, tillerosa, kroknosa och stortoppen opp i väre.

    Thank you for a very nice homepage.

  2. francisca Says:
    June 30th, 2015 at 7:29 pm

    Dear Jessica and mama Lisa,

    What a precious video this is, thanks for sharing!

    Much like Christina, I mostly recognize the first three of the fingers. My native language however, is Dutch, and the words look like a finger naming rhyme of which there are many many versions.

    I shall try to send Mama Lisa an mp3 so you can hear some of the words pronounced as well as a bit of an explanation. Perhaps Jessica can share them with great grandma – she may just react to them!

    regardless of whichever language she speaks: it would be wonderful if the ‘right’ one is found because it may just be part of a whole new insight of great grandma’s earlier life and – in a way – it may perhaps provide Jessica and loved ones a ‘new’ way of communicating with her…

    Many blessings,

    francisca
    midwife2thesoul

  3. Lisa Says:
    June 30th, 2015 at 8:34 pm

    Hi Francisca, We can’t wait to receive your version of this rhyme! Thanks so much! Lisa

  4. Clove Says:
    October 23rd, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    Tummetott, Slickepott, Långeman, Gullebrand och lilla Vicke-vire – (som satt i askan och spann) – hmm fråga inte mig varför.

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