Lynda wrote looking for help with a rhyme…
I hope that you can help me with an old rhyme of sorts. It is spoken softly as to calm a child said while making small circles on a child’s skin and then traveling up and starting all over. We can only remember part of it, this is what we can recall:
“Round a bit, round a bit, round a bit” repeating as often as you make the small circles with your finger on the child’s skin.
Then while traveling up the arm or leg or etc… “Up a bit, up a bit”, stopping and starting the small circles again.We seem to remember something about a “wee little mouse”.
Does any of this ring a bell to you? The lady who used to do this was of Polish decent if that helps.
Thank you,
Lynda Dull,
If anyone can help with this rhyme, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, England, English, English Nursery Rhymes, Finger Plays, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Poland, Polish, Polish Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions, United Kingdom, USA. 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.
24 Responses to “Can Anyone Help with a Rhyme with the Line “Round a Bit”? (It may be originally Polish.)”
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February 12th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
This tickling rhyme sounds a little like yours…
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Creeps the garden snail.
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Up the garden rail.
Quickly, quickly, very quickly
Runs the little mouse.
Quickly, quickly, very quickly
Round about the house!
Or another one that goes…
Round and round the haystack
Went the little mouse
One step, two step,
To his little house!
February 15th, 2009 at 7:48 am
The only one I can think of is something my grandmother used to sing to me (English). The motion of circling on the palm of the hand is the same. When she said “one step” she would move her hand to my wrist, for the 2nd step she would move her hand to the crook of my elbow and then she would tickle me under the armpit. Here are the words she used to sing:
Round and round the garden
Like a teddy bear
One step
Two steps
Tickly under there!
I suppose that a lot of children’s nursery rhymes are basically the same but varied according to the country/language.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:10 am
My grandmother would say to me:
Round a bout, Round a bout
Went the wee mouse.
Up the stairs, Up the stairs,
In the wee house!
July 6th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Round About Round About — circles on hand
Runs a wee Mouse
Up A Bit Up A Bit — walk fingers up arm ( voice getting higher)
In A Wee Little house — Tickle under the arm
October 5th, 2009 at 1:04 am
My grandmother came from Scotland early in the 20th century or possibly the late 1990’s and shared this little rhyme with me as a child (1954) complete with her Scottish accent. I have been searching the internet for its origins and the complete ryhme when I found you.
Rund-a-bit, Rund-a-bit – (circles on the open palm, with your index finger) went a wee moose (mouse)
Up a bit, Up a bit – (walk finger up the arm, voice gets higher)
in a wee hoose (house) The fingers end up at the neck with a little tickle.
Wanted to find more of the ryhme, my little grandson who is 2 loves this little game and has shared it with his little friend at Sunday school. Now all the moms are asking about it.
R
October 19th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Here’s our Americanized version:
(Trace circles on child’s palm)
Round a bit, round a bit
Goes the little mouse
(Walk fingers up child’s arm to tickle her little neck or ear)
Up a bit, up a bit
Into his house!
October 17th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
My Mom’s family played the same game with me when I was three; but the words were in Russian/Polish/Yiddish? ,While tracing with fingers on my palm, the words ‘Kezzela Mazella'( If I knew how to spell this, the problem would be solved) Their fingers would then travel up to my neck or ears as they said the last word.(which I do not remember.) Last evening I watched a movie called Cassino Jack. During a scene in which a mobster(Tony…played by Maury Chaykin) was talking with a shipping magnate,Tony takes the shipping magnate’s hand, draws the circles on his palm and recites the words ‘Keezela Mazella’ two times. When his fingers reach the magnate’s neck; he says ‘Bang’ or ‘Boo’.In a later scene, he indeed shoots the magnate.Does anyone have some information to help with spelling and translation?Thanks so much….it would mean so much to me.
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:19 am
No way ! My mom was singing me this song when I was young too! In Russian though, anyone has this version?
November 11th, 2012 at 4:00 am
Yup, my grandma’s scottish and it went
roon aboot roon aboot
wen a wee moos
up a stair
up a stair
in a wee hoose
that was all there was as far as I know.
November 25th, 2012 at 9:47 am
Round about, round about
Build a wee house
Up abit up abit
Catch a wee mouse!
This was said while making
Small circles on a child’s
Hand and gradually crawl the
Fingers in a slow walking fashion
Up the arm ending in a little tickle
Under the arm.
October 13th, 2013 at 6:10 am
I need help with another similar poem. It started with..
Once upon a time said a Bangalore man
Round and round the garden, three teddies ran…
But I don’t know any more of the rhyme.
Can anyone help me?
thanks
Jacky
December 9th, 2013 at 11:41 pm
I do this with my grand daughter…using 3 different ones. It is all about the suspense.
’round and ’round the garden, goes the teddy bear…1 step….2 step…tickle you under there!
’round and ’round the garden goes the honey bunny….1 step….2 step…tickle you where it’s funny
….and then the wee mouse as seen above
August 6th, 2014 at 7:02 pm
as Rebekah has said above …. my father was raised by his Scottish grandparents & would repeat this while making a circle in a grandchild’s palm & then “uppa stair” would be his fingers going up an arm and “in a wee hoos” = tickle in an armpit. my father has died, but each of his great grandchildren know of “roon a boot” & will extend a hand while looking forward to the tickle at the end.
March 19th, 2015 at 4:06 am
“Round about, round about
Catch a wee mouse
Up a bit, up a bit,
In his wee house!”
(Taught to me by my grandma, who was taught this by her very Scottish grandfather)
March 19th, 2015 at 4:41 am
…to add on to my comment above, it sounded with his Scottish brogue like,
“Roon a boot, roon a boot,
Catch a wee moose
Oop a bit, oop a bit
In his wee hoos!”
June 3rd, 2015 at 7:11 am
round a bit round a bit is a wee moose (mouse)
up a bit
up a bit
in a wee hoose (house)
September 1st, 2015 at 4:08 pm
My mother was from Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. She used to make little circles on our hands and run up our arm til she tickled us under our chin. She said it with a Scottish accent:
Roon aboot, roon aboot, roon a wee moose
Up agin, up agin, to his wee hoose
As a child, this would set me off giggling…as I knew what was going to happen. Such a simple wee game to play with a little one. I also liked the tickling of my palm of my hand as she made little circles.
September 11th, 2015 at 12:44 am
My grams used to sing this to me when I was little and she was of polish decent .
She used to say..
Round about round about went a little mouse ( and you did circles on the palm of the child’s hand)
Up a bit up a bit ( and you start walking up the arm with two fingers)
To a little house ( you tickle under the arms.
Then she would start over but this time she would say it in polish I can only remember the beginning of it in polish biting cannot remember how it ended and I wish I could . I have no idea how to spell it out though .
December 20th, 2015 at 8:15 am
“Once upon a time,” said the Bangalore man, “round and round the garden three teddies ran, with a lion close behind. “Help!” Cried the teddies and a panda too, he was there on a visit. “Whatever shall we do?” One step, two steps the teddies ran with lion getting closer, and closer and closer! “Got you!” Roared the lion with a savage glare, “Now then, one step, two steps and tickle you under there!” Then it was his turn. Once upon a time,” said the Bangalore man, “Round and round the garden a lion ran with some teddies and a panda close behind.”
February 6th, 2016 at 11:59 am
My Aunt did a similar thing with me when I was small in Ukranian, I think. Some of the words I seem to remember are: chi chi siroka, abu delu ninoka,(this is all phonetically, of course. Also, the word ninoka comes to mind and tout polorum? Then when she moved her fingers up my arm she’d say something like chi chi chi. Does anyone know this rhyme?
September 16th, 2016 at 5:34 pm
Looking for help with poem.
Runnin roon the Hoose,to catch wee Mickey moose.
May 9th, 2017 at 9:00 pm
My mom sang it this way and I passed it along to my kids:
“Round a bit, round a bit went the little mousie” (circling her finger slowing on our palm)
“Up a bit…up a bit…in the little housie!” (walking two fingers up our arm, then a tickle under our arm)
Always got a giggle from us all! : )
P.S. My mom was Scotch-Irish & Dutch
June 29th, 2018 at 5:06 am
My nana, from England use to sing and trace a spiral circle on the palm of my hand and sing:
“Round a bit or bout, round a __ sits on old hen where does he sit right in there”
And she would tickle the center of my hand.
I’m not sure if i have the words right. Any help?
January 16th, 2020 at 10:24 pm
My Grandpop was from Scotland he would say round a bit, round a bit, goes the wee mouse, up a bit, up a bit, in the wee house. Making a circle in your palm and climbing up the your arm to your armpit and tickle you. I would start laughing even before he get to my armpit. Lol