Articles about 'American Nursery Rhymes'
July 10th, 2011

Adults used to tell kids to sit "Indian Style" when asking them to sit cross-legged on the ground. You don’t hear that phrase used so much anymore. According to my 4th grader, now they tell you to sit "Criss-Cross Applesauce" in pre-school. In grade school, they tell you to "Sit Pretzel Style".
Here’s a video...
October 14th, 2009
My daughter and her friend Marisa taught me this birthday rhyme in the car the other day. They chant this in class to talk about birthdays and months of the year.
Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums
Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums,
Tell me when your birthday comes?
January, February, March, April,
May, June, July, August, September,
October, November, December?
Some people...
August 21st, 2009
Karla wrote:
Hi, My name is Karla Wass.
Recently my grandmother has passed, and as a child she would place us (15 grandkids + 10 great grandkids) on her knee and sing to us. Unfortunately, none of us could remember the name and she left so suddenly we were unable to ask her it. I...
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May 13th, 2009
Uly sent me a handclapping rhyme called “Quack Dilly Oso” which she said many people actually know as “Stella Ella Ola”. Here are the words to “Quack Dilly Oso” that Uly sent me:
Quack Dilly Oso
Quack dilly oso, quack quack qua-ack,
Saaaanyorita*, rita rita rita, velo!
Velo! Velo, velo, velo, velo! One two three FOUR.
*Uly wrote,...
July 24th, 2008
I received a letter from Hungary from Mrs. Török looking for English rhymes to play with children sitting on laps. She wrote that she’s looking for “British, American or Canadian short riddles or rhymes which we don’t have to sing but they can be played while the children are sitting on the mothers’ legs. ...
May 21st, 2008

Here’s a rhyme my 1st grade daughter just taught me. You can hear her reciting it by clicking on the mp3 below. The actions that are done with the rhyme are in parentheses…
MP3 of Lemonade, Crunchy Ice
Lemonade, Crunchy Ice
Lemonade*
(clap, clap, clap)
Crunchy ice*
(clap, clap, clap)
Sip it once*
(clap, clap, clap)
Sip it twice*
(clap, clap, clap)
Turn around...
January 20th, 2008
We’ve been very busy here, redesigning Mama Lisa’s House of Nursery Rhymes, which features traditional English Mother Goose. The new design will break down the rhymes alphabetically. Each letter of the alphabet will have its own page – and that page will have all of the rhymes we have that begin with that...
January 17th, 2008
My daughter often comes home chanting rhymes that she learns in school or on the bus. Being Mama Lisa, I quickly jot down the ones I’ve never heard before. Here’s an odd one she chanted the other day…
First is the worst
Second is the best
Third is the one with the hairy chest.
I don’t know...
September 30th, 2007
The popular rhyme What’s Your Name? Mary Jane goes back to England over 100 years ago.
With the beginning of the new school year, I’ve learnt a new version from a young American schoolgirl.
The funny thing about this one is that it refers to Michael Jackson, but she has no idea who...
July 28th, 2007
Mirka wrote:
Hello from Slovakia! I found your super page in web, it is very special, nice and helpful. Thank you! Can you help me with a nursery rhyme: ZEBRA, ZEBRA AT (IN) THE ZOO? I cannot find the words anywhere. Thanks! Have a nice day! Love from Mirka
If anyone can...
March 8th, 2007
It’s always a happy day when I can answer a reader’s question about a song, nursery rhyme or poem. I was recently asked by Marion to help her find “a nursery rhyme my mother used to say to me in the very early 1930’s. Don’t know the name, but the first couple of...
February 13th, 2006
Everyone who grows up speaking English knows Roses Are Red. But you may not be familiar with all the versions there are. Of course, there’s the one that’s most well known and that basically sounds like a clichĂ©…
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you!
Then there’s the following one, which...
January 24th, 2006
Thomas Edison made the first recording of the human voice in 1877. He recited the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb. He re-recorded it in 1927 for posterity.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
Listen to Thomas...
November 12th, 2005
Here’s another poem for Thanksgiving…
Five Little Turkeys
Five little turkeys standing in a row. (Hold up 5 fingers)
First little turkey said, “I don’t want to grow.” (Hold up 1 finger)
Second little turkey said, “Why do you say that?” (Hold up 2 fingers)
Third little turkey said, “I want to get fat.” (Hold up 3 fingers)
Fourth little turkey...
November 6th, 2005
Here’s a Popular Thanksgiving Poem…
Five Little Pilgrims
Five little Pilgrims on Thanksgiving Day. (Hold up 5 fingers)
The first one said, “I’ll have cake if I may.” (Point to the thumb)
The second one said, “I’ll have turkey roasted.” (Point to the index finger)
The third one said, “I’ll have chestnuts toasted.” (Point to the middle finger)
The...
October 20th, 2005

Fuzzy Wuzzy is one of my favorite rhymes. Here are the lyrics, with an mp3 recording and an illustration.
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t really fuzzy,
Was he?
MP3 Recording of Fuzzy Wuzzy
Come visit Mama Lisa’s House to see more Illustrated Nursery Rhymes.
October 8th, 2005
My daughter’s close friend moved away to Canada last month. She was talking about how she missed her, so I encouraged her to record a song and email it. She sang the ABC song.
Her friend received the recording within minutes. Her parents wrote back the same day telling us how...
September 27th, 2005
Toni wrote,
This is a rhyme my son loved…
Fishy, Fishy, In a Brook
Fishy, fishy, in a brook
Daddy caught him with a hook
Mommy fried him in a pan
And baby ate him like a man.
I found a different version in The Real Mother Goose Book of American Rhymes…
Fishy, Fishy in the Brook
Fishy, fishy in the brook,
Papa catch...
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