Kids Songs Around the World with English Translations
or French Translations
or Spanish Translations
Mama Lisa's World Blog
English Nursery Rhymes
Mother Goose in French
Wizard of Oz Audiobook
Poetry for Kids
ML Reviews
Mama Lisa's Hub
This is the Hand Clapping Rhymes Archive Page
- Bo Bo Ski Waton Taton (1)
- Eenie Meenie Sicileeny (1)
- Four White Horses (1)
- Hannah Banana (1)
- Lemonade, Crunchy Ice (1)
- Quack Dilly Oso (1)
- Stella Ella Ola (1)
Categories
- 1512 (1)
- Arts and Crafts (21)
- Books (56)
- Children's Songs (432)
- Countries & Cultures (912)
- Customs (42)
- Folk Lore (6)
- Folk Songs (76)
- Food & Nutrition (4)
- Games (40)
- Gardens (2)
- History of Nursery Rhymes (8)
- Holiday Calendar (1)
- Holiday Songs (154)
- Holidays Around the World (340)
- Languages (723)
- Learning (37)
- Lullabies (40)
- Mama Lisa (422)
- Movies & TV (23)
- Music (63)
- Nursery Rhymes (161)
- Parenting (72)
- People (18)
- Photos (27)
- Podcasts (29)
- Poetry (96)
- Proverbs (20)
- Questions (309)
- Quotes (7)
- Recipes of the World (74)
- Recommendations (62)
- Recordings of Nursery Rhymes (19)
- Recordings of Songs (101)
- Rhymes by Theme (42)
- Seasonal (29)
- Songs by Theme (69)
- Teaching (41)
- Traditional Songs (2)
- Traveling (35)
- Video (23)
- Words & Phrases (16)
- YouTube (70)
My Tweets
Archive for the 'Hand Clapping Rhymes' Category
Contents
Posts
Tapent, tapent, petites mains – Clap, Clap, Little Hands – A French Pat-a-cake Song with a YouTube Video
Friday, November 20th, 2009Pat-a-cake songs can be found throughout the western world. They help teach children to use their hands…
Tapent, tapent, petites mains
Tourne, tourne, joli moulin,
Nage, nage, gentil poisson
Vole, vole papillonClap, clap, little hands,
Turn, turn, pretty mill,
Swim, swim, nice fish,
Fly, fly, butterfly!We’d love for you to share a Pat-a-cake song from your country in the comments below or by emailing me.
Cheers!
Mama Lisa
PS I’m curious if there are Pat-a-cake Songs in Asia and Africa.
Japanese Hand Clapping Playground Game
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009Here’s a Japanese hand clapping game about making rice cakes. Cool motions!
If anyone would like to send me the Japanese lyrics and/or an English translation, I’d love to add them here. You can add a transliteration or translation in the comments below or email me the Japanese text at lisa@mamalisa.com .
Meanwhile, you can enjoy watching and listening… they repeat it so you can try to learn it by ear.
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Lyrics to Anna Banana and Hannah Banana with an MP3
Friday, June 5th, 2009A third grader named Marisa taught me a hand clapping rhyme called “Hannah Banana”. It comes from a jump rope rhyme called “Anna Banana”. The lyrics to “Anna Banana” are:
Anna Banana
Plays the piana.
All she can play
Is the Star Spangled Banner.
Anna Banana split.“Hannah Banana”, on the other hand, is a hand clapping rhyme. What’s interesting to me is that “Anna” switched to “Hannah”. We have two theories about why this might have happened. The first is simply is that “Hannah” is now a more popular name in the US than “Anna”. Children on the playground may have heard “Anna” as “Hannah” since the names sound so similar, and switched it. Our other theory is that “Hannah Banana” is somewhat close to “Hannah Montana”, the popular character from the children’s TV show. Children may have switched the rhyme to “Hannah Banana” based on that similarity. We may never know for sure why there’s now a version of “Anna Banana” called “Hannah Banana”, but it’s interesting to speculate.
Here’s the new rhyme “Hannah Banana”, with instructions for playing it and an mp3 of Marisa chanting it…
Hannah Banana
Plays the piana
All she could play
Is split she’s an idiot.
(Repeat)Istructions for Hand Clapping Game:
1st 3 lines of Rhyme:1. Clap your own hands
2. Clap your partner’s hand diagonally
3. Clap your own hands
4. Clap your partner’s other hand diagonally
5. Repeat 1 – 4Last line of Rhyme: Move feet out (like a little split).
Keep repeating the rhyme – each time moving feet out more on the last line – whoever falls over first loses.
Many thanks to Marisa for teaching me this rhyme and for chanting it for us!
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa Banana
Handclapping Rhyme – Stella Ella Ola and Quack Dilly Oso with a YouTube Video
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009Uly 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, “I know the word is senorita, but we never said it that way.”
Here are the instructions Uly sent me to go with the rhyme:
To Play with 2 People: One has their hands on top and the other on the bottom. If you do it right, the person who started on top is the one who ends on top. You just go up and down until the end. On four, the person on top tries to slap the hands of the person on the bottom, and if they succeed, they win.
To Play with More People: You stand in a circle, right hand on top of the left hand of the person to your right and you go around clockwise clapping the hand of the person on your left with your right hand.
Uly wrote, “My sister and I singlehandedly brought this game to the town of Wavre when we were children!”
*****
Here’s the rhyme called “Stella Ella Ola” followed by a YouTube showing how it’s played:Stella Ella Ola
Stella ella ola, clap clap clap,
Say yes, chicko chicko, chicko chicko chap,
Yes, chicko chicko, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello,
Say one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine!In the version in the video, if the person’s hand is slapped after “nine”, they’re out, if they can move their hand out of the way just before being slapped, the other person is out. (Other people are welcome to comment below on their rules for being “out”.)
Here’s another video of “Stella Elle Ola”, where they only clap to 5. It includes a 2 person version (different from the instructions above):
Thanks for teaching that rhyme with us Uly!
If anyone would like to share a different version of either of these rhymes, feel free to include it in the comments below.
Enjoy everyone!
Mama Lisa
Four White Horses – Caribbean Folk Song
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009My daughter taught me Four White Horses yesterday. She recently learned it in her music class. It’s a Caribbean Folk Song and a hand clapping game all wrapped up into one!
Here are the lyrics…
Four White Horses
Hand Clapping SongFour white horses, on the river,
Hey, hey, hey, up tomorrow,
Up tomorrow is a rainy day.
Come on up to the shallow bay,
Shallow bay is a ripe banana,
Up tomorrow is a rainy day.Here’s a YouTube Video so you can see one way to play the hand clapping game (you’ll have to wait to get past the theme song at the beginning of the video)…
Here you can hear a chorus singing it…
Check out our song page of Four White Horses for an mp3 and other info about the song.
Feel free to share any versions you know of this song in the comments below. We also welcome any info about the meaning and history of the song.
Cheers!
Mama Lisa
Bo Bo Ski Waton Taton – Hand Clapping Rhyme with an MP3
Friday, May 1st, 2009Here’s an American hand clapping rhyme with an mp3 recording…
Bo Bo Ski Waton Taton
Hand Clapping RhymeBo bo ski waton taton
Bo bo ski waton taton
Freeze
Please
American Cheese
Please don’t show your eyes* to me.Listen to an MP3 of Bo Bo Ski Waton Taton
*This rhyme can be repeated many times. Each time, use a different part of the face in the last line. Hide that part of your face with your hands and keep it covered while you repeat the next verse. After the first verse play the clapping game by pressing together your elbows. On the last repetition, you end the verse with “Boom”.
Many thanks to Marisa for chanting this rhyme for us and for contributing the lyrics.
Feel free to share other versions of this rhyme with us in the comments below…
Mama Lisa
Check out the Bo Bo Ski Waton Taton Song Page for French and Spanish Translations and other versions!
Eenie Meenie Sicileeny – Hand Clapping Rhyme
Monday, April 27th, 2009My daughter just taught me the version below of the hand clapping rhyme Eenie Meenie Sicileeny…
Eenie Meenie Sicileeny
Eenie meenie sicileeny,
Ooh ah zambalini,
Achi cachi Liberace,
I love you,
Take a peach,
Take a plum,
Take a stick of bubble gum,
Not a peach,
Not a plumb,
Not a stick of bubble gum.Saw you with your boyfriend last night
How do you know?
Peaked through the window
Nosy
Didn’t do the dishes
Lazy
Ate all the cookies
Greedy!
Jumped out the window
Must be crazy!
That’s why I call you this!
(Repeat song)My daughter is trying to learn how to play the hand clapping game so she can play it with the other kids in school. If anyone can help out with the actions, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks! Mama Lisa
Check out Mama Lisa’s World for more versions of Eenie Meenie Sicileeny.
Lap Rhymes to Play with Babies
Thursday, July 24th, 2008I 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. These rhymes would be played with babies.”
This Little Piggy is probably the most well-known rhyme that people do with babies in the English speaking world.
This Little Piggy
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy ate roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went…
“Wee wee wee wee wee”
All the way home…As you say each line you wiggle each of the baby’s toes, starting with the big toe and wiggling each toe until you’ve done all five. On the last two lines you tickle the child up the leg – as if the “piggy” is running home.
Round and Round the Garden is especially popular in England…
Round and Round the Garden (also known as Teddy Bear)
Round and round the garden…
(Run your index finger around child’s palm.)
Like a teddy bear.One step, two step…
(Walk your fingers up the child’s arm.)Tickle you under there!
(Tickle under armpit!)Open, Shut Them is popular in the US…
Open, Shut Them
Open, shut them.
Open, shut them.
Give a little clap, clap, clap.Open, shut them
Open, shut them.
Put them in your lap, lap, lap.Creep them, creep them,
Creep them, creep them,
Right up to your chin, chin, chin.Open wide your little mouth,
But do not let them in.Open and close your hands when you sing “Open, shut them” and then follow the words to the song and make the corresponding hand movements while you sing. On “do not let them in” hide your hands behind your back.
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is popular around the world. Children point to each body part as they are listed. Older kids usually point by themselves. On babies, you can help them touch each part with their hands…
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.How Big is Baby
This is a simple game where you say “How big is (Child’s name)?” Then in a high voice you answer, “So big!” while gently putting the baby’s arms up in the air.
Little kids love that one.
Here’s one to recite while gentle tapping the bottom of the baby’s feet…
Shoe a Little Horse
Shoe a little horse,
Shoe a little mare,
But let the little colt go
Bare, bare, bare.Here’s one to say while gently touching the different parts of the baby’s face…
Brow brinky
Brow brinky,
Eye winky,
Chin choppy,
Nose noppy,
Cheek cherry,
Mouth merry.With the above rhyme you can touch the baby’s hand to your face while you wiggle your brows, wink your eyes, move your jaw up and down, wriggle your nose, blow out your cheeks and smile.
While saying the following rhyme you can help the child make the associated motions…
Two Little Hands Go Clap, Clap, Clap
Two little hands go clap, clap, clap,
Two little feet go tap, tap, tap,
Two little legs kick high, high, high,
Two little lips go kiss, kiss, kiss,
Two little arms go hug, hug, hug,
Two little arms wave bye, bye, bye.If anyone would like to add any lap rhymes in the comments below, we’d love to learn more!
Enjoy and have fun!
Mama Lisa
UPDATE: Check out my next post for Horse Trotting Rhymes to Play with Older Kids!
French Handclapping Song called X. A. X. B.
Monday, July 21st, 2008Here’s a nice, simple hand clapping song that the kids in France do. The lyrics are spelled exactly the same in French and English, although they are pronounced differently.
In French, you can hear a play on the word “alphabet” and the sound of the letter “b”. This is because in French, the word “alphabet” ends with the “bay” sound and the letter “b” sounds like “bay”. You can hear this play on sounds in the recording below…
X. A. X. B.
Alphabet,
X X A A
X X B B
X A X B
X alphabet.Many thanks to some girls from Monique Palomares’ school for singing this song for us and to Monique for recording them!
Merci beaucoup!
Mama Lisa
Lemonade – A Handclapping Rhyme
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008Here’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…
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 (turn around)
Touch the ground (touch the ground)
Kick your brother out of town!
And stomp! (jump)*You can play this with two people. While you’re saying these lines you clap each other’s hands in the following way: one person’s left hand is clapping down and their right hand is clapping up while the second person faces the first and does the opposite. Then switch the hand that’s clapping up to clap down, and the one clapping down to clap up.
________
Help Support
Mama Lisa's World!
$5, $10, $25
or any amount welcome!
