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Nursery rhymes are perfect for babies and toddlers. They are short and simple to recite or sing. They include words that begin and end with the same sounds, helping children’s brains to recognize syllables and hear similarities in patterns. Familiarity with nursery rhymes can lead to phonological awareness. The repetition in nursery rhymes helps increase a child’s vocabulary.  Research shows that children who enter kindergarten knowing nursery rhymes will have an easier time learning how to read.

Mother Goose on the Loose® is based on nursery rhymes that are presented in a variety of different ways.  Below are links to different rhymes presented by many people in a wide range of styles. If they do not open simply by clicking on the link, try pressing the Control Key and clicking at the same time!

Rhyme of the Month

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M  N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X    Y   Z

A-D   E-H   I-L   M-P   Q-T   U-Z

A

A Leopard Has Lots of Spots (Animal Rhymes) Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

And We Hop (Freeze Game) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum

Animals on the Bus – explaining how to add animal actions and noises

La Araña Pequenita(Animal Rhymes)from the San Bernadino County Library, California

B

Baby Baby Dumpling,  (Knee bounce) British Columbia Public Libraries

Bananas (Whole Body) Riverton Branch Library

Bananas Unite (Whole Body) from the King County Library System

Behind a Tree, (clapping rhyme) British Columbia Public Libraries

Bells Away (Clean-Up Song) by Derek at the Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore.

Bicycle Song by Julie from the Kamehameha School System in Hawaii.

A Big Mac Truck from a Mother Goose on the Loose Workshop in Surrey, British Columbia

Bubble, Bubble, Pop (Colors Song) from the Champaign Library, Illinois

Bubble, Bubble, Say Good-Bye – a song for the end of your session by Lisa

Buenas Dias / Good Morning (Fingerplay) Bibliotecas ParalaGente

Bumpy Road by Cork Hardin at the Village Learning Place

C

Can You Shake Your Egg With Me? (Egg shakers) Riverton Branch Library

Caterpillar, Caterpillar (ASL) shown by Kathy MacMillan

Cherries on a Plate (Flannel Board Book Illustration) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore

Choo, Choo (Hand Slapping) Musser Public Library, Iowa

Choo Choo (a short version)

Choo Choo Train from the King County Library System, Washington State

Clap Your Hands (Body Rhymes)from the Johnson County Library, Kansas

D

Dinosaur Rhyme (Standing Up) Early Childhood School Library

E

The Elephant (Puppet Rhyme) from the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Maryland

Eye Winker, Tom Tinker (Body Rhymes: Face) from the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Maryland

F

Farmer Plants a Seed (Standing Up) Arlington Public Library, Virginia

Fe Fi Fo Fum (Body Rhymes – Fingers) Edmonton Public Library, Canada

Five Fat Peas in a Pea Pod Pressed (Finger Play) Edmonton Public Library, Canada

Five Fat Sausages (Fingerplay) from the King County Library System, Washington State

Five Fat Sausages (Soft Sculpture) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Five Green and Speckled Frogs (Animal Songs) from the Champaign Library, Illinois

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (Puppets) Mooresville Public Library, Indiana

Five Little Peas (Fingerplay) from the Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Five Little Puppies (Animals) from the Johnson County Library, Kansas

From Wibbleton to Wobbleton, (Knee bounce), Paw Paw, Michigan

G

Good Morning, Mrs. Perky Bird (Puppets)from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Goosey, Goosey Gander (Fingerplay) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore

Grand Old Duke of York (Knee Bounce) from the Brooklyn Public Library, New York

Grand Old Duke of York (Knee Bounce) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Grandfather Clock (Musical Instruments) with Jenny Gallagher at the Centreville Library, MD.

Grandfather Cloc(Clapping) from the Scottsdale Public Library, AZ.

Grandfather Clock (Knee Bounce, Leaning) from the Airdrie Public Library

H

Here is My Turtle (Animals)from the New Albany YSL.

Here is the Beehive (Tickle Rhyme) Musser Public Library, Iowa

Here’s a Cup, British Columbia Public Libraries

Hey Diddle Diddle (Knee Bounce) from the Brooklyn Public Library, New York

Hickory Dickory Dare (Animals) Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

Hickory Dickory Dock (Flannel Board) from the Muskingum County Library

Horsey, Horsey, British Columbia Public Libraries

Hot Cross Buns (Tickle Rhyme with child and soft sculpture) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Humpty Dumpty (Knee Bounce)Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Humpty Dumpty (Sensory Activity) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

I

I Have Ten Fingers (Body Rhymes – Fingers) from the Brooklyn Public Library, New York

I Have Ten Little Fingers (Body Rhymes – Fingers) from the Los Gatos Library, California

I Went to Visit the Farm One Day (Animals – Playing with a Book)

J

Jack and Jill (Fingerplay) from the King County Library System, Washington State

Jack and Jill (Fingerplay) from MsRhymetime

Jack Be Nimble (Interactive Rhyme) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Jello in the Bowl, (standing up rhyme) from the King County Library System, Washington State

L

Little Bo Peep (Puppets, Colors, Numbers) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Little Boy Blue (Flannel Board) from Worthington Libraries, Ohio

Little Drops of Rain, British Columbia Public Libraries

London Bridge(Knee Bounce) from the King County Library System, Washington State

M

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary (Bells) Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Michael Finnegan (Body Rhyme)from the San Bernardino County Library

Mother and Father and Uncle John (Knee Bounce) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Maryland

Mother and Father and Uncle John (Knee Bounce)from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

O

Old Mother Goose (Rhymes and Reads) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

On the Shores of the Hanky Panky, (Knee Bounce) British Columbia Public Libraries

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Fingerplay) from the King County Library System, Washington State

One, Two, Three, Four, Five…Fish Alive! (Animal Fingerplay)Port Discovery Children’s Museum, MD

One, Two, Three Four, Max is Sitting by the Door (Counting)Port Discovery Children’s Museum.

Open Them, Shut Them (Fingerplay) from the King County Library System, Washington State

Open Them, Shut Them (Fingerplay) by Dr. Betsy Diamant-Cohen

P

Pat-a-cake (Clapping andTapping) from the King County Library System, Washington State

Pease Porridge Hot (Clapping and Tapping) from the Toronto Public Library, Ontario

Peek-a-Boo (Colored Scarves)from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Peek-a-Boo (Colored Scarves)from San Bernadino County Library, California

Popcorn (Whole Body)from the Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota

R

Ride a Cock Horse (Bells) Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring…. Shhhhh! (Bells)Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Maryland

Ring Your Bells (tune of “Jingle Bells”) Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Ring Your Bells (tune of “Lightly Row”) Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Roly Poly (Body Rhymes – Hands) from the King County Library System, Washington State

Round and Round the Garden (Body Rhymes – Tickling) from the Brooklyn Public Library, New York

Round and Round the Garden (Body Rhymes – Tickling) from the Champaign Library, Illinois

Row, Row, Row, Your Boat (Knee Bounce) from the Brooklyn Public Library, New York

S

Sana, Sana (Animals) Johnson County Public Library, Kansas

See the Pony Galloping (Knee Bounce)from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, Shhh… (Shakers)Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore

Shake Your Shakers, Baby (Musical Instruments – Shakers)Port Discovery Children’s Museum

Shake Your Shakers Like the Leaves (Musical Instruments – Shakers)Port Discovery Children’s Museum

Shoo, Fly, Don’t Bother Me (Colored Scarves) LBPH, Maryland

Six Little Ducks (Fingerplay) Washington County, Oregon, Library Services

Sleeping Bunnies (Movement Song) Champaign Library, Illinois

Slowly, Slowly, Very Slowly, Goes the Little Snail (Tickle Rhyme) The Betty Julie 

Sometimes (Whole Body)from the Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota

T

Tall Trees, (Standing up rhyme) British Columbia Public Libraries

This is the Way We Wash (Colored Scarves)Port Discovery Children’s Museum

This Little Pig Went Rub-a-Dub filmed at Mother Goose on the Loose Workshop in Surrey, British Columbia

This Little Piggy (Tickle Rhyme) The Betty Julie

This Old Man (Singing) from the King County Library System, Washington State

Tony Chestnut (Body Rhyme) from the Florence County Library, South Carolina

To Market, To Market (Knee Bounce) from the King County Library System, Washington State

To Market, To Market (Knee Bounce with puppet) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Tommy O’Flynn (Knee Bounce) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Trot, Trot to London (Knee Bounce)from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

Two Little Blackbirds (Fingerplays) Webster Public Library, Webster, New York

Two Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (Puppets) from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

U

Up and Up the Candlestick, (tickle rhyme) British Columbia Public Libraries

W

We Ring Our Bells Together (Bells) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

We Ring Our Bells Together, Birds are happy

Wee Willie Winkie (Puppets)from the Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona

We’re Going to Kentucky (Shakers) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

What Are You Wearing? (Interactive Song) from the King County Library System, Washington State

Where is Thumbkin? (Body Rhymes – Fingers) Webster Public Library, Webster, New York

Where is Thumbkin? (Body Rhymes – Fingers) Skokie Public Library, Skokie, Illinois

Wind, oh Wind (Colored Scarves) from Port Discovery Children’s Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Wind the Bobbin Up, British Columbia Public Libraries

Worms Up, Worms Down from British Columbia

Z

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom (Standing Up Rhyme) from the Toronto Public Library, Ontario

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, (using a paper airplane!) British Columbia Public Libraries

Click here for more songs and rhymes from the King County Library System

Click here for more fingerplays from the Hennepin County Library

Click here for more fingerplays from the Johnson County Library

Click here for more songs and rhymes from the Scottsdale Public Library

Click here for more songs and rhymes from the San Bernadino County Library

Click here for more songs and rhymes from the Mooresville, Indiana Public Library

Click here for more songs and rhymes from the Washington County Cooperative Library’s Birth2Six videos

Click here for some cool videos with songs and rhymes from Jbrary