"Baa, baa, _______ sheep / Have you any wool?"
This classic rhyme doesn't have much known about the origin of its words. Its tune comes from the French tune "Ah vous dirai je."
"An ________ a day / Sends the doctor away"
The nursery rhyme "An Apple A Day" is where the famous saying comes from. It goes on to mention all of the ways apples affect you and doctors.
"The ________ go marching one by one / hurrah, hurrah"
"The Ants Go Marching" is a classic rhyme. It teaches children how to count.
"Hi-ho, the derry-o / The ________ in the dell"
"The Farmer In The Dell" is a classic rhyme much longer than most people think. There are over half a dozen verses featuring wives, children, mice and cheese.
"Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum! / I smell the blood of an _____________."
"Fee Fie Foe Fum!" is a fun rhyme often used to scare little kids. A variant appears in the Shakespearian play "King Lear."
"This little pig went to the _________. / This little pig stayed home."
"Five Little Pigs" is a popular rhyme. Some parents recite it while counting their young children's toes as a fun game.
"Georgie Porgie, puddin' and pie, / Kissed the girls and made them _______."
"Georgie Porgie" is an old English rhyme. It actually refers to Regency Era King George IV, who was famously immoral by the standards of the time.
"Good night, sleep tight, / Don’t let the bedbugs _______."
There are two versions of the "Good Night Sleep Tight" nursery rhyme. One involves killing bedbugs, while the other is about getting enough sleep so you can be the best person you can be.
"Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark, / The __________ are coming to town."
"Hark Hark The Dogs Do Bark" is a very old rhyme. Beggars used to chant it during the Elizabethan era as they begged the queen for food and water.
"Here we go 'round the __________ bush, / So early in the morning."
"Here We Go 'Round The Mulberry Bush" is a long rhyme which details doing chores and basic hygiene. Many children mime these things as they sing the song to help them learn.
"Hey, diddle, diddle, / The _______ and the fiddle,"
There are two theories behind the "Hey Diddle Diddle" rhyme. One is that it's a pure nonsense rhyme. The other is that the characters all relate to a constellation visible in the night sky during planting season and it functioned as a reminder to early Europeans for them to plant their crops.
"There was an old woman who lived in a ________. / She had so many children, she didn't know what to do."
"There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe" is a rhyme with a less-than-happy ending. to conclude: "She gave them some broth/ Without any bread/ Whipped them all soundly, and sent them to bed."
"You do the Hokey-Pokey, / And you turn __________ around."
"The Hokey Pokey" is a long rhyme and popular kids song. It gives kids directions to follow and helps them learn the body parts.
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a _________. / Humpty Dumpty had a great fall."
"Humpty Dumpty" is a classic rhyme. While many assume he's an egg, it actually refers to a cannon used during the English Civil War.
"Hush, little ________, don't say a word / Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird"
"Hush Little Baby" has been a popular lullaby for generations. It details all the things a mother will buy her crying baby.
"I see the _________ / and the moon sees me"
"I See The Moon" is a rhyme that ends in the person asking for God's blessings. It ends "God bless the moon / and God bless me / God bless the somebody I'd like to see!"
"It's _______, it's pouring; / The old man is snoring."
"It's Raining, It's Pouring" is a classic rhyme. It reflects the fact that kids often can't play outside when it rains.
"I've been workin' on the __________, / All the live long day."
"I've Been Working On The Railroad" is a nursery rhyme commonly recited as a song. This one is not particularly educational, but it is fun for kids.
"Yankee Doodle came to town, / A-ridin' on a pony; / He stuck a ________ in his hat / And called it macaroni."
"Yankee Doodle" is a nursery rhyme that is often sung. While it seems like nonsense, in 18th century England macaroni was actually a word used to refer to a fashionable man.
"One for the money, / Two for the ______"
"One For The Money" is a nursery rhyme is often quoted. It helps children learn basic numbers.
"Star light, star bright, / First star I _________ tonight,"
"Star Light Star Bright" is a nursery rhyme that focuses on stars and wishes. Wishing on stars is a common theme in children's songs, poems, rhymes and literature.
"No doors there are to this stronghold / Yet thieves break in and steal the ________."
"In Marble Walls" is both a rhyme and a riddle. The answer to this riddle can be scrambled or poached.
"Monday's child is fair of face, / Tuesday's child is full of _________,"
"Monday's Child" is an old English nursery rhyme. It ascribes different traits to children born on different days of the week to help teach kids the days of the week.
"The people always _________ / There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!"
"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" is a fun nonsense rhyme. It's often repeated both loudly and in whispers for fun.
"This old man, he played one, / He played knick knack with his ________,"
"Knick Knack Paddy Whack" is a fun classic rhyme. It uses what sounds like nonsense to teach children to count to 12.
"One, two, buckle my _______; / Three, four, knock at the door;"
"One Two Buckle My Shoe" is another educational nursery rhyme. It teaches children to count to 20.
"Solomon Grundy, / Born on Monday, / Christened on _________,"
This appears to be a complete nonsense rhyme. However, it teaches children the days of the week.
"Peter, Peter, _________ eater, / Had a wife and couldn't keep her."
"Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" is an old English nursery rhyme. It was first in print in the 1790s.
"River Jordan's deep and wide, / Hallelujah. / Milk and ________ on the other side, / Hallelujah."
Michael Row your Boat ashore is an old nursery rhyme with religious themes. It was originally written and sung by slaves in the American south.
"On top of spaghetti, / All covered with _______, / I lost my poor meatball / When somebody sneezed."
"On Top Of Spaghetti" is a fun nursery rhymes with more verses than most people know. It actually details the escaped meatball rolling outside and turning into a tree that grows meatballs.
"A man in the wilderness / Asked this of me, / "How many strawberries / Grow in the __________?"
"A Man In The Wilderness" is a nursery rhyme that might prove to be a thinker for younger kids. It concludes: "I answered him / As I thought good, / "As many red herrings / As swim in the wood."
"________ Piper picked a peck / Of pickled peppers;"
"Peter Piper" is a well known nursery rhyme. It is also a difficult tongue twister.
"The Queen of Hearts, She made some _________ / All on a summer's day."
"The Queen of Hearts" is a nursery rhyme meant to teach kids a lesson. In it, the Knave of Hearts steals her tarts and gets beaten for it.
"King Boggen, he built a fine new hall / Pastry and piecrust, that was the _______"
"King Boggen" is a truly whimsical rhyme. It describes a house made out of treats with a pancake roof.
"Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet / Eating her curds and whey / Along came a _______"
"Little Miss Muffet" is a classic nursery rhyme. It ends: "Who sat down beside her / And frightened Miss Muffet away."
