Waxfinch / Guides
49 nursery rhymes with their first lines
A plain list of 49 traditional rhymes to sing with a toddler, each with its opening line. These are the 49 rhymes in our printable coloring book, in the same order.
| # | Rhyme | First line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are! |
| 2 | Humpty Dumpty | Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. |
| 3 | Baa, Baa, Black Sheep | Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool? |
| 4 | Mary Had a Little Lamb | Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. |
| 5 | Hey Diddle Diddle | Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon. |
| 6 | Itsy Bitsy Spider | The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. |
| 7 | Jack and Jill | Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. |
| 8 | Hickory Dickory Dock | Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. |
| 9 | Old MacDonald Had a Farm | Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O! |
| 10 | Little Bo Peep | Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep. |
| 11 | Row, Row, Row Your Boat | Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. |
| 12 | Three Blind Mice | Three blind mice, see how they run! |
| 13 | Hot Cross Buns | Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny. |
| 14 | Pat-a-Cake | Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man. |
| 15 | Little Miss Muffet | Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey. |
| 16 | Old King Cole | Old King Cole was a merry old soul. |
| 17 | Rock-a-Bye Baby | Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop. |
| 18 | Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary | Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? |
| 19 | Little Boy Blue | Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn. |
| 20 | Sing a Song of Sixpence | Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye. |
| 21 | Pop Goes the Weasel | All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel. |
| 22 | London Bridge | London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady. |
| 23 | This Little Piggy | This little piggy went to market. |
| 24 | Polly Put the Kettle On | Polly, put the kettle on, we'll all have tea. |
| 25 | The Muffin Man | Do you know the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane? |
| 26 | Little Jack Horner | Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, eating his pie. |
| 27 | Jack Be Nimble | Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick. |
| 28 | Old Mother Hubbard | Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to give her poor dog a bone. |
| 29 | Peter Piper | Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. |
| 30 | Ladybug, Ladybug | Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home. |
| 31 | One, Two, Buckle My Shoe | One, two, buckle my shoe; three, four, knock at the door. |
| 32 | Hush, Little Baby | Hush, little baby, don't say a word. |
| 33 | Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling | Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John went to bed with his stockings on. |
| 34 | Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush | Here we go round the mulberry bush on a cold and frosty morning. |
| 35 | Pease Porridge Hot | Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold. |
| 36 | Rain, Rain, Go Away | Rain, rain, go away, come again another day. |
| 37 | Star Light, Star Bright | Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. |
| 38 | Wee Willie Winkie | Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town. |
| 39 | The Farmer in the Dell | The farmer in the dell, hi-ho, the derry-o! |
| 40 | Little Robin Redbreast | Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree. |
| 41 | Hark, Hark, the Dogs Do Bark | Hark, hark, the dogs do bark. |
| 42 | Ride a Cock-Horse | Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross. |
| 43 | The Owl and the Pussycat | The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat. |
| 44 | Goosey, Goosey Gander | Goosey, goosey gander, whither shall I wander? |
| 45 | Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son | Tom, Tom, the piper's son, learned to play when he was young. |
| 46 | Doctor Foster | Doctor Foster went to Gloucester in a shower of rain. |
| 47 | Little Tommy Tucker | Little Tommy Tucker sings for his supper. |
| 48 | Oranges and Lemons | Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's. |
| 49 | Hickety Pickety, My Black Hen | Hickety, pickety, my black hen, she lays eggs for gentlemen. |
These are traditional rhymes, long out of copyright. Wording varies from family to family; the lines here are the ones printed under the pictures in the book.
A picture for each one
My First Nursery Rhymes Coloring Book (Printable) has one big, simple picture for every rhyme on this list, with the name and first line underneath. One page, Ladybug, Ladybug, is free.
Pages to try it with
Two free full-size pages, Letter and A4, no sign-up: a pair of Christmas mittens and Ladybug, Ladybug. The full packs are Cute Christmas Coloring Pages and My First Nursery Rhymes Coloring Book (Printable), $7 each.