The Top 40 Classic Preschool Songs with Lyrics

Searching for some fun, classic preschool songs that have been sung by kids through the ages?

Here is a list of 40 of the best songs with lyrics to teach your preschoolers. Many of these songs combine music and movement, in the form of actions.

1. Incy Wincy Spider

Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the water spout,
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain,
And the Incy Wincy Spider went up the spout again.

2. Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

3. Miss Polly Had a Dolly

Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick.
So she called for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick.
The doctor came with his bag and his hat,
And he knocked on the door with a rat-a-tat-tat.

He looked at the dolly and he shook his head,
And he said, “Miss Polly, put her straight to bed!”
He wrote on a paper for a pill, pill, pill,
“I’ll be back in the morning with the bill, bill, bill.”

4. I’m a Little Teapot

I’m a little teapot,
Short and stout.
Here is my handle,
Here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up,
Hear me shout.
Tip me over,
And pour me out!

Here are some action rhymes for preschoolers.

5. Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

6. Three Blind Mice

Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run!
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?

If you’d like a handy printable of songs and rhymes with lyrics, there is one in the free activity pack below.

7. Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!

If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!

8. The Grand Old Duke of York

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.

And when they were up, they were up.
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down.

9. 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.

It followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.

10. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.
And eyes, and ears, and mouth, and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes.

11. One Potato, Two Potato

One potato, two potato,
Three potato, four.
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more.

12. Georgie Porgie

Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the girls came out to play,
Georgie Porgie ran away.

13. Pat-a-Cake

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker’s man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Pat it and prick it and mark it with “B”,
And put it in the oven for baby and me.

14. Polly Put the Kettle On

Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
We’ll all have tea.

Sukey, take it off again,
Sukey, take it off again,
Sukey, take it off again,
They’ve all gone away.

15. Hickory, Dickory, Dock

Hickory dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory dickory dock.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

16. Old Macdonald Had a Farm

Old MacDonald had a farm,
Ee i ee i o.
And on his farm he had some cows,
Ee i ee i o.

With a moo-moo here,
And a moo-moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo,
Everywhere a moo-moo.

Old MacDonald had a farm,
Ee i ee i o.

17. The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All day long.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish.

The hooter on the bus goes beep, beep, beep.

The people on the bus go chatter, chatter, chatter.

The babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah.

18. Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

19. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.

20. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

One, two, buckle my shoe,
Three, four, knock at the door,
Five, six, pick up sticks,
Seven, eight, lay them straight,
Nine, ten, a big fat hen.

Eleven, twelve, dig and delve,
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting,
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen,
Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting,
Nineteen, twenty, my plate’s empty.

Teach your kids these counting rhymes too.

21. Hey Diddle, Diddle

Hey diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

22. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Turn around.
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Touch the ground.

Teddy bear, teddy bear,
Shine your shoe,
Teddy bear, teddy bear,
That will do!

23. Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

Where, oh where has my little dog gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short,
And his tail cut long,
Oh where, oh where can he be?

24. Baa, Baa Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full.

One for the master,
And one for the dame,
One for the little boy,
Who lives down the lane.

25. If You’re Happy and You Know It

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, nod your head.

If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet.

If you’re happy and you know it, shout “Hurray!”

If you’re happy and you know it, do all four.

26. Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.
Little Arthur wants to play.
[source]

27. Ring-a-Ring o’ Roses

Ring-a-ring o’ roses,
A pocket full of posies.
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!
We all fall down.

28. Two Little Dickie Birds

Two little dickie birds sitting on a wall,
One named Peter, one named Paul.
Fly away Peter, fly away Paul.
Come back Peter, come back Paul.

Here are more awesome finger plays for preschoolers.

29. I Hear Thunder

I hear thunder.
I hear thunder.
Hark, don’t you?
Hark, don’t you?
Pitter-patter raindrops,
Pitter-patter raindrops,
I’m wet through,
So are you!

30. Pease Porridge Hot

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot,
Nine days old.

31. One, Two, Three, Four, Five

One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.

Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right.

32. Little Bo Peep

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone, 
And they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.

33. Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing.
Wasn’t that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?

The king was in the counting-house,
Counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes.
When down came a blackbird,
And pecked off her nose.

34. Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet, 
Sat on a tuffet, 
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

35. Teddy Bears’ Picnic

If you go out in the woods today, 
You’re sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today, 
You’d better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was,
Will gather there for certain because,
Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

36. Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went swimming one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mother Duck said, “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack “,
But only four little ducks came back.

Repeat, counting down until there is one duck left.

One little duck went swimming one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mother Duck said, “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack “,
But no little ducks came swimming back.

Sad mother duck went out one day,
Over the hill and far away.
Mother Duck said, “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack “,
And all the five little ducks came back.

37. This Old Man

This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb.

Chorus:
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.

This old man, he played two,
He played knick-knack on my shoe.

This old man, he played three,
He played knick-knack on my knee.

This old man, he played four,
He played knick-knack on my door.

This old man, he played five,
He played knick-knack on my hive.

This old man, he played six,
He played knick-knack on my sticks.

This old man, he played seven,
He played knick-knack up in heaven.

This old man, he played eight,
He played knick-knack on my gate.

This old man, he played nine,
He played knick-knack on my spine.

This old man, he played ten,
He played knick-knack once again.

38. This Little Piggy

This little piggy went to the market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none,
And this little piggy cried “wee, wee, wee” all the way home.

39. This is the Way

This is the way we wash our hands,
Wash our hands, wash our hands.
This is the way we wash our hands,
So early in the morning. 

This is the way we wash our face.

This is the way we comb our hair.

This is the way we brush our teeth.

40. Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
On a cold and frosty morning. 

Now that you’ve been reminded of some of these great classics, read about the many benefits of singing in early childhood. It isn’t just about fun!

Need more songs? Here’s a comprehensive preschool songs list.

Extra source:
Parragon. 2017. A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Paragon Books Ltd: Bath