12 Great Preschool Songs with Actions and Lyrics

Singing is a simple way for preschoolers to practise language, rhythm, movement and early counting skills while having fun.

Here are 12 classic preschool songs, including action rhymes, counting songs and fingerplays, with lyrics and videos to sing along to.

Action Rhymes

Here are four action rhymes that combine singing with movement and gestures.

1. 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

Repeat with:

If you’re happy and you know it stomp your feet, shout 'hurray', pat your cheeks, do all four.

2. The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
(roll forearms over one another in front of the body)
Round and round;
Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All day long.

The lights on the bus go blink, blink, blink,
(open and shut hands)
Blink, blink, blink;
Blink, blink, blink.
The lights on the bus go blink, blink, blink
All day long.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
(make arms like windscreen wipers)
Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
All day long.

Make up other actions, e.g. the doors go open and shut, the horn goes toot, etc.

Check out this list of circle-time greeting songs, which includes a song that can be sung to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus."

3. 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.

4. 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
So early in the morning.

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

Repeat with:

This is the way we take our bath, wear our clothes, drink our milk, march to school.

Here are more action songs to teach your kids!

Number Songs

Teach kids to count forwards and backwards with these songs:

5. Five Green Bottles

Five green bottles hanging on the wall
Five green bottles hanging on the wall
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall
There’ll be four green bottles hanging on the wall

Repeat with four, three, two, one and no green bottles.

6. Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went swimming one day
(hold up five fingers)
Over the hills and far away
(hold arm across body and tuck fingers behind shoulder on the opposite side of the body)
Mother duck said, “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
(use other hand to make a mother duck beak and open and close hand to quack)
But only four little ducks came back
(bring first hand back to the front with four fingers showing)

Continue until no little ducks came back, then:

Old Mother Duck went out one day,
Over the hills and far away,
Mother Duck said “Quack, quack, quack, quack”
And all of those five little ducks came back.

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7. Five Speckled Frogs

Five little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs.
YUM! YUM!
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were four speckled frogs!
GLUB! GLUB!

Four little speckled frogs…

Three little speckled frogs…

Repeat verses until there is one speckled frog left:

One little speckled frog
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs.
YUM! YUM!
He jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Then there were no speckled frogs!

8. The Ants Go Marching

The ants go marching one by one
(hold up one finger)
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one,
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
(pretend to suck thumb)
And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.

2
The little one stops to tie his shoe
(pretend to tie shoe)
3
The little one stops to climb a tree
(pretend to climb a tree)
4
The little one stops to shut the door
(pretend to shut a door)
5
The little one stops to take a dive
(pretend to dive)
6
The little one stops to pick up sticks
(pretend to pick up sticks)
7
The little one stops to pray to heaven
(pretend to pray)
8
The little one stops to shut the gate
(pretend to shut a gate)
9
The little one stops to check the time
(pretend to check wristwatch)
10
The little one stops to shout “THE END!!”
(shout out loud)

Here is a great list with more counting rhymes.

Fingerplays

Build fine motor skills with these fun fingerplays. You can simply chant these, or sing them to the tunes in the videos.

9. Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill,
(both index fingers in air, move both of them)
One named Jack, the other named Jill
(wiggle one index finger, then the other)
Fly away Jack,
(draw the hand with "the Jack finger" behind your back and hide it)
Fly away Jill.
(draw the other hand - "the Jill finger's hand" - behind your back and hide it)
Come back Jack,
(reverse the last action with "the Jack finger" hand)
Come back Jill.
(reverse the last action with "the Jill finger" hand)

There are extra verses in the video above if you'd like to teach them to your children too.

10. Tommy Thumb Where Are You?

Tommy Thumb,
(hands in air and lift thumbs)
Tommy Thumb,
Where are you?
Here I am,
(wriggle thumb)
Here I am,
(wriggle other thumb)
How do you do?

Repeat the verse with Peter Pointer (index finger), Toby Tall (middle finger), Ruby Ring (ring finger), Baby Small (little finger), and Fingers All.

11. Where Is Thumbkin?

(Start with hands behind back)
Where is Thumbkin? Where is Thumbkin?
Here I am.
(bring right hand to front, with thumb up)
Here I am.
(bring left hand to front, with thumb up)
How are you this morning?
Very well, I thank you.
(Wiggle thumbs as if they’re ‘talking’ together)
Run away.
(hide right hand behind back)
Run away.
(hide left hand behind back)

(Repeat rhyme with each finger: Pointer, Tall Man, Ring Man, and Pinkie)

12. Ten Fingers

I have ten fingers
(hold up both hands, fingers spread)
And they all belong to me
(point to self)
I can make them do things
Would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight
(make fists)
I can open them wide
(open hands)
I can put them together
(place palms together)
I can make them all hide
(put hands behind back)
I can make them jump high
(hands over head)
I can make them jump low
(touch floor)
I can fold them up quietly
(fold hands in lap)
And hold them just so.

Here are more fingerplays for preschoolers.

I hope you enjoyed these songs. For more ideas, try these classic preschool songs, circle time songs or simple music and movement activities.