World Nursery Rhyme Week

Join East Riding Libraries celebrating the joy of jingles and wonder of rhymes 13-17 November 2023

Thank you for celebrating 2023 with us!
Please note this page was for the 2023 World Nursery Rhyme Week that took place 13-17 November.

We're taking part! Will you?

Founded by Music Bugs and launched in 2013, World Nursery Rhyme Week promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development and education.

Over 5 million children from 113 countries have taken part since 2013. The initiative is open to parents, Early Years practitioners and anybody who works with children under the age of 7.

Nursery rhymes are excellent teaching tools and can help to develop: language and literacy skills, numeracy skills, social, physical and emotional skills – they are so much fun!

The Rhyme A Day Challenge

Each year, 5 rhymes are chosen and we encourage children to take part in the ‘Rhyme a Day’ challenge by singing the nursery rhymes and taking part in supporting activities.

The 5 official rhymes for 2023 are:

Jack & Jill
Hickory Dickory Dock
Row Row Row Your Boat
Head, Shoulders, knees and Toes
The Wheels on the Bus

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

Up Jack got
And home he trot
As fast as he could caper

He went to bed
To mend his head
With vinegar and brown paper

Sing along to Jack and Jill with Piccolo

You can download the lyrics and activity sheet below!

Hickory dickory dock
Mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one

  1. Boing!
    Mouse ran down
    Hickory dickory dock
    Tick tock tick tock tick tock

Hickory dickory dock
Mouse tiptoed up the clock
The clock struck two
1, 2 .
Mouse said “Boo”
Hickory dickory dock
Tick tock tick tock tick tock

Hickory dickory dock
Mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck three
1,2,3
Mouse went whee!
Hickory dickory dock
Hickory dickory dock

Hickory dickory dock
Mouse walked up the clock
The clock struck four
1,2,3,4
Mouse said “No more”
Hickory dickory dock
Tick tock tick tock tick tock

Sing along to Hickory Dickory Dock with Piccolo

You can download the lyrics and activity sheet below!

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

Heave ho. Hoist the sail.
Sail the open seas
A bottle of rum,
Yo ho ho
A pirate's life for me

Sail, sail, sail your boat
Drifting with the tide
Oh no, storms ahead
We're in for a rocky ride

This way that way,
Forwards and backwards
Rocking to and fro
Look out! Here comes a wave
Into the water we go
Splash!

Row row row your boat
Gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile,
Don't forget to scream.
Aarghh!

Sing along to Row Your Boat with Piccolo

You can download the lyrics and activity sheet below!

Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes
And eyes and ears and a mouth and a nose
Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes

Sing along to Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes with Piccolo

Piccolo knows a way to make this nursery rhyme even more fun! You can download the full lyrics with ruffs, meows, plays and more as well as the activity sheet below!

The wheels on the bus turn round and round, round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus turn round and round
All day long

The doors on the bus open and shut, open and shut, open and shut,
The doors on the bus open and shut,
All day long

The people on the bus stand up, sit down, stand up sit down, stand up sit down,
The people on the bus stand up sit down,
All day long

The lights on the bus flash on and off, on and off, on and off,
The lights on the bus flash on and off,
All day long

The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish, swish swish swish, swish swish swish,
The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish,
All day long

The children on the bus wriggle wriggle wriggle, wriggle wriggle wriggle, wriggle wriggle wriggle,
The children on the bus wriggle wriggle wriggle,
All day long

The babies on the bus are fast asleep shhhhhhh shhhhhhhhhhhh
The babies on the bus are fast asleep
All day long

BEEP BEEP!
The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep beep,
The horn on the bus goes beep beep beep,
All day long

The people on the bus all giggle and chat, giggle and chat, giggle and chat
The people on the bus all giggle and chat
All day long

Sing along to The Wheels on the Bus with Piccolo

You can download the lyrics and activity sheet below!

Download and keep lyrics and activities sheets

Title
Size

Join us for Bounce and Rhyme

We also invite you to our special World Nursery Rhyme Week Storytimes and Bounce 7 rhyme sessions, where we will be sharing these rhymes with you along with related activities and you will can even get a certificate for taking part!

Can't make it? Download lyrics, activities and your own certificate.