Traditional children's songs from around the world — lullabies, counting rhymes and dancing songs, with original lyrics, English translations and the story behind each one.https://littlesongbook.com/enhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/a-tisket-a-tasket/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/a-tisket-a-tasket/"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" is an American ring-game rhyme first recorded in 1879, played by dropping a handkerchief behind a child in a circle; Ella Fitzgerald turned it into a hit song in 1938.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishtraditionaldancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/a-hunting-we-will-go/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/a-hunting-we-will-go/"A-Hunting We Will Go" is an English folk song and nursery rhyme whose familiar tune was written by Thomas Arne in 1777; children sing it as a cheerful dance in which the fox is caught, boxed, and then let go.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionaldancinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/abraham-ma-sedem-sinov/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/abraham-ma-sedem-sinov/"Abraham ma sedem sinov" is the Slovenian version of the internationally known action song "Father Abraham (had seven sons)": everyone copies a movement, and each round is sung a note higher and faster.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/alle-leute-gehen-jetzt-nach-haus/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/alle-leute-gehen-jetzt-nach-haus/"Alle Leute gehn jetzt nach Haus" is a traditional German farewell song (a "Kehraus"), sung to send everyone home at the end of the day — big and small, fat and thin — with a warm "goodbye, it was so lovely".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/alle-meine-entchen/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/alle-meine-entchen/"Alle meine Entchen" is one of the best-known German children's songs — a simple picture of ducklings dabbling on a lake, with a melody documented from the 18th century and a text from the 19th.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/alouette/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/alouette/"Alouette" is a French-Canadian cumulative song, first published in Montreal in 1879, in which the singer cheerfully threatens to pluck a lark feather by feather; it has become an unofficial anthem of French Canada.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTFranceFrenchplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/antoshka/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/antoshka/"Antoshka" is a famous Soviet children's song from the 1969 cartoon almanac "Vesyolaya Karusel", with music by Vladimir Shainsky and words by Yuri Entin, about a freckled boy who happily dodges his chores.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTRussiaRussianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/anzej-panzej/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/anzej-panzej/"Anzej Panzej" is a short Slovenian nonsense rhyme about a comic character who knocks down an oven, jumps inside and props it up again — and the children thank him for giving them bread.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/apple-tree/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/apple-tree/"Way Up High in the Apple Tree" is a short English action rhyme for young children: two apples smile down from a tree, the child shakes the tree hard, and down the apples come — delicious.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/aram-sam-sam/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/aram-sam-sam/"A Ram Sam Sam" is a Moroccan children's song and action game, sung in Moroccan Arabic, whose words are mostly playful nonsense set to a repeating tune with clapping and hand movements.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/are-you-sleeping-brother-john/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/are-you-sleeping-brother-john/"Are You Sleeping, Brother John?" is the English version of the French round "Frère Jacques" — a friar is urged to wake and ring the morning bells; the tune dates back to at least the late 18th century.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/atirei-o-pau-no-gato/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/atirei-o-pau-no-gato/"Atirei o pau no gato" is a very well-known Brazilian "cantiga de roda" (ring game) of anonymous origin; its old words describe throwing a stick at a cat that survives, and modern non-violent versions are now common.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTBrazilPortugueseplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/au-clair-de-la-lune/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/au-clair-de-la-lune/"Au clair de la lune" is an 18th-century French folk song of unknown authorship that holds a unique place in history: a few bars of it, recorded in 1860, are the earliest recognisable recording of a human voice.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTFranceFrenchlullabytraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/auf-der-donau-wollen-wir-fahren/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/auf-der-donau-wollen-wir-fahren/"Auf der Donau wollen wir fahren" is a short German circle game in which a little boat on the Danube is named after one child, who then joins the ride — a simple, name-filling game for a group of children.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/baa-baa-black-sheep/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/baa-baa-black-sheep/"Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is an English nursery rhyme in print since about 1744, sung to the same French melody as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"; the popular idea that it hides a medieval wool tax has no historical evidence.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/baba-sede-v-balon/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/baba-sede-v-balon/"Baba sede v balon" is a Slovenian nonsense travelling rhyme in which an old woman hops in a balloon and bounces from London to Africa to Paris to Kočevje, buying something silly at each stop and ending up wet as a mouse.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/backe-backe-kuchen/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/backe-backe-kuchen/"Backe, backe Kuchen" is a German hand-clapping rhyme, sung since before 1840, that lists the "seven things" needed to bake a cake; its recipe echoes a cookbook line from around 1450.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/barcica/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/barcica/"Barčica" ("A Little Boat") is a well-loved Slovenian folk children's song about a little boat sailing out to sea, the trees bowing on the shore and the sails billowing, urged ever onward while the wind still blows.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/biba-leze/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/biba-leze/"Biba leze" ("The Little Bug Crawls") is a dreamy Slovenian folk children's rhyme about a tiny crawling creature journeying to a magical mountain of honey-gardens, cake-trees and milk springs, where no one else can go.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianlullabytraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/cebelica-maja/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/cebelica-maja/"Čebelica Maja" is the Slovenian version of the theme song to the "Maya the Bee" cartoon: music by Karel Svoboda, introducing the little, clever and cheeky bee Maja who flies wherever she pleases.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/cin-cin-cin-dreznica/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/cin-cin-cin-dreznica/"Čin, čin, čin, Drežnica" is a Slovenian folk "world-upside-down" song from the village of Drežnica, full of cheerful impossibilities — a miller grinding without water, a girl sewing without a needle, a one-legged boy leaping fences.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/crni-kos/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/crni-kos/"Pleši, pleši črni kos" ("Dance, Dance, Blackbird") is a Slovenian folk children's dance song in which a barefoot blackbird decides to buy shoes so he can dance three polkas with a little titmouse until the whole earth shakes.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniandancingplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/cuk-se-je-ozenil/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/cuk-se-je-ozenil/"Čuk se je oženil" ("The Little Owl Got Married") is a humorous Slovenian folk children's song about a little owl's wedding, with a comic dowry of a gourd of wine and a sprig of parsley, sung to a merry "tralala, hopsasa".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/das-ist-der-daumen/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/das-ist-der-daumen/"Das ist der Daumen" is a traditional German finger rhyme that names the five fingers one by one — the thumb shakes the plums, the others gather and carry them, and the littlest finger eats them all up.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/das-ist-papa-maus/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/das-ist-papa-maus/"Das ist Papa-Maus" is a German finger-play in which each finger becomes a member of a mouse family — Papa, Mama, brother, sister — with big ears and a long tail, until the baby mouse turns out a little different.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/das-lied-uber-mich/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/das-lied-uber-mich/"Das Lied über mich" is a modern German children's song by Volker Rosin: there are songs about dogs and cats and cars, it says, but not yet a song about me — and then it names the singer's own hands, hair, tummy and more.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/dedek-mraz/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/dedek-mraz/"Siva kučma, bela brada" is the classic Slovenian song about Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost), written by Janez Bitenc: the good old gift-bringer arrives with a grey fur cap, a white beard and a basket heaped with presents.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/dici-dici-dica/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/dici-dici-dica/"Diči, diči, diča" is a Slovenian knee-riding rhyme: a child is bounced on an adult's knee like a rider on a well-saddled black horse — though the little rider has neither whip nor spurs to urge it on.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/diddle-diddle-dumpling/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/diddle-diddle-dumpling/"Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, My Son John" is an English nursery rhyme in print since the 1740s about a boy who goes to bed still half-dressed — one sock off and one sock on; it may come from a dumpling-seller's street cry.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/die-rader-vom-bus/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/die-rader-vom-bus/"Die Räder vom Bus" is the German version of the well-known action song "The Wheels on the Bus", in which each verse gives a part of the bus its own sound and matching hand movement.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/do-your-ears-hang-low/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/do-your-ears-hang-low/"Do Your Ears Hang Low?" is a playful action song, usually sung to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw"; today's silly children's version is a cleaned-up descendant of a song British soldiers sang in the First World War.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/dobro-jutro-stric-pondeljek/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/dobro-jutro-stric-pondeljek/"Dobro jutro, stric Pondeljek" (also called "Dnevi v tednu") is a Slovenian children's poem by Albert Širok that teaches the days of the week by turning each one into a character — Uncle Monday, Godfather Tuesday, and Lady Sunday.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/donguri-korokoro/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/donguri-korokoro/"Donguri Korokoro" is a much-loved Japanese children's song from 1921, with words by Aoki Nagayoshi and music by Yanada Tadashi, about an acorn that rolls into a pond and is befriended by a little loach fish.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTJapanJapaneseplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/dreh-dich-kleiner-kreisel/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/dreh-dich-kleiner-kreisel/"Dreh dich, kleiner Kreisel" is a tiny German movement song in which children spin round and round like a little spinning top, until "now it's your turn" and another child takes over.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/ekate-pekate-cukate-me/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/ekate-pekate-cukate-me/"Ekate, pekate, cukate me" is a Slovenian counting-out rhyme (an "izštevanka") — a string of playful nonsense syllables children chant to decide who is "it", the local cousin of "eeny, meeny, miny, moe".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/en-hud-pesjan-je-zivel/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/en-hud-pesjan-je-zivel/"En hud pesjan je živel" is a darkly comic Slovenian song, credited to Janez Bitenc, about a man-eating ogre who tries to cook the Devil himself, falls into his own cauldron, and gets gobbled up — with a tongue-in-cheek moral.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/enkrat-je-bil-en-skrat/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/enkrat-je-bil-en-skrat/"Enkrat je bil en škrat" ("Once There Was a Gnome") is a beloved children's song by the Carinthian Slovene author Lenčka Kupper about a grey-bearded little gnome with a basket of gold, who helped good people and scorned the wicked.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-green-and-speckled-frogs/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-green-and-speckled-frogs/"Five Green and Speckled Frogs" is a favourite counting song in which five frogs on a log each jump into the pool one by one, counting down from five to none — a gentle first lesson in subtraction.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-little-ladybugs/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-little-ladybugs/"Five Little Ladybugs" is a counting-down rhyme in which five ladybugs fly away one at a time — five to four to three to two to one to none — a gentle way to practise counting backwards.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-little-monkeys-swinging-in-a-tree/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-little-monkeys-swinging-in-a-tree/"Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree" is an American counting-down fingerplay in which monkeys tease an alligator and vanish one by one with a SNAP — one of the family of "Five Little Monkeys" counting songs.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishdancingplayfulcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/frere-jacques/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/frere-jacques/"Frère Jacques" is a French nursery round from around 1780 in which a sleeping friar is told to wake and ring the bells for matins; its four phrases share one harmony, so it can be sung as a canon in up to four parts.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTFranceFrenchplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/fuzzy-wuzzy/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/fuzzy-wuzzy/"Fuzzy Wuzzy" is a short English-language tongue-twister rhyme about a bear with no hair, ending in a playful riddle — if Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, then he wasn't very fuzzy, was he?Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/georgie-porgie/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/georgie-porgie/"Georgie Porgie" is an English nursery rhyme first printed in 1841 as an "old ballad"; the various claims that Georgie was a real king or courtier are all unsubstantiated.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/gosenica/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/gosenica/"Gosenica" ("The Caterpillar") is a Slovenian children's song about a caterpillar the singer keeps in a little pot — only to find it gone and, in its place, a beautiful butterfly flying past the window.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/grandmother-s-glasses/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/grandmother-s-glasses/"Grandmother's Glasses" is a gentle finger-play in which the child mimes Grandma's spectacles and hat and her folded hands — then does the same for Grandpa, who folds his arms and takes a little nap.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/guten-morgen-lied/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/guten-morgen-lied/The "Guten Morgen Lied" is a simple German greeting song used to open the day in crèches and kindergartens: everyone waves good morning, "first me and then you", and each child is welcomed by name.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hande-waschen/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hande-waschen/"Hände waschen" is a much-loved German children's song, commonly credited to the Swiss songwriter Gerda Bächli, that turns washing your hands (and hair, and feet) into a game ending in a great shaking-dry.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hanschen-klein/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hanschen-klein/"Hänschen Klein" is a 19th-century German song by Franz Wiedemann about a boy who sets off into the world; the short version sung to children today has his mother weeping and asking him to come home soon.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermantraditionalcalminghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/haschen-in-der-grube/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/haschen-in-der-grube/"Häschen in der Grube" is a German circle game for young children, its words written in 1840 by Friedrich Fröbel, the founder of the kindergarten, to a tune borrowed from "Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/head-shoulders-knees-and-toes/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/head-shoulders-knees-and-toes/"Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" is an action song documented by 1912, sung to the tune of "There's a Tavern in the Town"; children touch each body part in turn, dropping words as the verses go.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishdancingplayfuleducationalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/here-is-a-bunny/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/here-is-a-bunny/"Here Is a Bunny" is a short finger-play in which one hand is a bunny with funny ears and the other makes a hole; when the bunny hears a noise, his ears pop up and he jumps into the hole.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hey-diddle-diddle/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hey-diddle-diddle/"Hey Diddle Diddle" is an English nursery rhyme of about 1765, usually taken as pure nonsense verse; it gave the language the phrase "over the moon", meaning delighted.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hickety-pickety-bumblebee/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hickety-pickety-bumblebee/"Hickety Pickety Bumblebee" is a name game for groups: each child says their name in turn, and the class echoes it back — clapping, snapping, whispering and finally mouthing the syllables silently.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hickory-dickory-dock/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hickory-dickory-dock/"Hickory Dickory Dock" is an English nursery rhyme, first printed in 1744, in which a mouse runs up and down a striking clock; its nonsense opening may come from old shepherds' counting words.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hopp-hopp-hopp-pferdchen-lauf-galopp/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hopp-hopp-hopp-pferdchen-lauf-galopp/"Hopp, hopp, hopp, Pferdchen lauf Galopp" is a German children's song about a galloping hobby-horse, written by the schoolmaster Karl Hahn around 1807–1808 to a melody by Carl Gottlieb Hering (1809).Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hoppe-hoppe-reiter/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hoppe-hoppe-reiter/"Hoppe, hoppe Reiter" is the best-known German knee-bouncing rhyme: a child is jogged on an adult's knees like a rider on a horse and, on the last word, "dropped" between the knees before being caught.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hot-cross-buns/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hot-cross-buns/"Hot Cross Buns" is an English rhyme that began as a London street seller's cry, in print since 1733; it names the spiced Good Friday bun and is now a favourite first tune for young music learners.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalseasonalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/huda-mravljica/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/huda-mravljica/"Huda mravljica" ("The Fierce Ant") is a comic Slovenian children's song — words by the poet Branko Rudolf, music by Marijan Vodopivec — about a tiny but terrifying ant who smashes a potter's pots and even gobbles up an ox, leaving only the horns.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/humpty-dumpty/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/humpty-dumpty/"Humpty Dumpty" is an English nursery rhyme, in print since 1797, that was probably first a riddle whose answer is "an egg" — which is why the rhyme itself never actually says its hero is one.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/hush-little-baby/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/hush-little-baby/"Hush, Little Baby" is a traditional lullaby from the American South of unknown age and author, built on a chain of promised gifts — a mockingbird, a ring, a looking glass — that a parent offers to soothe a child.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishlullabycalminghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-hear-thunder/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-hear-thunder/"I Hear Thunder" is an English action song for young children, sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques", in which a sudden storm rolls in with thunder and pattering rain that leaves everyone "wet through".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-wiggle/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-wiggle/"I Wiggle" is a short settling-down action rhyme: the child wiggles fingers, toes, shoulders and nose — getting all the wiggles out — and then sits "as still as still can be".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-m-a-little-acorn-brown/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-m-a-little-acorn-brown/"I'm a Little Acorn Brown" is a playful action song sung from an acorn's point of view: lying on the cold ground, it gets stepped on and cracked — and cheerfully declares "I'm a nut!" with a clap.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-m-a-little-groundhog/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/i-m-a-little-groundhog/"I'm a Little Groundhog" is a seasonal action song for Groundhog Day: a furry groundhog pops up to look around, and if it sees its shadow, back down it goes — meaning six more weeks of winter.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/if-you-re-happy-and-you-know-it/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/if-you-re-happy-and-you-know-it/"If You're Happy and You Know It" is an action song that appeared in print in the 1950s and was copyrighted to Joe Raposo in 1971; each verse asks children to clap, stamp or cheer to show how they feel.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishdancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/if-you-re-wearing-red-today/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/if-you-re-wearing-red-today/"If You're Wearing Red Today" is a group colour game, sung to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb", in which children wearing a named colour stand up and cheer "Hooray!" — then it repeats for each colour.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/itsy-bitsy-spider/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/itsy-bitsy-spider/"Itsy Bitsy Spider" is a traditional English-language fingerplay rhyme about a spider climbing a waterspout, washed out by rain and drying in the sun; it was in print by 1910 and is known as "Incy Wincy Spider" in the UK and Australia.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishdancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/izidor-ovcice-pasel/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/izidor-ovcice-pasel/"Izidor ovčice pasel" ("Izidor Herded the Little Sheep") is a Slovenian folk children's song about a shepherd boy who whistles and sings to his flock — with a jingling "cingel cing" refrain — before leaving to become a soldier.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/jack-and-jill/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/jack-and-jill/"Jack and Jill" is an English nursery rhyme in print since about 1765, in which two children fetching water tumble down a hill; the many stories about who they "really" were all came later and have no evidence.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/jack-be-nimble/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/jack-be-nimble/"Jack Be Nimble" is an English nursery rhyme recorded by about 1815, tied to a real custom of jumping over a lit candlestick — clearing it without snuffing the flame meant good luck.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-pa-grem-na-zeleno-travco/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-pa-grem-na-zeleno-travco/"Jaz pa grem na zeleno travco" ("I'm Off to the Green Grass") is a sweet, simple Slovenian folk children's song about going out to the green meadow to pick lovely white daisies for mummy.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-pa-pojdem-na-gorenjsko/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-pa-pojdem-na-gorenjsko/"Jaz pa pojdem na Gorenjsko" ("I'll Go Off to Gorenjska") is a Slovenian folk song about setting out on a journey with only a little bird for company — it shows the way and makes shade — while a loved one stays behind and weeps.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-sem-mala-miska/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-sem-mala-miska/"Jaz sem mala miška" ("I Am a Little Mouse") is a Slovenian children's song credited to Slavko Jug, sung from a little mouse's point of view — her two-hole house, the wind and the black cat, and her "škrab, škrab" scurrying from the rain.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-sem-mala-roza/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/jaz-sem-mala-roza/"Jaz sem mala roža" ("I Am a Little Rose") is a sweet Slovenian children's song about a child who is "mummy's little rose" — here in a mixed version that has picked up a cheeky playground parody verse and a couple of wistful ones.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/kekceva-pesem/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/kekceva-pesem/"Kekčeva pesem" ("Kaj mi poje ptičica" / "Dobra volja je najbolja") is the famous song from the 1951 Slovenian film "Kekec": music by Marjan Kozina, words by Frane Milčinski - Ježek, with the motto "good cheer is the best".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/kookaburra/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/kookaburra/"Kookaburra" is an Australian round written by Marion Sinclair in 1932 for a Girl Guides competition; decades later its melody was at the centre of a famous copyright case over Men at Work's "Down Under".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTAustraliaEnglishtraditionalplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/kuza-pazi/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/kuza-pazi/"Kuža pazi" ("The Doggy Watches") is a beloved Slovenian children's song by Janez Bitenc about a faithful little dog who does tricks, guards the house, and lies at the door so no thief can carry off little Jurček as he sleeps.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/la-le-lu/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/la-le-lu/"La-Le-Lu" is a German lullaby written by Heino Gaze in 1950 and made famous by the 1955 film "Wenn der Vater mit dem Sohne"; in it, only the Man in the Moon looks on while the little children sleep.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanlullabyhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/lakdi-ki-kathi/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/lakdi-ki-kathi/"Lakdi Ki Kathi" is an iconic Hindi children's song from the 1983 Indian film "Masoom", written by the poet Gulzar and composed by R. D. Burman, about a toy horse on a wooden stick that gallops on and on.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTIndiaHindiplayfuldancinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/lavender-s-blue/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/lavender-s-blue/"Lavender's Blue" is an English folk song going back to the 1670s; it began as a broadside for adults and was softened into a children's song by 1805, then made famous again by Disney in 1948.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishtraditionalcalminghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/lazes-krades-bolhe-jes/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/lazes-krades-bolhe-jes/"Lažeš, kradeš, bolhe ješ" is a Slovenian playground taunt-rhyme — the kind of gleefully mean nonsense children chant at each other, escalating from "you eat fleas" to police, jail and snakes that bite your trousers.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/le-sekaj-sekaj-smrecico/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/le-sekaj-sekaj-smrecico/"Le sekaj, sekaj smrečico" ("Just Chop, Chop the Little Spruce") is a Slovenian folk song that follows a spruce from tree to boat: it is felled, hewn into a little boat, and sails away — leaving a girl weeping on the shore.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/lenka/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/lenka/"Lenka" is a whimsical children's poem by the great Slovenian poet Oton Župančič (from his collection "Mehurčki") about a lazy girl for whom everything does itself — the broom sweeps, the needle sews, and even the roast cooks and announces itself.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/lisicka-je/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/lisicka-je/"Lisička je prav zvita zver" ("The Fox Is a Cunning Beast") is a comic Slovenian folk song about a sly little fox who outwits the waiting hunter, slips out the back hole of her den, and laughs at him all the way to the woods.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-bo-peep/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-bo-peep/"Little Bo-Peep" is an English nursery rhyme, written down by about 1805, about a shepherdess who loses her sheep and is told to leave them be — they will find their own way home.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-boy-blue/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-boy-blue/"Little Boy Blue" is an English nursery rhyme in print by about 1744, about a young herd-boy who has fallen asleep and left the animals to stray into the meadow and the corn.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-bunny-foo-foo/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-bunny-foo-foo/"Little Bunny Foo Foo" is a modern American children's song, sung to the tune of "Alouette", in which a naughty rabbit keeps bopping field mice until a good fairy runs out of patience and turns him into a "goon".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-jack-horner/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-jack-horner/"Little Jack Horner" is an English nursery rhyme documented by 1765; a popular legend ties it to a steward who kept a manor's deeds hidden in a Christmas pie, though that story is unproven.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalseasonalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-miss-muffet/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/little-miss-muffet/"Little Miss Muffet" is an English nursery rhyme in print since 1805, about a girl eating curds and whey until a spider frightens her off; the popular idea that she was a real doctor's daughter is unproven.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/london-bridge-is-falling-down/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/london-bridge-is-falling-down/"London Bridge Is Falling Down" is an English singing game, in print since about 1744, in which children make an arch and "catch" a player; its many dark origin theories are mostly unproven.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionaldancinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/los-pollitos-dicen/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/los-pollitos-dicen/"Los pollitos dicen" is a beloved Spanish-language nursery song and lullaby from across Latin America and Spain, picturing baby chicks who cheep when hungry or cold and a mother hen who feeds and shelters them.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSpainSpanishlullabytraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/macek-muri/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/macek-muri/"Maček Muri" is the song of Slovenia's most famous cat, from Kajetan Kovič's 1975 picture book: Muri the cat wakes, tidies himself, and heads to the inn "At the Merry Cow" for breakfast and the cat newspapers.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/majhna-sem-bila/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/majhna-sem-bila/"Majhna sem bila" ("When I Was Little") is a Slovenian folk song remembering childhood: a little girl herds the cheeping chicks and grows — until her father says he'll sell the mother hen, and she cries.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/mamica/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/mamica/"Mamica" ("Mummy", from the line "Mamica je kakor zarja") is a tender Slovenian song for mothers: mummy is like the dawn, the sun and the moon — smiling in the morning, golden-hearted, watching over her sleeping child through the night.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianlullabytraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/marko-skace/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/marko-skace/"Marko skače" is a Slovenian children's folk song and circle dance about Marko leaping across a green meadow carrying seven gold coins, usually understood to be the epic hero Kraljevič Marko.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTSloveniaSloveniandancingplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/mary-had-a-little-lamb/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/mary-had-a-little-lamb/"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is an American rhyme written by Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830; in 1877 its opening lines became the first words Thomas Edison recorded on the phonograph — the first recording of English verse.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/mary-mary-quite-contrary/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/mary-mary-quite-contrary/"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" is an English nursery rhyme in print by about 1744; its riddling questions have been read as codes about Tudor queens and religion, but none of those readings is proven.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/meine-hande-sind-verschwunden/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/meine-hande-sind-verschwunden/"Meine Hände sind verschwunden" is a German action song for toddlers in which each body part in turn "disappears" (hidden behind the back) and then reappears to a cheerful "tra la la".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/metuljcek-cekincek/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/metuljcek-cekincek/"Metuljček cekinček" ("Butterfly, Little Sequin") is a gentle Slovenian folk children's song — a little chat with a butterfly who has been sipping nectar from a tiny daisy until his tummy is as full as a barrel.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/mi-se-imamo-radi/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/mi-se-imamo-radi/"Mi se imamo radi" ("We Like Each Other") is a simple, warm Slovenian sing-along about friendship and youth — we like each other, truly we do, so why wouldn't we, since we're all young?Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/mojca-pokraculja/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/mojca-pokraculja/"Mojca Pokrajculja" is based on a much-loved Slovenian folk tale about a poor but tidy girl who buys a little pot with a found coin; these songs, from a stage adaptation, follow her cheerful housekeeping and her animal guests.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/na-planin-cah-lustno-biti/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/na-planin-cah-lustno-biti/"Na planincah luštno biti" ("It's Lovely on the Mountain Pastures") is a cheerful Slovenian folk song praising life on the high alpine pastures — plenty of milk, sunshine above the misty valley — with a herdsman's shout of "juhej!" and a comic fly in the porridge.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/na-planin-cah-soncece-sije/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/na-planin-cah-soncece-sije/"Na planincah sončece sije" ("The Sun Shines on the Mountain Pastures") is a tender Slovenian folk song: the sun shines and flowers bloom on the high meadows, a sweetheart gathers them into a posy, and the singer pins it on a hat.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/nas-kuza/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/nas-kuza/"Naš kuža" ("Our Doggy") is a gently humorous, slightly wistful Slovenian song about a family dog who goes courting a neighbour's dog by night and comes home sleepy — and a child's quiet worry that one day he might leave.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/nas-mucek/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/nas-mucek/"Naš mucek" is a Slovenian black-comedy folk song — NOT a gentle nursery song — in which a lovestruck tomcat, grief-stricken when his sweetheart dies, takes his own life; it ends with an ironic warning against ever falling in love.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/nasa-cetica-koraka/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/nasa-cetica-koraka/"Naša četica koraka" ("Our Little Troop Marches") is a cheerful Slovenian children's work song by Janez Bitenc: a band of children marches off to help Jurček build a little house to hide his rabbits from the fox.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfuldancingtraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/ni-copatka-ni-copatka/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/ni-copatka-ni-copatka/"Ni copatka" ("The Slipper's Gone") is a sweet little Slovenian children's song about a lost slipper — until it turns up behind the stove, with Metka's kitten sleeping sweetly inside it.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/ob-bistrem-potoku-je-mlin/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/ob-bistrem-potoku-je-mlin/"Ob bistrem potoku je mlin" ("By the Clear Brook Stands a Mill") is a well-loved Slovenian folk song sung by the miller's son, whose heart dances to the clatter of the mill — and who knows that a silent mill means no bread.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/old-king-cole/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/old-king-cole/"Old King Cole" is an English nursery rhyme first recorded in 1708–09, about a merry king who calls for his pipe, his bowl and his fiddlers three; who the king "really" was cannot be reliably established.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/old-macdonald-had-a-farm/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/old-macdonald-had-a-farm/"Old MacDonald Had a Farm" is a cumulative farmyard song whose ancestors go back to a 1706 stage song; each verse adds an animal and its sound, and the modern tune and words were fixed in the early 20th century.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionaleducationalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/old-mother-hubbard/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/old-mother-hubbard/"Old Mother Hubbard" was published by Sarah Catherine Martin in 1805 and became a runaway bestseller; the famous first verse, about a bare cupboard and a hungry dog, opens a much longer comic tale.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/one-two-buckle-my-shoe/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/one-two-buckle-my-shoe/"One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" is an English counting rhyme in print since 1805 (and recalled in America from the 1780s), pairing each pair of numbers with a small rhyming action all the way to twenty.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/open-shut-them/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/open-shut-them/"Open, Shut Them" is a favourite English hand-action song for very young children: the hands open and shut, clap, creep up to the chin and down to the toes, and finally fly up to bop you on the nose.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishdancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/palcek-smuk/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/palcek-smuk/"Palček Smuk" is the atmospheric opening narration of a much-loved animated series (a Czech cartoon dubbed into Slovenian) about a restless little water-sprite who comes out at the pond Brbotralnik once night falls.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/petelincek-je-na-goro-sel/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/petelincek-je-na-goro-sel/"Petelinček je na goro šel" ("The Little Rooster Went Up the Hill") is a comic Slovenian folk children's song about a rooster who visits his sweetheart on the hill, sends for the doctor when she falls ill — and gets cheekily scolded by a hen.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/peter-peter-pumpkin-eater/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/peter-peter-pumpkin-eater/"Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater" is a nursery rhyme with both British and American roots, in print by about 1797, in which Peter keeps his wife in a pumpkin shell.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/pin-pon/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/pin-pon/"Pin Pon" is a Spanish-language children's song about a cardboard doll who keeps himself clean — washing his face with soap and water — used to teach little ones good habits; it was made famous by a 1960s Chilean TV character.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSpainSpanishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/po-morju-plava-kit/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/po-morju-plava-kit/"Po morju plava kit" ("A Whale Swims in the Sea") is a cheeky, rude Slovenian playground rhyme about a whale with an enormous backside — the kind of gleefully crude nonsense children swap among themselves for the shock and the giggles.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/prebudil-se-je-rano-sosedov-bosopet/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/prebudil-se-je-rano-sosedov-bosopet/"Prebudil se je rano sosedov bosopet" is a warm Slovenian children's song about a barefoot little boy who sets off to see the world — then races back to his mother's arms at night, vowing to take her along next time.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/prisla-je-miska-iz-misnice/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/prisla-je-miska-iz-misnice/"Prišla je miška iz mišnice" is a Slovenian cumulative folk song — a food-chain that grows verse by verse (mouse, cat, fox, wolf, bear, hunter) until, at the end, Death comes and takes the hunter too.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/prstki/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/prstki/"Prstki" ("Little Fingers") is a Slovenian finger rhyme in which each finger has its say — the thumb wants to eat, the next to drink — and the little finger, who watched from the cradle, tells on the others for raiding mummy's chest.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/pust-begut-neuklyuzhe/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/pust-begut-neuklyuzhe/Known as Gena the Crocodile's birthday song, "Pust' begut neuklyuzhe" comes from the 1971 Soviet cartoon "Cheburashka"; with music by Vladimir Shainsky and words by Aleksandr Timofeyevsky, it is one of Russia's most beloved songs.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTRussiaRussianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/racke/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/racke/"Račke" ("Little Ducks") is a lively Slovenian action song in which children turn into ducks — making beaks with their fingers, flapping their elbows, wiggling and quacking — and cheer that being a duck, splashing and never hungry, is the best.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/rain-rain-go-away/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/rain-rain-go-away/"Rain, Rain, Go Away" is an English nursery rhyme reaching back to at least the 17th century — a little weather-charm children have chanted for centuries to wish the rain away so they can go and play.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/ringa-raja/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/ringa-raja/"Ringa raja" is the Slovenian ring-dance song — the local cousin of "Ring a Ring o' Roses" — in which children hold hands and circle; this version adds farmyard animals and a verse about Grandfather Frost bringing gifts.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniandancingplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/row-row-row-your-boat/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/row-row-row-your-boat/"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is an American nursery rhyme in print since 1852, usually sung as a round, whose four short lines end on the surprisingly reflective thought that "life is but a dream".Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalcalminghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/sakura-sakura/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/sakura-sakura/"Sakura Sakura" is a Japanese song about cherry blossom covering the hills and villages in spring; it began as an Edo-period practice piece for the koto and uses the five-note Japanese in scale.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTJapanJapaneseseasonaltraditionalcalminghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/schlaf-kindlein-schlaf/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/schlaf-kindlein-schlaf/"Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf" is one of Germany's oldest and best-loved lullabies, its first verse recorded in 1611 and spread by the famous folk-song collection "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" in 1808.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanlullabyhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/sijaj-sijaj-soncece/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/sijaj-sijaj-soncece/"Sijaj, sijaj, sončece" ("Shine, Shine, Little Sun") is a wistful Slovenian folk song that asks the sun to shine — but the sun is sad, the girls weep to rise so early, and the shepherd boys lament having no herds to drive home.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionallullabyhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/sing-a-song-of-sixpence/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/sing-a-song-of-sixpence/"Sing a Song of Sixpence" is an English nursery rhyme in print by about 1744, whose pie full of live blackbirds recalls a real Tudor banquet trick; its hidden-meaning theories are unproven.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/sinterklaas-kapoentje/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/sinterklaas-kapoentje/"Sinterklaas Kapoentje" is one of the oldest and shortest Dutch St Nicholas songs, in print since 1851, sung by children as they set out their shoe in the hope that the Saint will leave a treat inside.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTNetherlandsDutchplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/sonce-zemlja-mesec/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/sonce-zemlja-mesec/"Sonce, zemlja, mesec" ("Sun, Earth, Moon") is a short Slovenian nonsense rhyme that spins the sun, earth and moon through a string of playful impossibilities — turning without wheels, flying without feathers, bursting without a bang.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/sreca-na-vrvici/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/sreca-na-vrvici/"Sreča na vrvici" ("Happiness on a String") is the title song of the 1977 Slovenian children's film of the same name: music by Dečo Žgur, words by Svetlana Makarovič — a golden day, friendship, and happiness you can hold.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/stari-medo/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/stari-medo/"Stari Medo" ("Old Bear") is a playful Slovenian children's song with a growling "brunda gunda" refrain: an empty bowl means Old Bear goes to sleep, but a bowl full of honey and he'll gladly dance for you.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/stella-stellina/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/stella-stellina/"Stella, stellina" is one of Italy's most famous lullabies, written by the poet Lina Schwarz (1876–1947); as night draws in, every animal and every child is gathered safely to sleep in their mother's arms.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTItalyItalianlullabyhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-cookie-jar/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-cookie-jar/"Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?" is a rhythmic call-and-response chant for groups, in which children accuse one another in turn of taking the cookie, keeping a steady clap-and-snap beat.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-little-turtle/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-little-turtle/"The Little Turtle" is a much-loved children's poem by the American poet Vachel Lindsay, published in 1920, about a little turtle who snaps at a mosquito, a flea, a minnow — and the child — but catches everything except the child.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-muffin-man/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-muffin-man/"The Muffin Man" is an English nursery rhyme and singing game recorded by about 1820, remembering the door-to-door seller who once delivered fresh English muffins to Victorian homes.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-wheels-on-the-bus/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/the-wheels-on-the-bus/"The Wheels on the Bus" is an American action song written by Verna Hills and published in 1937 as "The Bus"; each verse names a part of the bus and acts out its motion or sound.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishdancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/this-little-piggy/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/this-little-piggy/"This Little Piggy" is an English toe-counting fingerplay for babies, in print since about 1760, in which each little pig is one of the child's toes and the last one runs squealing home.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/this-old-man/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/this-old-man/"This Old Man" is an English counting song of old and obscure origins, built to climb from one to ten with a "knick-knack paddywhack" refrain; its melody later became a 1958 film hit.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/three-blind-mice/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/three-blind-mice/"Three Blind Mice" is an English round first published in 1609, which makes it one of the oldest printed songs children still sing; the tale that it hides a Tudor execution is unfounded.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/three-jellyfish/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/three-jellyfish/"Three Jellyfish" is a counting-down (and back-up) action song: jellyfish sitting on a rock jump off one by one with a "Splash!", then climb back up with a "Hooray!" — counting down to none and back to three.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalcountinghttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/tischspruch-fur-das-mittagessen/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/tischspruch-fur-das-mittagessen/This "Tischspruch" is a short German table rhyme said before lunch: tiger, lion, cat — we give each other our paw — enjoy your meal! A playful little grace for children.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/twinkle-twinkle-little-star/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/twinkle-twinkle-little-star/"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is an English lullaby whose words come from Jane Taylor's 1806 poem "The Star", sung to the French melody "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" — the same tune as the alphabet song.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishlullabybedtimehttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/two-little-blackbirds/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/two-little-blackbirds/"Two Little Blackbirds" is an English nursery fingerplay recorded since about 1765, in which two birds named Peter and Paul fly away and come back — acted out with two hidden and reappearing fingers.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited KingdomEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/two-little-feet/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/two-little-feet/"Two Little Feet" is a short whole-body action rhyme: two feet stamp, two hands clap, and one little body stands up straight, turns round and round, then sits quietly down.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/uboga-uboga-jezeva-mati/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/uboga-uboga-jezeva-mati/"Uboga, uboga ježeva mati" ("Poor, Poor Hedgehog Mother") is a short comic Slovenian children's rhyme sympathising with the hedgehog's mother, who had to give birth to a prickly baby that pricked her all the while.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/un-elefante-se-balanceaba/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/un-elefante-se-balanceaba/"Un elefante se balanceaba" is a Spanish-language cumulative counting song in which elephants balance one by one on a spider's web, adding a new elephant — and a new number — with every verse.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTMexicoSpanishcountingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/vrabcek-caka-mamico/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/vrabcek-caka-mamico/"Vrabček čaka mamico" ("The Little Sparrow Waits for Mummy") is a wistful Slovenian children's song about a baby sparrow huddled on a branch, waiting for a mother who went for millet — but stopped to chatter and ate it all herself.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionallullabyhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/where-is-thumbkin/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/where-is-thumbkin/"Where Is Thumbkin?" is an English finger-play sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques", in which each finger — Thumbkin, Pointer, Tall Man, Ring Man and Pinkie — pops up, says hello, and hides away again.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTUnited StatesEnglishplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/zabja-svatba/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/zabja-svatba/"Žabja svatba" ("The Frogs' Wedding") is a comic Slovenian children's song in which frogs from the neighbouring ponds gather for a wedding feast and dance so hard that everything shakes, to a croaking "re-ga, re-ga, kvak" refrain.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/zajcek-dolgouscek/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/zajcek-dolgouscek/"Zajček dolgoušček" ("Little Long-Eared Rabbit") is a much-loved Slovenian children's song by Janez Bitenc, describing a white rabbit with quick paws and long whiskers who lives in the barn and comes trustingly up to the singer.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSlovenianplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/zehn-kleine-zappelmanner/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/zehn-kleine-zappelmanner/"Zehn kleine Zappelmänner" is a German finger-play rhyme in which the child's ten fingers become ten little "fidget men" that wiggle, hide and pop back up; it is one of the best-known German finger games.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermanplayfultraditionalhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/zivali-v-jeseni/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/zivali-v-jeseni/"Živali v jeseni" ("Animals in Autumn") is a Slovenian children's song credited to Mira Voglar, showing how the animals prepare for winter: the hedgehog gathers fruit, the bear beds his den, the squirrel stores nuts, the swallows fly south.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/zug-zug-zug-die-eisenbahn/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/zug-zug-zug-die-eisenbahn/"Zug, Zug, Zug, die Eisenbahn" is a short German children's movement song about a train — here bound for the city of Herne — that children act out by forming a chugging line like a locomotive.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTGermanyGermandancingplayfulhttps://littlesongbook.com/songs/zvoncki-in-trobentice/https://littlesongbook.com/songs/zvoncki-in-trobentice/"Zvončki in trobentice" ("Snowdrops and Daffodils") is a much-loved Slovenian springtime song: snowdrops, daffodils, pussy willows and violets push up from the earth, the cuckoo calls, and everyone feels young again.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:20:07 GMTSloveniaSloveniantraditionalplayful