Liedtext (Lyrics)
Der vollständige Liedtext von „Dreh dich, kleiner Kreisel“ mit englischer Übersetzung.
Dreh dich kleiner Kreisel, dreh dich immerzu, rundherum und rundherum und jetzt kommst du.
#English translation
Spin, little top, keep on spinning, round and round and round about, and now it's your turn.
#Dreh dich, kleiner Kreisel at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Sung in
- German
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- traditional movement game; author unknown
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- dancing, playful
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
Meaning and origin
This is about as short as a song can be, and its whole life is in the movement. The children become little spinning tops — Kreisel — turning round and round on the spot as they sing, and on the final words, und jetzt kommst du (“and now it’s your turn”), the spinning passes to the next child, who takes over as the top.
Like most such games, it has no known author or origin; it is a scrap of traditional kindergarten play, kept alive because it does one thing very well. Two short lines are enough to get a group of children whirling, laughing and taking turns — and the giddy stop at the end, when the turn passes on, is exactly where the fun lives.
Common questions
- How do you play "Dreh dich, kleiner Kreisel"?
- By spinning. The children turn round and round on the spot like a little top — "spin, little top, keep on spinning" — and on the last words, "und jetzt kommst du" ("and now it's your turn"), the turn passes to the next child, who becomes the top.
- What is a "Kreisel"?
- A Kreisel is a spinning top — the classic toy that whirls in place. The song turns the children themselves into little tops, which is why the whole game is about turning round and round.
- Who wrote "Dreh dich, kleiner Kreisel"?
- No author or firm origin is recorded. It is a short traditional movement game of the kind passed on informally in kindergartens, not a composed song with a known writer.
