# 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.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Sung in | English |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | traditional counting song; author unknown |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional, counting |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/five-green-and-speckled-frogs/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (en)

Five green and speckled frogs,
Sat on a mossy log,
Eating some most delicious bugs.
Yum! Yum!
One jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are four green speckled frogs!

### Verse 2 (en)

(Continue with four, three, two, one… until none are left.)

## How to sing it

1. Hold up five fingers as the five frogs on the log.
2. On "one jumped into the pool", fold down a finger and make a splash with your hands.
3. Count the frogs that are left each time, all the way down to none.

## Common questions

**What is "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" about?**

Five frogs sitting on a log, eating "some most delicious bugs" (yum, yum!). One at a time they jump into the cool pool, so the count drops — five, four, three, two, one — until there are no frogs left on the log. It is a counting song built around a simple, happy countdown.

**What does "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" teach?**

Counting backwards and the idea of "one less". As each frog jumps in, children take one away and say how many remain, which makes it an easy, playful introduction to subtraction.

**Who wrote "Five Green and Speckled Frogs"?**

No author is recorded. It is a traditional children's counting song, sung in nurseries and classrooms with actions, and passed down by ear.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — Five Little Speckled Frogs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Little_Speckled_Frogs)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5456230