How do you play "Hickety Pickety Bumblebee"?

As a call-and-response name game. The group sings the opening line and asks one child to sing their name; the child sings "My name is …" and everyone sings back "Your name is …". Then the bee buzzes on to the next child, until the whole circle has been named.

What is "Hickety Pickety Bumblebee" good for?

Learning names, and singing alone. It is used in schools, Guides, Scouts and other children's groups to learn everyone's name, and music teachers use it for solo singing and pitch matching, because each child sings a short phrase by themselves on a simple three-note tune (mi, so, la).

Who wrote "Hickety Pickety Bumblebee"?

No author is recorded. Both sources consulted describe it as a folk song and give no author, date or country, so this page leaves its origin unknown. It is also sung as "Hickety Tickety Bumblebee", with the same words otherwise.

Unknown · sung in English

Hickety Pickety Bumblebee

"Hickety Pickety Bumblebee" is a call-and-response name game for groups: the leader sings "Can you sing your name for me?", one child sings their name, and the whole group sings it back — so everyone learns everyone's name.

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Lyrics

Hickety pickety bumblebee, Can you sing your name for me?

(One child) My name is … (All together) Your name is …

Country of origin: 🌐 Unknown
Sung in: English
Words by: Traditional
First known: author, date and country not documented in the sources consulted
Best for ages: 2–7
Mood: playful, traditional
Last updated: 27 August 2026

How to sing it

Sing "Hickety pickety bumblebee, can you sing your name for me?" then point to one child.
The child sings "My name is …"; the whole group sings back "Your name is …".
Move on to the next child until everyone has had a turn; the tune uses only three notes, so even the shyest can sing it alone.

Meaning and origin

This is a name game dressed up as a song, and it is a classroom staple for a very practical reason: it learns everyone’s name. The group sings the buzzing opening — Hickety pickety bumblebee, can you sing your name for me? — and invites one child to sing theirs; the child sings My name is … and the whole group sings it straight back, Your name is …, before the bee buzzes on to the next child.

Underneath the fun, it is quietly teaching. Singing each name back helps a new group bond and remember one another, and because every child has to sing a short phrase alone on a tune of only three notes, music teachers use it to practise solo singing and pitch matching. No author is recorded: both sources consulted call it simply a folk song, give no date or country, and note that it is also sung as “Hickety Tickety Bumblebee”. It is passed among teachers and leaders of children’s groups, and is reliably one of the friendliest ways to begin a year together.

Common questions

How do you play "Hickety Pickety Bumblebee"?: As a call-and-response name game. The group sings the opening line and asks one child to sing their name; the child sings "My name is …" and everyone sings back "Your name is …". Then the bee buzzes on to the next child, until the whole circle has been named.
What is "Hickety Pickety Bumblebee" good for?: Learning names, and singing alone. It is used in schools, Guides, Scouts and other children's groups to learn everyone's name, and music teachers use it for solo singing and pitch matching, because each child sings a short phrase by themselves on a simple three-note tune (mi, so, la).
Who wrote "Hickety Pickety Bumblebee"?: No author is recorded. Both sources consulted describe it as a folk song and give no author, date or country, so this page leaves its origin unknown. It is also sung as "Hickety Tickety Bumblebee", with the same words otherwise.

Lyrics