How do you play "If You're Wearing Red Today"?

As a colour game. The group sings about a colour — say, red — and every child who is wearing that colour stands up and shouts "Hoo-ray!" Then it starts again with a different colour, so that over several rounds every child gets to jump up.

Who wrote "If You're Wearing Red Today"?

No author is recorded. The only source consulted gives no author, date, country or tune, so this page leaves its origin unknown. It is a classroom colour song, freely adapted with whatever colours (and actions) the group likes.

Unknown · sung in English

If You're Wearing Red Today

"If You're Wearing Red Today" is a group colour game in which children wearing a named colour stand up and cheer "Hoo-ray!" — then it repeats for each colour, so that over a few rounds everyone gets to jump up.

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Lyrics

If you're wearing red today, Red today, red today, If you're wearing red today, Stand up and say "Hoo-ray!"

(Repeat for other colors.)

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

Name a colour; every child wearing it stands up and shouts "Hoo-ray!"
Repeat with a new colour each time until everyone has had a turn.
For variety, give each colour its own action — the source suggests shaking your head for red, touching your shoe for blue and taking a bow for green.

Meaning and origin

This is a colour-recognition game with a built-in cheer. The group sings about one colour at a time — if you’re wearing red today … stand up and say “Hoo-ray!” — and every child dressed in that colour leaps up and shouts, before the song moves on to the next colour. Over a few rounds, everyone in the room gets a turn to jump up, which is precisely the point.

It has no fixed author, and the one collection that carries it names no date, country or tune, so this page does not guess at any of them. It is a classroom song, endlessly adaptable to whatever colours (or clothes, or actions) a teacher wants — the source itself offers a version in which red shakes its head, blue touches a shoe and green takes a bow. Underneath the fun it does something genuinely useful: it asks each child to check their own clothes against the colour named and respond on cue, turning learning colours into a game of jumping up at the right moment.

Common questions

How do you play "If You're Wearing Red Today"?: As a colour game. The group sings about a colour — say, red — and every child who is wearing that colour stands up and shouts "Hoo-ray!" Then it starts again with a different colour, so that over several rounds every child gets to jump up.
What does "If You're Wearing Red Today" teach?: Recognising colours and listening for a cue. Children have to check their own clothes against the colour named and respond at the right moment, which makes it a fun, active way to practise colours.
Who wrote "If You're Wearing Red Today"?: No author is recorded. The only source consulted gives no author, date, country or tune, so this page leaves its origin unknown. It is a classroom colour song, freely adapted with whatever colours (and actions) the group likes.