Lyrics
Open, shut them, open, shut them, Give a little clap. Open, shut them, open, shut them, Put them in your lap.
#Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them, Right up to your chin. Open wide your little mouth, But do not let them in!
#Creep them, crawl them, creep them, crawl them, Right down to your toes. Let them fly up in the air, And bop you on the nose.
#Open, shut them, open, shut them, Give a little clap. Open, shut them, open, shut them, Put them in your lap.
#Open, Shut Them at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Sung in
- English
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- traditional action song; author unknown
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- dancing, playful
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
How to sing it
- Open and close your fists on "open, shut them", then clap and drop them in your lap.
- "Creep" your fingers slowly up towards your chin, then back down to your toes.
- Let the hands "fly up" and gently bop your own nose at the end for a giggle.
Meaning and origin
This is one of the first action songs many children ever learn, and it is really a gentle work-out for a pair of small hands. The fists open and shut, give a little clap, and settle into the lap; then the fingers “creep and crawl” slowly up towards the chin — with a teasing warning not to let them into the open mouth — before creeping down to the toes and suddenly flying up to bop the singer on the nose. Each line is a new instruction, and the fun is in following them.
Behind the fun is quiet learning: opening and closing the hands, clapping, moving fast and slow on cue, all held together by a tune. Like most nursery action songs it has no known author and drifts a little from place to place, with different verses added over the years. What stays constant is the shape — a calm open-and-shut, a slow creeping climb, and a giggle at the end.
Common questions
- How do you play "Open, Shut Them"?
- With your hands. You open and shut your fists, give a little clap, and rest your hands in your lap; then your fingers "creep and crawl" up to your chin and down to your toes, before flying up to bop you on the nose. Every line has its own movement.
- What is "Open, Shut Them" good for?
- Building hand control and following directions. For babies and toddlers it is a gentle way to practise opening and closing the hands, clapping, and moving slowly and quickly on cue — all wrapped in a game that ends in a tickle.
- Who wrote "Open, Shut Them"?
- No author is recorded. It is a traditional action song passed down in nurseries and playgroups, with many small regional variations in the words.
