World Rhymes

Counting rhymesClapping gamesComfort rhymesCircle games

Children everywhere have little verses they say and play with: to choose who is out, to clap hands with a baby, to comfort a bump. These are not lullabies. Here you will find a growing collection of old rhymes from many countries, each with its words, its meaning, how to play it and what we really know of its history.

Rhymes for babies and little ones

Lap rhymes, clapping rhymes and comfort rhymes that go with a hug or a clap.

Une souris verte“A green mouse”A French counting-out rhyme about a green mouse.France Sana, sana, colita de rana“Heal, heal, little frog's tail”The Spanish rhyme that makes a small hurt better.Spain and Latin America Backe, backe Kuchen“Bake, bake a cake”A German baby rhyme about baking a cake with seven things.Germany LadushkiЛадушки“Little claps”A Russian clapping rhyme: where were you? At grandmother's!Russia Soroka-voronaСорока-ворона“The magpie who cooked porridge”A Russian finger game: the magpie cooked porridge and fed her guests.Russia Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man“Pat the cake, baker's man”The old English clapping game, over three hundred years old.England Miss Mary Mack“The lady in black with silver buttons”The American clapping rhyme about a lady in black with silver buttons.United States Hoppe, hoppe, Reiter“Hop, hop, rider”The German knee-riding game: bounce along, and the rider is always caught.Germany This little pig went to market“Five little pigs, one for each toe”The English toe rhyme: one little pig for every toe.England Altijd is Kortjakje ziek“Kortjakje is always ill”A Dutch children's song about Kortjakje, who is ill all week but never on Sunday.Netherlands Bä, bä, vita lamm“Baa, baa, white lamb”Sweden's favourite sheep song: a white lamb with a sack full of wool.Sweden Fengaraki mou lambroΦεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό“My bright little moon”A Greek rhyme sung to the moon to light the way to school.Greece La da ju, che da ju拉大鋸，扯大鋸“Pull the big saw”A Chinese rocking game: two people saw a log together.China Aay aay chanda mamaআয় আয় চাঁদা মামা“Come, come, uncle Moon”A Bengali rhyme that calls the moon to bless the baby.Bengal (India and Bangladesh)

Games for a circle of children

Chants that go with walking in a ring, guessing games and riddles.

Giro giro tondo“Round and round the ring”The Italian ring game: round we go, and on the last word everyone crouches down.Italy Arroz con leche“Rice with milk”A Spanish ring game: the child in the middle chooses a partner.Spain and Latin America Kagome Kagomeかごめかごめ“Basket-eye, basket-eye”A Japanese circle game: guess who stands behind you.Japan Ó ciranda, ó cirandinha“Oh ring dance, little ring dance”A Brazilian ring game with a half turn and a full turn.Brazil Kitendawili? Tega!“Riddle! Set the trap!”The call and answer that opens a Swahili riddle game.Tanzania and the Swahili coast

Good to know

How we choose these rhymes

We only show rhymes that are traditional and anonymous, or whose old printed form is in the public domain, and for each one we name the book where we found the words. The meanings and the stories about the games are written by us, in our own words. Where the origin of a rhyme is only a legend, we say so, and we leave out stories that nobody has been able to prove.

More to sing and play

Looking for lullabies instead? The Lullaby Encyclopedia has hundreds of them, from every continent.

Open the Lullaby Encyclopedia World Fairy Tales

Sources & rights

Words and melody: see the credits in the text of this page. Older songs are traditional or in the public domain; songs by known authors keep their authors' credit.
Recording and arrangement: real instruments played by hand, no AI music, by Relax In No Time.
Chords: written by us for guitar and piano.

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