A classic Mother Goose tune. A Mother Goose song that’s popular with children.
We’d like to introduce Mother Goose, a collection of English nursery rhymes that are especially beloved and passed down in the UK and the United States!
Mother Goose is said to include anywhere from 600 to over 1,000 rhymes, such as riddles, lullabies, play songs, tongue twisters, and memory songs.
In this article, we’ve gathered some of the most iconic and child-popular rhymes from Mother Goose.
When you listen, you’ll likely find many you already know, and because they’ve been sung for generations, they can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Some of these songs are a fun way to spark your child’s interest in English, so be sure to enjoy them together as a parent and child, with family, or with friends!
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Mother Goose classics. Popular Mother Goose songs for children (1–10)
Scarborough Fair
Simon & Garfunkel’s version is so well-known that many people might not realize the original is a Mother Goose rhyme.
It has a hauntingly beautiful melody—just hearing the opening draws you in.
There are various theories about the herbs mentioned in the lyrics, so if you’re interested, be sure to look them up.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
“Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” is a fingerplay and action song loved by children.
It even appears in Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Children sing it while doing choreography that imitates everyday actions—such as pretending to go around a tree in a circle with several people, or miming washing one’s face and brushing one’s teeth.
It’s a good way to warm up on a cold day.
In Japan, it might be comparable to oshikura manju (a game where children huddle and jostle to keep warm).
Another nice aspect is that it helps you learn how to say everyday actions in English.
Monday’s Child (A child born on Monday)
This Mother Goose song has lyrics about children whose personalities differ depending on the day of the week they were born.
It’s like a birthday fortune-telling song.
It’s interesting that some days are depicted very favorably while others are portrayed as sadly unfortunate.
In a culture steeped in Christianity, Sunday is depicted especially positively.
Also, little children may have learned the names of the days of the week by singing or listening to this song.
Classic Mother Goose songs. Popular Mother Goose songs for children (11–20)
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Kira Kira Boshi)
This is the original song of the well-known “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It was originally a chanson that became popular in late 18th-century France, but a parody version set to a poem by the English poet Jane Taylor came to be cherished as a children’s song.
It is a beloved classic around the world, and its melody is quoted even in modern pop songs.
Ten Little Indians (Ten Little Indians)
This song is a folk tune widely loved in English-speaking countries and is also known as one of the Mother Goose songs.
It was written and composed in 1868 by the American composer Septimus Winner.
In Japan, the song is known as “10 Little Indians,” with a well-known Japanese version by Takata Mikuzō.
There are also parody versions such as “10 Good Children,” “Mixed Juice,” and “Here Comes Santa.” This song is often used for folk dancing as well.
The House that Jack Built (This is the house that Jack built)
This song, which every child in the English-speaking world knows, is famous as a cumulative song that repeats its lyrics like a word game.
Because new clauses are continually added, it uses many relative pronouns in English grammar.
For that reason, I think Japanese listeners may find it a bit hard to grasp the meaning from the English lyrics alone.
It first appeared in print in 1755.
However, since a shaven-headed monk appears in the lyrics—and monks shaved their heads in or before the medieval period—the origin of the song is said to be quite old.
Sung without music, it sounds almost like rap!
Itsy Bitsy Spider (Tiny Little Spider)
When it comes to songs that are perfect for fingerplay with toddlers, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” is the one! As the title suggests, the main character is a spider, and it’s a charming song about a little spider trying its best.
The song comes with simple fingerplay using both thumbs and index fingers.
Touch your right thumb to your left index finger, and your right index finger to your left thumb, then tap them together and apart in time with the music to show the spider climbing up.
It helps develop children’s finger dexterity, and even kids who are scared of spiders might start to like them a little after hearing this song!