Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!

Welcome to
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Here are activities to enjoy at home
with your little one — and lyrics to all the
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO songs. We’re delighted
you’ve chosen to share in the delicious fun
and learning that happens in a
Kindermusik class!
Hello, Hello!
Hello, hello! Let’s sing together.
Hello, hello! Let’s sing hello.
Hello, hello! Let’s sing together.
Sing together, let’s sing hello.
Traditional Nursery Rhyme
Hey diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Repeat twice
Consider using some props when reciting
this poem. Hold up a picture of a cow when
the cow jumps over the moon – and don’t
forget to mooooo. Or give your baby a real spoon
when the dish runs away with the spoon, and let
him hold and explore it. What other ideas can you
come up with?
Skip to My Lou
Traditional
Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!
Wave to Ben, let’s wave together, etc.
Traditional English Song
Bounce to Annie, bounce together, etc.
Cock-a-doodle-doo! My horse has lost
his shoe;
My kitty’s lost his fiddling stick and doesn’t know what to do.
Learn the ASL signs for some of the
words in this song (try “hello,” “sing,” and
“together”), and then sign the song to your child as
you sing. A great site to use is www.signingsavvy.com. Hearing children who can sign often learn
to talk earlier than those who don’t sign. Signing
is also an excellent way to ease frustration, as
babies can communicate by using signs before
they are physically able to speak.
Cock-a-doodle-doo! What is my horse
to do?
Till kitty finds his fiddling stick, he’ll dance without his shoe.
Till kitty finds his fiddling stick, he’ll dance without his shoe.
Meeting animals is a fascinating experience for young children. Animals look
neat, they do funny things, and many of them are
soft and furry to the touch. Find a friendly pet and
show your baby how to gently make friends with it.
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou,
Skip to my Lou, my darlin’. (repeat)
Lou, Lou, how do you do? etc.
Creep, creep, creep to my Lou, etc.
Run, run, run to my Lou, etc.
Babies are all about learning and growing,
all the time. As parents, it’s easy to fall into
the trap of comparing our children to other children, but remember – they all develop at their own
speed. It’s very common for young children to put
all their efforts into perfecting one skill before moving on to another, so don’t think twice if your child
seems to “fall behind” in one area while shooting
ahead in another. Help your baby on her journey
by supporting her, not rushing!
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Susan James
Hey Diddle, Diddle
1
The Farmer in the Dell
(Instrumental)
American Dance
(Instrumental)
Traditional Nursery Rhyme
Sing your own words to this favorite nursery rhyme, making them suit the pattern of
your day. How about: “The baby in the bath, the
baby in the bath, hi, ho, the dairy-o, the baby in
the bath!” Or pop in your child’s name – babies
love hearing their own names, and they also love
the predictability of repetitive songs and activities.
Feel the beat! Give your child a wooden
spoon, a toy drum, an empty box, a plastic
food container—anything she can use to tap out a
beat. Demonstrate the steady beat of this song by
tapping it gently on her back, and encourage her
to do the same on her homemade drum. Besides
being lots of fun, this activity helps her hand-eye
coordination, fine motor skills, and musicality.
Hold On
Traditional Spiritual
Hold on, hold on; better keep your hand right on that plow.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Repeat all
The Merry Farmer
(Instrumental)
Schumann
Use your wall banner cards to make a
mobile for your little one. Cut the cards
apart, place them back to back, string them at
various levels from a coat hanger, and hang your
new mobile above your baby’s crib, playpen, or
floor play area. Talk to your child about the picture
on each card – the colors, the name of the object,
and the sound it makes!
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
Keep on plowin’ and don’t you tire,
Ev’ry row goes higher and higher.
Keep your hand on that plow,
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Hold on, hold on; better keep your hand right on that plow.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
When you aloud to your child, encourage
him to help you hold the books. This is
great practice for his fine-motor skills – and of
course reading early and often is a great boost for
language acquisition.
Simple Gifts
(Instrumental)
Shaker Folk Song
Put together a Discovery Box for your child.
Gather a variety of household items – a
clean scrub brush, colorful advertising flyer, soft
hairbrush, small ball, empty eyeglass case, small
plastic containers – and put them into a shoebox.
Show your child how to take off the lid and pull out
all her “treasures.” When she’s done exploring,
show her the rest of the game – putting everything
back in the box again! This is a simple and entertaining way of practicing fine-motor control and
hand-eye coordination.
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
When you plow, don’t lose your track,
Can’t plow straight and keep a-lookin’ back.
Keep your hand on that plow,
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
2
American Lullaby
Traditional Folk Song
Shady Grove
Traditional
Shady grove, my little love; shady grove
I know.
Shady grove, my little love; bound for the shady grove.
Repeat
Babies are programmed to hear high
sounds. Your child perks up and listens
even more intently when you speak and sing to
him in a higher-than-normal voice. This encourages him to answer back, using whatever sounds
he’s capable of at this stage.
Fly away my blue-eyed friend, fly away
my daisy,
Fly away my blue-eyed friend, you nearly drive me crazy.
I Roll the Ball to You
Wish I had a banjo strong, strung with golden twine,
And every time I’d pluck on it, I’d wish that girl were mine.
I roll the ball to you, you roll the ball to me.
I roll the ball to you, you roll the ball to me.
I roll the ball to you, you roll the ball to me.
I roll the ball to you, and you roll the ball
to me.
Shady grove, my little love; shady grove
I know.
Shady grove, my little love; bound for the shady grove.
Shady grove, my little love; bound for the shady grove.
Playing with opposites is a great way to
learn abstract concepts. The next time you
take your baby for a walk, wheel the stroller into
the shade and say “shady,” then roll it back into
the sunshine and say “sunny.” Make your child
giggle by going fast and slowly as well!
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
Traditional
This Little Cow Eats Grass
This little cow eats grass.
This little cow eats hay.
This little cow drinks water.
This little cow runs away.
And this little cow does nothing but just lies down all day.
We’ll chase her, we’ll chase her, we’ll chase her away.
There’s no way around it – mealtime with
a baby is a messy proposition. But it’s also
a great time to help foster independence, so take
a deep breath, ignore the mess, and let your little
one feed herself whenever possible.
Repeat
After having some fun singing and rolling a
real ball, play a game of gently rolling your
child! Spread out a soft blanket, change the words
of the song to “I roll Jamie to Mommy,”’ and roll
your baby toward you and away from you. Hearing
the word while feeling the movement really brings
the concept of “rolling” home for your child.
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Peaches in the summertime, apples in
the fall,
If I can’t have the one I want, I won’t have none at all.
Sleep my little one, my loved one,
Ba-bush-ka Bai-O.
As the bright moon watches o’er us,
Ba-bush-ka Bai-O.
3
Come Arise
Come arise, come arise, the rooster crows,
The sun on his golden path now goes.
Repeat five times
When your baby has good control of his
head and exhibits some leg and arm
strength, help him see the world from a different
angle. Hold him under his arms and “walk” him
around the room with you.
Yankee Doodle went to town,
A-riding on a pony,
Stuck a feather in his cap,
And called it macaroni.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy;
Mind the music and the steps,
And with the girls be handy.
Repeat
Turn your five fingers into a “horse” and
have fun galloping all over your baby’s
body as you sing this song, tickling whenever
you can!
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
The rooster’s green and blue.
He crows his morning song,
“Cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo!”
Cock-a-doodle-moo.
The cow looks up at you,
As she sings her cow song,
“Moo, moo, moo, mooooo.”
Round and Round the Haystack
Cock-a-doodle-peep!
The chick hops and cheeps,
And he chirps a little song with a
“Pee, peep, peep.”
Round and round the haystack
Goes the little mouse.
One step, two steps,
In his little house.
Cock-a-doodle-oink.
The pig splats, “Sploink!”
And he hums a piggy tune that goes,
“Squeal, squeal, sq-OINK.”
Play a game to help your child practice
object permanence (knowing an object
exists even when you can’t see it). Make a “haystack” out of a pillow or scrunched-up blanket.
Find a small toy to use as the mouse, then recite
the poem and hide the toy under the pillow at the
end. Can your child find the toy? Don’t hide the
toy completely at first; leave a little bit showing, to
avoid frustration and help your baby learn.
Cock-a-doodle-baaa.
The sheep smiles and nods,
And she bleats out the beats,
“Ba-ba BAA, BAA, BAAAaa.”
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
Cock-a-doodle-bbhrm,
And away you go!
Cock-a-doodle-bye-bye, Baby O.
continued
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Susan James
Traditional Folk Song
Cock-a-doodle-look!
Baby’s in the book.
On the farm, in the tractor,
In a picture that I took.
Practice your best animal voices in a game
of “Where’s that sound?” Prop your baby
in a comfy spot, and then move around the room
making different animal sounds. Watch your baby
look all around, trying to see where the noise
is coming from – this is great practice for sound
discrimination!
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Yankee Doodle
Cock-a-doodle-neigh.
The horse is far away,
But listen and you’ll hear him whinny,
“NEI-EIGH-eigh!”
4
Little Boy Blue
Cantonese Lullaby
Traditional English Song
Little boy blue, come blow your horn,
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He’s under the haystack, fast asleep.
By the time she’s around 7 months old,
your baby is learning how to show her love
for you and other family members and friends.
Encourage any demonstrations of affection she
showers on people, pets, or stuffed animals – and
of course continue to shower her with affection
yourself, every chance you get!
Repeat
The Boy with a Drum
David L. Harrison
There once was a boy with a little toy drum.
Rat-a-tat, tat-a-tat, rum-a-tum-tum.
One day he went marching and played on his drum.
Rat-a-tat, tat-a-tat, rum-a-tum-tum.
Soon he was joined by a friendly old cat.
Rum-a-tum, tum-a-tum, rat-a–tat-tat.
Next he was joined by a green spotted frog,
Who sat by the road on an old brown log.
Wind in the Corn
I hear the wind blowing in the corn.
Ooo, ooo. Ooo, ooo. Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo.
Ooo, ooo. Ooo, ooo. Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo.
I hear the wind.
Repeat
Find a see-through container (a clear water
bottle is ideal) and fill it with some popcorn
kernels. You’ve just created a homemade rattle
for your baby to enjoy! Encourage him to shake it
to the music and watch the kernels move up and
down.
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
And then they were joined by a big yellow dog,
Who marched down the road with the green spotted frog.
They marched by a field,
They marched by a house,
And were joined by a cow and a furry brown mouse.
They marched by a horse who was pulling a plow,
And he trotted behind them and followed the cow.
continued
And they all went marching with a rat-a tat tat,
The boy with his drum and a big friendly cat,
The horse and the cow and the mouse and the dog,
The duck and the chicken and the pig and the frog,
The goose and the rooster and the billy goat, too,
With a bah, oink, quack, and a cock-a-
doodle-doo,
Oink, bow-wow, and a moo, moo, moo, neigh, cluck, squeak, and a mew, mew, mew.
They all marched away to the top of the hill,
If they haven’t stopped marching, they’ll be marching still.
“Cross-lateral activity” is a fancy name
for any activity where you move a part of
your body – a hand or foot, say – from one side
of your body to the other. If you scratch your left
elbow with your right hand, that’s a cross-lateral
activity. If you wave a scarf back and forth from
left to right, that’s a cross-lateral activity. Research
shows that cross-lateral activities stimulate the
two hemispheres of the brain and have a dramatic
impact on all kinds of learning. So go cross-lateral
with your child! Do some baby exercises by touching his left hand to his right knee, help him wave a
soft scarf from side to side, or just move from side
to side yourself, and watch him turn his head back
and forth to follow you!
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Talk about emotions as you go about your
daily routine with your child. Using sentences such as, “Sarah is crying; she feels sad,”
or “Daddy just laughed; he is happy!” helps your
baby recognize the words associated with emotions and begin to develop empathy.
Next they were joined by a big white duck,
And an old mother chicken with a cluck, cluck, cluck;
A pig and a goose and a billy goat, too,
And a big red rooster with a cook-a-doodle-
doo.
5
Find a book or some pictures of a variety
of animals and their babies. Name the animals and point out the differences between them.
Cats, elephants, and cows all have four legs, but
ducks have two legs; some animals have fur and
others have feathers, etc. Children love animals
– and it’s never too early to begin developing
observation skills.
Ritsch, Ratsch
Swedish Folk Song
Ritsch, ratsch, fili-boom, boom, boom,
Fili-boom, boom, boom, fili-boom, boom, boom.
Ritsch, ratsch, fili-boom, boom, boom,
Fili-boom, boom, boom, fili-boom.
Repeat
The Little Dappled Cow
Texas Gladden
Once there was a little man where the little river ran,
And he had a little farm and little dairy-o,
And he had a little plow, and a little dappled cow,
Which he often called his pretty little Mary-o.
Repeat
Conversation is a two-way street and is an
important skill to help your little one learn.
When talking to your baby, be sure to give him
time to respond in his own way. This imitation will
lead him to form real words and phrases in the
future. Try reciting the lyrics to this song – and
give your child a chance to respond. Baby babble
is good!
Old McDonald
Traditional
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
And on that farm he had some cows,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a moo, moo here, and a moo, moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo, moo.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
And on that farm he had some chicks,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a peep, peep here, and a peep, peep there, etc.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
And on that farm he had some sheep,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a baa, baa here, and a baa, baa
there, etc.
Repeat first verse
continued
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
Jolly Is the Miller
Traditional American Folk Song
Jolly is the miller who lives by the mill,
The wheel goes round with a right good will;
One hand on the hopper and the other in the sack,
We all step forward and we all step back.
Repeat twice
Make a homemade tunnel for your baby to
crawl through – it’s fun, and it can help her
understand the concepts of forward and backward
as well as under and through. Drape a sheet over
two chairs or a table, or pile up some pillows. Your
child may be hesitant to go through the tunnel at
first, so be sure to encourage her at the other end
(or crawl through first yourself to show her how).
This is a great way to develop your child’s mobility
and courage to try new things.
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Talk, talk, talk to your little one as much as
you can! Tell her the names of everything
you see when you’re in the store, in the car, and
on walks in the neighborhood. The more language
your child is exposed to, the better. Nonsense
words, such as those in this song, are just as important as real words, since they are often easier
for your baby to imitate.
6
Is your horse a single-footer, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe? etc.
Hayride
Adapted Folk Song
Moo
Alice Schertle
No matter the time, the place, or the season,
With no excuse for no known reason,
In the middle of a meadow, a cow says, “moo,”
Then all the other cows say it, too.
What does “moo” mean, anyway?
What, exactly, are they trying to say?
No matter what else they’re thinking of doing,
If they’re cows, they’re probably thinking of mooing.
Does your horse like to trot, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe? etc.
Refrain
Repeat, with variations
Take your child on a hayride at home by
pulling her around the room on a blanket!
Or, if you have another adult to help, try hammocking: Lay your baby on a blanket spread on
the floor, then have each adult lift one end of the
blanket and begin gently swinging back and forth.
Go slowly at first and be sure to maintain eye
contact to help your baby feel safe and secure.
This will soon become a favorite activity – and the
movement is excellent for the vestibular system,
which controls balance and coordination.
Does your horse like to gallop, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe? etc.
Refrain
The next time your child receives a helium
balloon, help him learn about cause and
effect! Loosely tie the balloon to his wrist and let
him discover that by moving his arm, he is moving
the balloon as well.
Hop Up, My Baby
Traditional
Clever Cows
Susan James Frye
The clever cows in single file walk up the hill and stop awhile.
Then black and brindle, red and brown, they make a line and
Walk back down.
Repeat
Your child is so clever – and so many other
wonderful things! It’s important for you to
show and tell your baby all the things you love
about him, from his nose to his toes!
Did you ever go to meetin’, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe?
Did you ever go to meetin’, Uncle Joe?
Did you ever go to meetin’, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe?
Don’t mind the weather when the wind
don’t blow.
Refrain:
Hop up, my baby, three in a row,
Hop up, my baby, three in a row,
Hop up, my baby, three in a row,
Don’t mind the weather when the wind
don’t blow.
continued
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
On the Farm
(Active Listening)
Go online to find and print some pictures
of the animals in this song (duck, horse, pig,
and chicken), then laminate them. As each animal
sound is heard in the song, show your child the
appropriate picture and tell her what animal she is
hearing. Let her look at and explore each picture
as long as her interest holds.
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Learning to shape your mouth for vowel
sounds is an important part of learning how
to speak. Try silently mouthing the word moo, really exaggerating your pursed-up lips on the long
ooooo, and see if your child tries it, too. Explore
other words as well, such as ball, me, and baby.
Refrain
Going on a hayride,
Going on a hayride,
The cows are in the clover,
The pigs have gone to Dover.
7
You Are My Sunshine
Oh, How I Love My Baby-O
Traditional
Susan James
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are gray.
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.
Please don’t take my sunshine away.
Rocking, rocking to and fro, to and fro, to and fro,
Rocking, rocking to and fro.
Oh, how I love my baby-O.
Repeat
Traditional Nursery Rhyme
Higgelty, piggelty, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen.
Sometimes nine, sometimes ten.
Higgelty, piggelty, my black hen.
Repeat
Keep the piggy fun going by visiting www.
play.kindermusick.com! Check out the
album This Little Piggy for lots of great songs to
enjoy, including dances and fingerplays that your
child is sure to find entertaining.
Schlaf, Kindlein, Schlaf
Traditional
Schlaf, kindlein, schlaf!
Der Va-ter hutt’t die schaf,
Die mutter schuttelt’s Bau-me-lein,
Da fallt herab ein Trau-me-lein.
Schlaf, kindlein, schlaf!
Little bough, a dream falls gently on
you now.
Sleep, baby, sleep!
Translated, the title of this song means
“Sleep, Little Child, Sleep.” Your baby’s
sleep is just as important as all the stimulation you
provide during her waking hours. Lullabies like this
one are a wonderful way to wind down at the end
of a busy day.
© 2011 Kindermusik International, Inc.
Go to sleep my little love, little love,
little love,
Go to sleep my little love.
Oh, how I love my baby-O.
Oh, how I love my baby-O.
Print pictures of the people in your
extended family and put them in a small
photo album that your child can flip through. Talk
about all the family members as you look at their
pictures – who they are, where they live, and how
much they love your child. This helps teach your
baby about family – and how he fits into that loving circle.
Cock-a-Doodle-MOO!
Higgelty, Piggelty
Babies start to respond to their names
when they’re about 6 months old. Use your
child’s name in as many ways as you can think of,
to make him feel important and help him develop
his sense of self. Try this: when you sing You Are
My Sunshine, replace the word “sunshine” with
your child’s name.
Sing good-bye to Jamie, Jamie, Jamie,
Sing good-bye to Jamie.
Oh, how I love my baby-O.
8