Galloping Baby Bounces

There are lots of babies on their way this year in our family and friends' circles - which I am oh-so excited about! Since little baby M is going to seem like an ox next to these soon-to-come little ones, I'm afraid he won't feel like the "baby" anymore. Sigh....

Here are some delightful bounces for babies and toddlers that are easy to learn and lots of fun to enjoy with your little one. Remember, these bounces, chants, songs, etc. that you participate in with your child are not only helping them to understand music as it comes naturally, but the bond and the joy that these activities produce is priceless!


Here they are - Learn one or two and give 'em a try:

Ride a Horsey 

Ride a horsey up and down,  (bounce baby up and down, mimicking a horse ride)
Ride a horsey, ride into town.
Ride a horsey, black or brown,
Ride a horsey, then get.... down! (gently drop baby)


Ride and Ride the Pony

Ride and ride the pony, a mile per hour only,
jump over the tree stump, down falls the baby! (lift baby up on "jump" then gently drop baby on "down falls...")

~or~

Ride, ride the pony, a mile per hour only,
jump over the hill, and baby takes a spill! (gently "spill" baby over your legs)

 Ride Away 

Ride away on your horses, your horses, your horses;
Ride away on your horses, ride, ride on!
Galloping, galloping, on we go!
Galloping, galloping, to the show.
Ride away on your horses, your horses, your horses;
Ride away on your horses, now woah, woah! WOAH!  (slow down on each "woah" and either gently drop baby on last "woah" or slide her down your legs.)

Here is "baby" M enjoying these so you can hear some of the melodies. You can probably make up your own melodies to each of these since they flow so rhythmically anyway. I'm still learning these ones as you can tell, as we need some new ones to work into our repertoire 'round here... So, we'll be learning them together! :-)

I'd LOVE to hear what bounces and rhymes YOUR baby loves!

Baby Bounces - Ponies and 'Horseys'

If you've been here for a little while, you know how much I love baby bounces and chants. They are precious gems passed down from generation to generation producing baby smiles and giggles.  Passed down orally from one parent to the next, they are treasured pieces of tradition we should preserve for our kids to pass down to their kids.

Musical activity from infancy on develops a child's sensitivity to and understanding of rhyme and rhythm. Also very valuable is the strong bond between bouncer and bouncee that these little activities develop.

These bounces below are rollicking fun and will get adorable giggles and smiles out of your little one.
They are "horsey-themed" and thus lend themselves well to bouncy, rhythmic movement on your lap or on your hip.  (If you need a little more of a bouncing "how-to" go Here!)


Macaroni Pony

I have a little pony,

his name is Macaroni

He trots and trots and then he stops,

My funny little

Macaroni pony.

Here's what this one sounds like:

Come Up Horsey

Come up horsey, hey, hey!
Come up horsey, hey, hey!
Mama's gonna buy you a little lap dog,
Mama's gonna buy you a little lap dog,
Mama's gonna buy you a little lap dog,
Put him in your lap when she goes off.
So, come up horsey hey, hey!
Come up horsey, hey, hey!

Here's what it sounds like:

There are about 5 more I'd love to share, but I'll save them for later so as not to overwhelm you all at once. Give these a try with your child or grandchild and see if they like them!

The Way(s) the Lady Rides...

One of the most well-known bounces is "This Is the Way the Lady Rides." It's fabulous. Who thought of it? We may never know.... but we'll keep on enjoying it.
There are also lots of variations on this wonderful rhyme... all guaranteed to bring delight to your little munchkin.

Each verse has a different description of riding based on the character, so your bouncing will change with each one. Again... these rhymes are MOST enjoyable when parent/grandparent is enthusiastic, descriptive, rhythmic and energetic. That's not too much to expect of you, right?

Here is the basic rhyme (or what many people think is the basic rhyme) and a collection of variations... chosen from those compiled by Mr. I-exude-musicality-out-of-every-pore-of-my-being, John Feierabend.

This Is The Way the Ladies Ride

This is the way the ladies ride,
A-clippity clop, A-clippity clop
A-clippity, clippity, clop.

This is the way the gentlemen ride,
A-gallop-a-trot, A-gallop-a-trot,
a-gallop, a-gallop-a-trot.

This is the way the farmers ride,
A-hobblety-hoy, a-hobblety-hoy,
A-hobblety, hobbelty-hoy!

This is the way the soldiers ride,
"And a Hep! 2, 3, 4, Hep! 2, 3, 4,
heppety, heppety, hep! 2, 3, 4.

This is the way the cowboys ride,
A-whoopy-i-ay, a-whoopy-i-ay,
A-whoopy, whoopy, whoopy-i-ay!

--As you can tell, the bounces get progressively livelier and bouncier as you go along. Can't tell if you're doing it right? Their laughs should also get progressively bigger as you go. If they're not squealing and laughing at the cowboy part.... try again with more gusto! :-)

Two Variations: 

1. This is the way the ladies ride,
Neat and small, neat and small.

This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Boots and all, boots and all.

This is the way that *baby rides,
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!

*Substitute baby's name.

2. This is the way the ladies ride,
Saddle aside, saddle aside,
(bounce baby sitting sideways on your lap)


This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Saddle astride, saddle astride.
(baby sitting astride)


This is the way the baby rides,
tucked inside, tucked inside.
(hug baby)

And this is how they all looked great
when they jumped over the 10-bar gate.
(bounce baby from one knee high over to the other)


Who needs mechanical plastic ponies outside the store when mommy or daddy can be a far superior horsey??
Go bounce those babies! :-)