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!

Knee Bounces!

Once a baby has reached 6 months or so, they're ready for some active bouncing. It's one of their favorite things - to "ride" on your knees to a rollicking rhyme.

I was at an amusement park this summer (wearily following my tireless older 2 boys around from one ride to another - why do they have so much energy??!) and I saw a "ride" for infants where you sit the child in a booster-type seat, strap them in, then pay some money to watch them go around in a tiny circle. It was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. And, being the person that I am, I thought, "how much better a warm lap and an active bounce rather than a silly, plastic ride?"

So, here are a few bounces that involve moving your baby from one knee to the other and are super easy to get into your repertoire.

Trotty Horsey

Start with baby on knees - imitating a trotting horse:

Trotty horsey, trotty horsey

went right up to town.

One foot up and the other one down,

     Lift baby up then back down

Trotty horsey ran along,

A-gallopy, gallopy, gallopy gone!

   Bounce baby back and forth on knees, optional: gently drop baby through knees on "gone!"

Jack Be Nimble

This mother goose rhyme is so simple and works very well!

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,

Jack jump over the candlestick!

Bounce baby to rhyme, then on "over" move to the other knee. Repeat! 

Father and Mother and Uncle John 
This one was shared in an earlier post, but it's worth repeating because it works so well)

Start with a steady bounce with baby/toddler on your knees:
Father and Mother and Uncle John
All rode to town one by one.

Mother fell off - woah!
lean baby over one side of knees

Father fell off - woah!
lean baby over to the other side

But Uncle John rode on, and on, and on, and on, and on....
bounce baby on knees in middle - faster and faster. 

Get going bouncing those kiddos!

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!

Walkin' Old Joe

We had a great (hot!) day at the train station in Strasburg, PA this week for their Day out with Thomas. Great fun. Highly recommended. Lots of kids, and wheee--oooo! - when they ALL go into meltdown mode at the same time, it's a bit crazy, but even with that, it's great fun!

Today I wanted to share another of our favorite baby/toddler bounces, and we even used it on the train when baby M was getting antsy for lunch.

There are many variations of this around, but this is the one we like.
Here are the words:

Walkin' Old Joe

Walkin' old Joe, walkin' old Joe - 

You're the best horse in the country. 

 

Walkin' old Joe, walkin' old Joe

You're the best horse in the country 

Whoa!

Gallop Old Joe, gallop Old Joe,
You're the best horse in the country.

Gallop Old Joe, gallop Old Joe, 

You're the best horse in the country

WHOA-OH-OOOH! 

Mosey Old Joe, mosey old Joe, 

You're the best horse in the country. 

Mosey Old Joe, mosey old Joe, 

You're the best horse in the country. 

WHOA-Oh-HO!!! 

Walkin' old Joe, walkin' old Joe - 

You're the best horse in the country. 

Walkin' old Joe, walkin' old Joe, 

You're the best horse in the country. Whoa! 

Directions: 

With baby/toddler in arms or on lap, bounce moderately on first verse. 

On second verse, bounce faster and more horse-gallopy-like (my new word creation)

On third verse, sashay side to side. 

On fourth verse, back to moderate and happy bouncing from first time. 

With the "whoa" parts in between, feel free to make those as fun as you can. I wrote them differently to try and describe what we do, but you can do lots of things. These little transitions are great to teach expectancy, build excitement, etc. 

You can draw the words out to increase suspense, make them loud and obnoxious or a combination of soft and loud, do a crescendo with your voice up until the verse, raise baby up high on the word, etc. etc... be creative and find out what brings the most giggles from your little one. 

This can be chanted or sung. Below is the song we use: 

Have fun - keep bouncing and chanting with those babies! 

Baby Chants about Candy

Who doesn't love candy? I mean come on... even if you're a purist who won't touch any of it, don't you still get a little excited when you walk past a bursting-with-color candy store?

We do enjoy some candy around here, so here are some chants to do with your baby or toddler while singing/chanting candy words - which are always more fun to sing about, me-thinks.

Lollipop, Lollipop
Lollipop, lollipop,
Lick, lick a lollipop.
Red, green, blue,
pink and yellow too.
Lollipop, lollipop,
sweet are you!

Bubblegum

Bubblegun - POP! 

Bubblegum - chew. 

Bubblegum pink 

and bubblegum blue. 

Motions: These are good for bouncing baby or clapping baby's hands as you chant or sing through.
For Lollipop, tickle baby on last "you!"
For Bubblegun, bounce baby high on Pop!

Handy Pandy

Handy pandy, sugar candy

One, two, three!

Top one, bottom one,

Where can it be?

Motions:  Hide a small object or treat in one hand, pound fists on top of each other as you sing or chant the rhyme, then have child choose which hand has the hidden object.



Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar?

(This one has been around for years and works best with preschoolers)
First, choose a child to be the cookie thief. We'll use.... Susie and Danny. :-)

-Susie stole the cookie from the cookie jar.
Susie:  Who me? 
-Yes, you!
Susie: Couldn't be! 
-Then who?
Danny!
Danny stole the cookie from the cookie jar...
etc...

Motions: This one is best either in a group of children (circle) or while riding in the car when there are others around to "accuse" etc...
You can clap the beat to this one too as you're chanting the first line.
Point to the accused and then open hands when asking "Then who?" etc.... (not if you're driving, please....).

Enjoy! :-)

Movin' and Groovin' Bounces

Baby M is a big fan of bounces... as anyone who's held him can attest to. As soon as I get him up in the morning, he starts bouncing in my arms.

As babies get more core and neck strength, they enjoy putting it to good use by being appropriately tossed around in rhythmic bounces and songs. Please adhere to the word "appropriately." My dad also likes to bounce his grandkids... but sometimes is a little too rough, and his bouncing has the opposite affect... He's getting better though. :-)

These bounces are some of my little jumping-bean's favorites....

1. The Old Woman's Pies 

There was an old woman 
as I have heard tell, 
she went to sell pies, 
but her pies did not sell. 
She hurried back home 
but her step was too high, 
so she stumbled and fell, 
and the birds ate her pies! 

Motions: 
First two lines, just bounce baby to the rhythm of the chanted words (or to a melody of your own making) as you go.
On "she hurried back home," - move babies arms quickly as if running (or bounce faster)
On "but her step was too high" - lift or gently toss baby up on the word "high"
On "so she stumbled and fell" - on "fell" drop baby a few inches or so either from your arm or through legs.
On "and the birds ate her pies" - tickle babies sides like little birdies poking at a pie.


2.  Triddety Trot 

Triddety trot to market, 

to buy a sweet green pear, 

Triddety trot and home again, 

and throw him(her) up in the air. 

Triddety trot to market, 
to buy a loaf of bread, 

Triddety trot and home again 
and throw him(her) in bed! 

Motions: 
Bounce baby to the rhythm of the first three lines, as if trotting on a horse.
On "throw him up in the air!" Toss baby a few inches or so up in the air or lift baby high from one knee to the other.
On "throw him in bed!"- with baby in your arms, pretend to "throw" baby by doing a throwing motion... of course, never losing your safe hold on your little pumpkin.

3. Bouncing Up and Down 
Bouncing up and down in a little red wagon,
Bouncing up and down in a little red wagon,
Bouncing up and down in a little red wagon,
Won't you be my darling? 

One wheel's off and the axel's draggin... (2 more times)
Won't you be my darlin? 

Other wheel's off and the axel's draggin... (2 more times)
Won't you be my darlin? 

Back wheels off and we all fall out,  (2 more times)
Won't you be my darlin? 

This one is best if sung. It's to the tune of "The Paw Paw Patch." (where, oh where is pretty little Susie?... If you don't know the melody go to this link and click on "Listen to the Song"). All my kids love this one... when they hear me doing this with baby M, the other two come running for their turn too.

You can certainly use your imagination for how to make this as fun and silly as possible, but here are some suggestions to get your thoughts going -

With baby/child sitting in your lap:
1st verse - Bounce child as if riding in a bumpy wagon (not necessarily neat and tidy).
2nd verse - Move child to one knee and lean him/her over so they're tilted outward on your knee.
3rd verse - Move child to other knee and do the same thing.
4th verse - Drop child between legs on the word "out" for each line (still keeping hold of them, of course...).

Well, that should be good enough. Don't be afraid to toss your little sweetheart around a bit - don't worry they'll let you know if they don't like it... and they'll also definitely let you know if they DO like it.
Get going and go play with your baby! :-)

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! :-)

Horsey Bounces

I always wanted a horse when I was growing up... alas, Barbie horses were the closest I got...
But, horses are fun to sing about and there are oodles of bounces about riding! They work so well, of course because of the "bouncing" nature of riding a horse... You can have your child "ride" on your lap gently or robustly (is that a word?) depending on the nature of the rhyme.

Here are three excellent choices for your baby's bouncing fun:
(Again these are all for promoting your baby's innate rhythm and rhyming senses, so bounce baby or toddler appropriately to the rhythm of the text) 


Derry, Down Derry 
Derry, down derry and up in the air (bounce baby higher on the word "up") 
Baby* will ride with pony or mare,
Held in my arms
like a queen on a throne,
loveliest rider that ever was known**.

*Insert your child's name
**You can change the wording of course... insert "king" for a boy, and "handsomest" or something similar.

Three Little Horses
Three little horses riding in a row.
The first is no good for he's too slow, (slow down bounce, speak words slowly)
The second is quick, but not as fast  (faster bounce)
As the third who's first  (a little faster)
to make you* laugh.  (tickle baby)

*Again, you can insert baby's name or just leave it as "you".

So Fast My Horse Can Go
So fast, so fast my horse can go,    (fast bounce)
A-riggety, jiggety, jig you know.
We gallp over the countryside,
A-riggety jig, we ride!
(slight pause)
And when we want to take a rest  (slower bounce)
we find that trotting is the best
We head right for a grassy spot,
A trip, a trip a trot,
A trip, a trip, a trot,
A trip   (slower)
A
trip
 A
Stop.

Whoa!!     ("drop" baby, or slide baby down knees, or lift baby higher.. however you think your munchkin would like to end the bounce.) 

This one is a song too, so here's me doing it with little J (who's not really so little, but he used to like this one especially when he was younger and still enjoys getting bounced around.). You can listen and get an idea of the melody for yourself.

Happy Horsey Bounces to you!

Bouncing Baby Boys (and Girls)

For the two of you out there who don't know, babies love to be bounced (although, preferably not on a full tummy...). Bouncing babies and toddlers is not only fun for  bouncee and bouncer, but did you know that it develops their inner musical aptitude as well?

Think about a baby bounce that most of us are familiar with... Humpty Dumpty, for example.
Now think about all the great things about bounces:

1. They rhyme - teaching patterns of sound and speech
2. They're often a descriptive story or scenario - developing their imagination
3. They have "high spots" of anticipation - teaching expectancy and outcome like "Humpty Dumpty had a great... FALL!"
4. They are sing-songy, or a full-fledged song - teaching melody and rhythm.
5. Baby's body is (appropriately) bounced to the beat of the song - teaching innate rhythm through shared body motion.

You didn't know they were so beneficial, did you? (or maybe you did....)

In a world where you can buy an electronic toy with any number of sounds and songs and languages, I bet that your baby still would choose YOU over any plastic toy.
We could give our little ones Baby Einstein videos all day, and their musical ability would not develop in any way that would be comparable to the extreme value of the physical, vocal and happy experience of bouncing.

Baby bounces are gems that are passed down from a grandparent to parent and so on. They are memorable, wonderful rhymes used for one purpose - joy. Joy in the child's face. Joy in the giver's face. There is nothing like the pure delight of a child enjoying such direct attention from their loving family.

I don't remember the first musical toy I had, but I have great memories of my dad bouncing me on his knees to "humpty dumpty sat on a wall..." and then dropping me down (gently! Thanks dad...) to "he had a great...... FALL!" and all the giggles that followed... as well as repeated appeals to "do it again, Daddy!!"

So, I will list many bounces on this site because they are priceless little activities that our children need from us.

I'll start with a little bouncing "how-to"

Here are three ways to bounce your baby or toddler:

1. Lay baby on his/her back on your lap. This is best for newborns/infants who don't have much core strength yet:

2. Hold baby up on your knees:

    3. Hold baby standing on the floor:

This is the one my 8-month-old currently likes because he's all about standing and jumping now-a-days.

Or, bounce them while standing up and holding them.... or lying on the floor with them on your knees... there are lots and lots of options!

Next, choose a bounce! I've listed some of our favorites below. They can be chanted or sung, but you should be sure to bounce your baby to the beat. I've put the strong beat in caps so you have an idea how to chant each one.


Ride Charlie Ride

RIDE Charlie RIDE,
RIDE that horsey RIDE  
(repeat)
Then finish with a louder "Yeeeeeeee-Ha!" where you bounce baby high, or wiggle him around.

Also... feel free to insert your own child's name for "Charlie"

Clap Hands 

Clap HANDS, clap HANDS
'Till DADDY comes HOME
with BUNS in his POCK-ets
for BABY a-LONE

Clap HANDS, clap HANDS
'till DADDY comes HOME
for DADDY has MONEY
and MAMMY has NONE.

(This one can be good to do with baby in your lap so you can "clap" his or her hands.

Ride a Cock Horse 

RIDE a cock HORSE
to BANberry CROSS,
to SEE a fine LADY
upON a white HORSE
RINGS on her FINGERS
and BELLS on her TOES
SHE shall have MUSIC
where-EVER she GOES!

I like to wiggle baby on "where...eeeehhhver" with a neighing sound like the horse.... I'll let you imagine. :-)

So, there are three to start with!
I'd love to hear what you do too!

And... next time you plop baby down and reach for their electronic-toy, consider trying a bounce or two instead. You won't regret it. :-)