How Many Songs Do You Remember?

Beverley Paine

It's not uncommon to see small children wandering around singing, often making up little tunes to which they put their own lyrics, or borrow phrases that catch their attention and chant them over and over again, playing with the words. I remember making up songs and singing them quietly to myself well into my teenage years, but because my mother pronounced me `tone deaf' throughout childhood I never developed this ability further. My attempts at learning music, via the fife, guitar and then keyboard were also considered novelties, nowhere near as important as studying maths, physics and chemistry.

When my own children came along I felt awkward introducing music into
their lives as it was something I grown used to listening to, not making. We purchased tapes and records suitable for children as it felt more comfortable singing along. The songs of my early childhood came back to me, and a few new ones.

How many of these songs do you remember? Do the words and music quickly spring to mind? I find myself smiling and feeling instantly happy as I hum the tunes.

• ABC action poem
• Apples and Bananas
• Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
• Baby Bumblebee
• Boom, Boom, Ain't It Great to be Crazy?
• Clap, Clap ,Clap your hands
• Clean-up Song
• Do Your Ears Hang Low?
• Everybody Line Up
• Five Little Firefighters
• Frere Jacques/Are You Sleeping
• Hand Washing Song
• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Jelly in the Bowl
• On My Head
• Open Them Shut Them
• Rain Fingerplay
• Ring Around the Rosie
• Round and Around
• The Ants Go Marching
• The Bear Went Over the Mountain
• Wheels on the Bus
• Whoops Johnny