Bingo (There Was a Farmer Had a Dog) Lyrics
Sing it once with all five letters, then drop one letter each round and clap instead. By the last verse, B-I-N-G-O is five claps, and nobody can keep a straight face.
Bingo (There Was a Farmer Had a Dog)
There was a farmer had a dog,
His name was Bobby Bingo.
B-i-n-g-o, B-i-n-g-o, B-i-n-g-o,
His name was Bobby Bingo.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/bingo/
- Type
- Action Songs, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 2 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| There was a farmer had a dog | Pat your knees in time with the song. |
| B-i-n-g-o | Hold up a finger for each letter. In each new round, clap once instead of saying the first missing letter. |
| His name was Bobby Bingo | Point to an imaginary dog and wag your hand like a tail. |
What Does Bingo (There Was a Farmer Had a Dog) Mean?
The song is really a game. A farmer's dog is called Bingo, and the chorus spells out his name. Each time you sing it, you swap one more letter for a clap: first B, then B and I, and so on, until the whole name is clapped. It teaches letters, counting, listening and patience all at once.
The version here names the dog Bobby Bingo. Most people today just say Bingo, and add "and Bingo was his name-o".
History and Origin
When Alice Bertha Gomme collected children's games across England for her 1894 book, she found Bingo sung in many different places, with different words about a farmer or a miller and his dog. The spelling-and-clapping game is the part that lasted, and it traveled all over the English-speaking world.
Learning Activities
- Clap it out: play the classic game, clapping for one more letter each round.
- Your pet's name: sing it with the name of your own pet or favorite toy, if it has five letters.
- Letter cards: hold up letter cards and turn one face down each round instead of clapping.
- Silly sounds: instead of claps, use a different sound each round: a stamp, a woof, a click.