Dance, Little Baby Lyrics
Up to the ceiling, down to the ground, backwards, forwards and round and round. This is a rhyme for lifting and swinging a baby while a parent sings along.
Dance, Little Baby
Dance, little Baby, dance up high!
Never mind, Baby, Mother is by.
Crow and caper, caper and crow,
There, little Baby, there you go!
Up to the ceiling, down to the ground,
Backwards and forwards, round and round;
Dance, little Baby and Mother will sing,
With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/dance-little-baby/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Sung or chanted
- Best for ages
- 6 months to 2 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Dance, little Baby, dance up high | Hold the baby securely under the arms and lift them up. |
| Up to the ceiling, down to the ground | Raise the baby high, then lower them toward your knees. |
| Backwards and forwards, round and round | Sway back and forth, then turn slowly in a circle. |
| With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding | Jingle a rattle or bells. |
What Does Dance, Little Baby Mean?
A mother dances her baby in the air and promises she is right there, so there is nothing to fear. Crow and caper describes a happy baby: crowing means squealing with delight, and capering means kicking and wriggling. The coral was a popular baby toy, a silver rattle with little bells and a smooth piece of coral for chewing on while teeth came through.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in The Real Mother Goose (1916). Coral-and-bells rattles were given as gifts to newborn babies for generations, and they appear in many old family portraits, which tells us this rhyme was made for the nursery of its day.
Learning Activities
- Lift and lower: follow the words with your arms, slowly and smoothly.
- Rattle time: shake a rattle on "ding, ding, ding" and watch your baby turn toward the sound.
- Lap version: for younger babies, bounce them on your knees instead of lifting.
- Safety first: only play lifting games with babies who hold their heads up well, and keep the movements slow and close to your body.