Early to Bed Lyrics
Two lines of advice that almost every child has heard at bedtime. They are older than many people think, and Benjamin Franklin helped make them famous.
Early to Bed
Early to bed, and early to rise,
Is the way to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/early-to-bed/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 3 to 9 years
What Does Early to Bed Mean?
The rhyme promises that going to bed early and getting up early will make you healthy, wealthy and wise. Wealthy means rich. It is a proverb, a short saying that gives advice, and parents have been quoting it at bedtime for hundreds of years.
History and Origin
The saying was already known in England in the 1600s. Benjamin Franklin printed it in Poor Richard's Almanack in 1735, and it became one of the best-known lines in America. This version is from Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes.
Learning Activities
- Bedtime routine: use it as a cue that it is time to get ready for bed.
- Healthy, wealthy, wise: talk about why sleep helps us feel well and think clearly.
- Proverb hunt: find other short sayings that give advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who said early to bed and early to rise?
It is an old English proverb, made famous by Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanack in 1735.
What does wealthy mean?
Rich.