Face-Songs Lyrics
Two short rhymes for naming the face of a very young child, touching eye, nose, chin and mouth one by one.
Face-Songs
Bo Peeper,
Nose dreeper,
Chin chopper,
White lopper,
Red rag,
And little gap.
Brow brinky,
Eye winky,
Chin choppy,
Nose noppy,
Cheek cherry,
Mouth merry.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/face-songs/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Spoken face game
- Best for ages
- Babies to 3 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Bo peeper | Touch one eye softly. |
| Nose dreeper | Touch the tip of the nose. |
| Chin chopper | Tickle under the chin. |
| Mouth merry | Touch the corner of the mouth and smile. |
What Does Face-Songs Mean?
Each line has a silly name for a part of the face. In the first rhyme the eye is the bo peeper, the nose is the nose dreeper, the chin is the chin chopper, the tooth is the white lopper, the tongue is the red rag and the mouth is the little gap. The second rhyme does the same job with brow, eye, chin, nose, cheek and mouth.
You say the lines while touching each place in turn, so the baby learns where each part is, and the rhythm builds up to the tickle at the end. Babies often start smiling as soon as they hear the pattern.
History and Origin
James Orchard Halliwell prints both rhymes in Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (1849), and says they are spoken to a very young child while the parts of the face are touched in order. He adds that similar songs were common in the north of Europe, and he quotes a Danish one as an example.
Face rhymes like these belong to the oldest kind of nursery game, because they need no props at all. Halliwell gives no date, so they are probably much older than his book.
Learning Activities
- Slow first: say it slowly the first few times, so the baby can follow each touch.
- Doll turn: let an older child act out the rhyme on a doll's face.
- Mirror play: sit in front of a mirror so the child can see each part as you name it.