In April's Sweet Month Lyrics
Four lines announce the spring: the leaves begin to open, lambs skip about like fairies, and the birds build their nests and sing.
In April's Sweet Month
In April's sweet month,
When the leaves 'gin to spring,
Little lambs skip like fairies
And birds build and sing.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/in-aprils-sweet-month/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken in a bright, bouncy voice
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| the leaves 'gin to spring | Start crouched low with fingers closed, then stand up and spread your fingers like opening leaves. |
| Little lambs skip like fairies | Skip lightly on the spot. |
| birds build and sing | Cup your hands into a nest, then flap them like wings. |
What Does In April's Sweet Month Mean?
The rhyme is a quick picture of April. First come the leaves, which 'gin to spring, an old way of saying they begin to burst out. Then the lambs, which skip about so lightly that the rhyme compares them to fairies. Last, the birds get on with building nests and singing.
Each line adds a new sight or sound, so a child can act out the whole thing in a few seconds. The little jump from leaves to lambs to birds also makes a good prompt for talking about what changes outside as the weather warms.
History and Origin
The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (1833) prints the lines without an author.
Andrew Lang's The Nursery Rhyme Book (1897) gives a version of the same verse that opens "In the month of February" instead, so the month was changed in different copies.
Learning Activities
- Spring walk: look for buds, lambs or nests and say which line each one matches.
- Skip along: skip around the room on the second line and stop on the last.
- Change the month: say the rhyme with February, as in the other printed version, and talk about which month fits where you live.
- Nest building: collect twigs and grass and see if you can weave a small nest.