Mix a Pancake Lyrics
Six lines that run through the whole kitchen job: mix, stir, pop it in the pan, fry, toss and catch if you can.
Mix a Pancake
Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake,
Catch it if you can.
More verses from the original
Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake,
Catch it if you can.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/mix-a-pancake/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Spoken with actions
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Mix a pancake | Stir a pretend bowl with a big circle of the arm. |
| Pop it in the pan | Pour from a pretend jug into a flat hand. |
| Toss the pancake | Flick the wrist upward and catch with the other hand. |
| Catch it if you can | Clap your hands once to catch it. |
What Does Mix a Pancake Mean?
Each line is a step in making a pancake, and every step is a verb a child can act out: mix, stir, pop, fry, toss and catch. That makes it one of the easiest rhymes to learn through movement. The only slightly tricky word is toss, which here means to flip the pancake up in the air so it turns over in the pan.
The rhyme finishes with a dare. "Catch it if you can" turns a kitchen chore into a game, and it is a nice moment to pause and see who is brave enough to try tossing a real one.
History and Origin
The poem was written by Christina Rossetti, an English poet who lived from 1830 to 1894. It appears in Sing-Song: A Nursery Rhyme Book, a collection of short poems for small children that was first published in 1872. The copy used here is the 1893 edition.
Unlike traditional rhymes, whose authors are not known, this one has a named writer. In England, tossing pancakes is linked to Shrove Tuesday, also called Pancake Day, and the rhyme is often said on that day, although it does not mention it by name.
Learning Activities
- Make real pancakes: let children measure and stir the mix as you say the first two lines.
- Toss it: use a soft toy or a paper circle and a plate to practice tossing and catching.
- Pancake order: write each step on a card and put the cards in order.