One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Once I Caught a Fish Alive Lyrics
Count to five, catch a fish, count to ten, let it go. This finger-counting rhyme ends with a question and answer that children love to shout: which finger did it bite? The little one on the right!
One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Once I Caught a Fish Alive
One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
But I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
The little one upon the right.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/once-i-caught-a-fish-alive/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| One, two, three, four, five | Hold up one finger at a time on one hand. |
| Once I caught a fish alive | Clap your hands together to catch the fish. |
| Six, seven, eight, nine, ten | Count on with the other hand. |
| But I let it go again | Open your hands and let the fish swim away. |
| The little one upon the right | Wiggle your right little finger. |
What Does One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Once I Caught a Fish Alive Mean?
The rhyme counts to ten across two hands, with a tiny fishing story in the middle. The fish bites a finger, so it gets let go, and the last line tells you which finger. It is a neat way to practice counting, left and right, and finger names all at once.
History and Origin
The rhyme has been a favorite in British and American nurseries since the 1800s and appears in The Real Mother Goose (1916). Some older versions catch a hare instead of a fish.
Learning Activities
- Finger count: touch each finger as you count, then wiggle the right little finger at the end.
- Catch and release: use a paper fish and a pretend net, letting it go on "let it go again".
- Count higher: older kids can add a verse counting to twenty.