Once I Saw a Little Bird Lyrics
A little bird hops past, and the child wants to say hello. But before they reach the window, the bird shakes its tail and flies off.
Once I Saw a Little Bird
Once I saw a little bird
Come hop, hop, hop;
So I cried, "Little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?"
And was going to the window
To say, "How do you do?"
But he shook his little tail,
And far away he flew.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/once-i-saw-a-little-bird/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes, Action Songs
- Tune
- Sung or chanted
- Best for ages
- 1 to 5 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Come hop, hop, hop | Hop three times. |
| Will you stop, stop, stop? | Hold up a hand on each stop. |
| To say, How do you do? | Wave hello. |
| And far away he flew | Flap your arms and fly around the room. |
What Does Once I Saw a Little Bird Mean?
The child sees a small bird hopping about and calls out to it to stop. They go to the window to say "How do you do?", an old polite greeting, but the bird has other plans: it shakes its tail and flies away. Birds are shy, and the rhyme captures that moment perfectly.
History and Origin
The rhyme appears in The Real Mother Goose (1916) as "The Little Bird", and James Orchard Halliwell printed it earlier. Its hops and stops make it a natural action rhyme for toddlers, who love the big flying finish.
Learning Activities
- Hop and fly: do the actions on each line.
- Bird watch: look out of a window for birds and count the hoppers and the walkers.
- Bird feeder: hang a simple feeder and watch who visits.