One, Two, Buckle My Shoe Lyrics
Counting to twenty gets easier when every pair of numbers has a job: buckle a shoe, knock at a door, pick up sticks. This counting rhyme was printed in London in 1805.
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Knock at the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
A good, fat hen;
Eleven, twelve,
Dig and delve;
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids in the kitchen;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My plate's empty.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/one-two-buckle-my-shoe/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes
- First published
- 1805
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| One, two, buckle my shoe | Hold up two fingers, then touch your shoe. |
| Three, four, knock at the door | Knock on the table or floor. |
| Five, six, pick up sticks | Bend down and pretend to pick up sticks. |
| Seven, eight, lay them straight | Lay your hands flat side by side. |
| Nine, ten, a good, fat hen | Flap your arms like a hen. |
What Does One, Two, Buckle My Shoe Mean?
The rhyme is a counting game. Each pair of numbers is matched with an everyday action that rhymes with it, which helps children remember the order of the numbers.
The later lines describe ordinary household jobs in the 1800s, like digging, cooking and waiting at table, ending with "my plate's empty", a funny way to say the counting is finished.
History and Origin
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe first appeared in print in 1805 in Songs for the Nursery, published in London. It was already well known as a counting rhyme and has been used to teach numbers ever since.
Learning Activities
- Count and act: do an action for every pair, then speed up.
- Stick counting: collect real sticks outside, count them and "lay them straight".
- Stop at ten: for little ones, stop at "nine, ten" and add more numbers as they grow.