One, Two, Three, Four, Mary at the Cottage Door Lyrics
Eight numbers and a girl eating cherries on her doorstep, then the last line spells the word OUT, a quick way to pick who sits out.
One, Two, Three, Four, Mary at the Cottage Door
One, two, three, four,
Mary at the cottage door;
Five, six, seven, eight,
Eating cherries off a plate;
O-U-T spells out!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/one-two-three-four-mary-at-the-cottage-door/
- Type
- Counting Rhymes
- Tune
- Chanted fast, pointing at each child on every number
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| One, two, three, four | Point at four children in turn, or count four fingers. |
| Eating cherries off a plate | Pop pretend cherries into your mouth. |
| O-U-T spells out! | Point at the child you land on, and say each letter as you tap. |
What Does One, Two, Three, Four, Mary at the Cottage Door Mean?
The rhyme counts from one to eight, with a small picture dropped in the middle: Mary stands at her cottage door and eats cherries from a plate. The last line does the work of a counting-out rhyme. It spells the three letters O-U-T and then says the word, so whoever is being pointed at on the final word is out.
Each half of the count gets a picture line, which makes the rhyme easy to learn even for children who cannot yet count past ten.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in The Little Mother Goose (1912). Robert Ford, in the counting-out chapter of Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories, prints a Scottish form of the opening, with Jenny instead of Mary at the cottage door, eating cherries aff a plate, which is how a Scots speaker says off.
Learning Activities
- Who goes first: use the rhyme to pick the child who leads the next game, going round the circle once.
- Cherry counting: count real or paper cherries onto a plate as you reach each number.
- Spell it out: clap once for each of the letters O, U and T.
- Change the name: put a child's name in place of Mary and see whether the rhyme still fits.