Six Little Mice Lyrics
Six mice are busy making coats when a cat peeks in and offers to help. The mice are much too smart for that, and the door stays shut.
Six Little Mice
Six little mice sat down to spin,
Pussy passed by, and she peeped in.
"What are you at, my little men?"
"Making coats for gentlemen."
"Shall I come in and bite off your threads?"
"No, no, Miss Pussy, you'll bite off our heads."
"Oh, no, I'll not, I'll help you spin."
"That may be so, but you don't come in."
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/six-little-mice/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Six little mice sat down to spin | Hold up six fingers, then roll your hands like a spinning wheel. |
| Pussy passed by, and she peeped in | Peek through your fingers. |
| Shall I come in and bite off your threads? | Make a sly cat face and lean in. |
| That may be so, but you don't come in | Shake your head firmly and fold your arms. |
What Does Six Little Mice Mean?
Spinning is twisting wool or cotton into thread, and weaving turns the thread into cloth. The mice are working hard making coats for gentlemen. The cat pretends to be helpful, but the mice know exactly what she really wants. Every offer she makes gets a polite, firm no.
It is a small lesson that children understand well: if something sounds too good, be careful, and you do not have to open the door.
History and Origin
An older version, starting "Some little mice sat in a barn to spin", is in Halliwell's collection of the 1840s. The six little mice here come from Walter Jerrold's Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (1903). Beatrix Potter's The Tailor of Gloucester (1903) has mice sewing a coat while a cat watches, and she quotes several old rhymes in it.
Learning Activities
- Finger puppets: draw mouse faces on six fingertips and a cat on the other thumb, then act out the rhyme.
- Try spinning: twist a piece of cotton wool between your fingers to see how thread is made.
- Safety talk: ask children why the mice did not let the cat in, and when they should say no to someone.