Thread the Needle Lyrics
Two children make an arch with their arms, and a long line of players snakes through it like thread through the eye of a needle. This is the chant that goes with one of the oldest playground games in Britain.
Thread the Needle
Thread the needle,
Thread the needle,
Nine, nine, nine,
Let King George and I pass by.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/thread-the-needle/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted rhyme
- Best for ages
- 4 to 10 years
What Does Thread the Needle Mean?
The game imitates sewing. The players holding hands form the thread, and the arch is the eye of the needle. As the line passes under, the chant asks to let "King George and I" pass by. Nine, nine, nine is just a strong beat to walk to.
History and Origin
Alice Bertha Gomme collected many versions of Thread the Needle for The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (volume 2, 1898). This one is from Liphook in Hampshire. She noted that in some towns it was once played in the streets at holiday times, with long lines of children and adults winding through the arches.
Learning Activities
- Play it: two children make an arch. Everyone else holds hands in a line and walks under while chanting.
- Twist the thread: after passing through, the arch-makers turn under their own arms so the line twists like thread.
- Real sewing: show older children how to thread a large plastic needle with yarn.