Most Mother Goose rhymes have no known author. They were passed down by parents and nursemaids long before anyone wrote them down, and some of the earliest printed collections date from the 1700s. The name “Mother Goose” itself goes back to Charles Perrault’s 1697 book of fairy tales, Contes de ma mère l’Oye, “Tales of My Mother Goose.”
Nursery rhymes are a child’s first poetry: short, rhythmic and full of rhyme, which makes them ideal for early language and memory. Each rhyme below has its own page with the words, a little history and the read-aloud.
The earliest known printed collection, Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book, appeared in London in 1744. The most influential, Mother Goose’s Melody, came from the firm of John Newbery and crossed the Atlantic in 1785, which is why Americans still call these “Mother Goose rhymes.” Many of the rhymes began as songs for grown-ups before children made them their own.
Source: Britannica, “Nursery rhyme”.
Looking for one rhyme in particular? See every nursery rhyme, A to Z.
Press Play Once
Watch 30 classic Mother Goose rhymes together in this 18-minute compilation video. ✦ Watch on YouTube
Good Places to Begin
Tap a title to read the full text and watch its read-aloud.
- Humpty DumptySat on a wall, had a great fall.
- Hey Diddle DiddleThe cow jumped over the moon.
- Jack and JillUp the hill to fetch a pail of water.
- Little Miss MuffetCurds, whey and a very large spider.
- Hickory Dickory DockThe mouse ran up the clock.
- Baa Baa Black SheepThree bags full.
- Little Bo-PeepShe has lost her sheep.
- Old King ColeA merry old soul and his fiddlers three.
- Sing a Song of SixpenceFour and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
- Pat-a-CakeA clapping rhyme for the very youngest.