HomeNursery RhymesThere Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

✦ A Nursery Rhyme ✦

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

A traditional Mother Goose nursery rhyme

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn’t know what to do!

Watch the Read-Aloud Read the Rhyme

Read aloud by Storyland Classics  ✦  29 seconds  ✦  Watch on YouTube

✦ The Rhyme ✦

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Traditional English nursery rhyme. Public domain.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, She had so many children she didn’t know what to do; She gave them some broth without any bread, Then kissed them all soundly and sent them to bed.

✦ About the Rhyme ✦

A House Shaped Like a Shoe

“There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” was first printed in 1794. Over the years many different last lines have been used, and the gentle bedtime ending shared here is the one many families prefer today.

A house shaped like a giant shoe has delighted illustrators for centuries, with windows in the toe and laces for ladders.

✦ Talk About It ✦

Questions to Share

  • Where did the old woman live?
  • What did she give the children for supper?
  • If you lived in a giant shoe, where would your bedroom be?

✦ Keep Reading ✦

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