Little Boy Blue Lyrics

The earliest printed version of the Little Boy Blue lyrics was in Tommy Thumbs Little Song Book around 1744.

While learning this rhyme we talked about how everyone must do their part and if Little Boy Blue had not been sleeping the animals would not have wandered away.

We also discuss how high the dishes in the sink, the laundry or messy wastebaskets would get if no one took care of them. One Mom told me that her son started thanking her when she completed household chores at home. Another Mom said her daughter was helping out more. So... a couple of parents were quite happy their children had learned this particular rhyme.

Looking for a fun game to go with the rhyme?

This is a fun rhyme to act out with several children. Turn the rhyme into a twist on hide and seek.

Start by giving one child a blue hat and plastic horn. The others pretend to be sheep or cows. The child who is playing Little Boy Blue pretends to sleep while the others hide. The last child found gets the hat and horn for extended play.

Little Boy Blue Lyrics

Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow,
The cow's in the corn;
Where is that boy
Who looks after the sheep?
Under the haystack
Fast asleep.

Some versions carry the following lines:

Will you wake him?
Oh no, not I,
For if I do
He will surely cry.

Coloring pages to go with the rhyme...

Print out as many as you need. Adding a coloring page will help reinforce the learned rhyme.

Why teach nursery rhymes? Because language activities help develop listening, expressive and memory skills.

Examples of language activities? Listening to stories and poems. Telling and retelling nursery rhymes. Singing and chanting. Discussing meanings of words.

Nursery rhymes include all of the above in a fun kid-friendly manner. What could be better?

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