Counting rhymes, like ‘The Ants Go Marching’ song, make for a fun way to learn numbers. The tune and the lyrics are often very simple for kids to sing along to, and it’s so much fun to enact them! Read on to know more about this English nursery rhyme.
‘The Ants Go Marching’ Lyrics
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb.
And they all go marching down,
To the ground, to get out of the rain.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching two by two,
The little one stops to tie her shoe.
And they all go marching down,
To the ground, to get out of the rain.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
(Replace the lines in bold with the following words in the following verses.)
…three….climb a tree…
…four…shut the door…
…five…take a dive…
…six…pick up sticks…
…seven…pray to heaven…
…eight…check the gate…
…nine…check the time…
…ten…say “The End!”
What Will Your Child Learn From ‘The Ants Go Marching’?
Your child will learn to count from 1 to 10 and also some rhyming words with this song.
Theme Of ‘The Ants Go Marching’
The song is based on colonies of ants that work together and has been given a twist with rhyming words to make it an enjoyable song.
Rhyming Scheme Of ‘The Ants Go Marching’
The rhyme is a couplet, with each line having a rhyme in the very next line.
Words that Your Child Will Learn From ‘The Ants Go Marching’
Your child will be introduced to ample words and number names, too, through this rhyme.
- Number Names: one, two, three, etc.
- Sight Words: to, by, his, all, of, the, her, a, etc.
- Rhymes: one-thumb, down-ground, two-shoe, three-tree, four-door, etc.
- Blend Words: tree and sticks
Suggested Activities
1. Collect the Kernels
Give your child some corn kernels in a bowl and encourage them to sing the song. Every time the child reaches a number, they must remove a kernel and keep it next to the bowl. Once the bowl is empty, the child must sing the rhyme again till they put all the kernels back in the bowl.
2. Go Marching!
March to this upbeat song with your child and enact the events in this rhyme. Your child can repeat the rhyme as many times as they want to.
FAQs
1. Who wrote the rhyme?
It is unknown who wrote this rhyme, but the song first appeared in Barney’s Campfire ‘Sing Along’ in the 1990s.
2. What is ‘The Ants Go Marching’ song based on?
‘The Ants Go Marching’ is based on the American Civil War song ‘When Johnny Comes Marching Home’.
Introduce your little one to this poem/song and make learning enjoyable for them!
