When we’re little, we have no concept of time. We are carefree and have our parents set our schedules. As we grow up, we understand the concept of time and soon learn to tell the time too. Learning to tell the time can be difficult, especially if the clock does not have numbers. The Hickory Dickory Dock song is one of the easiest English nursery rhymes which helps teach little ones how to tell the time. The song dates back to 18th century London and was first recorded by Tommy Thumb in 1744. It’s the perfect song to teach your little one how to read and understand the time!
Hickory Dickory Dock Lyrics in English
The lyrics of Hickory Dickory Dock poem are below:
Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock
What Will Your Child Learn from Hickory Dickory Dock
Your child will learn the concept of time and how clocks tell us the time. You can teach your child how to tell the time by changing the ‘one’ with other numbers such as 12. You can introduce your child to AM/PM before you start teaching them the time. Once they grasp the concept of AM/PM, you can begin to introduce them to numbers on the clock. Then you can merge both, and they’ll be reading the clock in no time!
Theme Of Hickory Dickory Dock
When you start reading the rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock, it may seem like the lyrics are nonsensical, holding no meaning or relevance at all. However, if you try to trace back the origin, it may be understood that Hickory Dickory Dock came from numbers in a local dialect that go Hevera, Devera, and Dick. This may represent the marching count on which a mouse hurriedly climbs up the clock. However, when the clock then strikes one, the sound scares the mouse, and he comes running down again.
Rhyming Scheme/Pattern of Hickory Dickory Dock
The rhyming scheme of the poem is AABCA. The first and the last line are the same.
Words That Your Child Will Learn From Hickory Dickory Dock
You can teach your child nouns like mouse, clock, and dock.
You can teach your child verbs like strike (struck) and run (ran).
Suggested Activity
- You can recite the poem and keep changing the numbers from one to 12. This way, your child will learn numbers and about the clock. You can have a clock for reference and show your child each number. Once your child is comfortable and knows the order, you start calling out random numbers and ask them to point at the time on the clock.
- A fun activity would be to have your child use their arms to represent the arms of a clock. You can add fun background music with beats and sing along with your child. It’ll be a fun dance-learning experience for both of you!
FAQs
1. How old should my child be to teach them Hickory Dickory Dock?
The best time to teach your child the poem is when they have a basic understanding of numbers and can roughly understand the concept of time.
2. Can I use flashcards to teach my child time?
You can surely use flashcards to teach your child time, but children are more receptive when learning is made fun. Do try to use the song along with the flashcards to teach them!
