Rhymes are so much fun with animals in them. Think ‘Mary’s Lamb’, and you’ll know what we’re talking about. Thought to be a poem inspired by an actual incident, it was written by Sarah Josepha Hale in the 1830s. Sarah used the incident as an example to teach children a moral lesson, but ever since the creation of the ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ song, it has been a popular rhyme that kids love singing. And, even today, kids can learn a lot from it. Come, sing along and learn more about this classic English nursery rhyme!
Mary Had A Little Lamb Lyrics in English
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Sarah wrote the ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ poem when she witnessed a lamb following a little girl to school. The children found it amusing, and Sarah took it as an opportunity to teach kids a beautiful lesson. Later in the 1830s, Lowell Mason, an American Music Director, added repetition to the rhyme and gave it a melody that we sing to at present.
Mary had a little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day,
School one day, school one day,
It followed her to school one day
Which was against the rules.
It made the children laugh and play,
Laugh and play, laugh and play,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?
Mary so, Mary so?
Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children smile.
“Mary loves the lamb, you know,
Lamb, you know, lamb, you know,
Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.
What Will Your Child Learn From ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’?
Your child will develop language skills and learn to draw a comparison between two things, for example, ‘Its fleece was white as snow’. The poem also revolves around being kind and loving towards animals.
The Theme of ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’
The primary theme of the poem is love and affection for animals. Mary cared for the lamb and shared a lovely bond with him, which is denoted by the lines –
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
Rhyming Scheme/Pattern Of ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’
The poem is written in the ABAB rhyme scheme, and the pattern continues right till the end.
Words that Your Child Will Learn From ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’
The poem has a nice collection of rhymes, sight words, phonic words, and action words your child can learn. Let’s take a look at them.
- Rhymes: snow-go, rules-school, day-play, so-know, and smile-reply
- Action Words: go, play, and love
- Consonant Blends ‘fl’, ‘sn’ and ‘sm’: fleece, snow, and smile
- Consonant Digraph ‘wh’: white
- Vowel Digraphs ‘ea’ and ‘ai’: eager and against
- Sight Words: was, that, had, a, as, to, her, and, the, did, etc.
Suggested Activities
1. Cotton Ball Lamb
Draw a lamb on a sheet of paper and hand cotton balls and some glue to your child. Play the song on repeat and sing along as you and your child stick cotton balls inside the outline.
2. Stories With Lambs
Once the child is familiar with the song and knows what a lamb is, you can take it a step further and read some stories with the lamb as one of the characters. We suggest reading ‘The Lamb And The Dogs’ and ‘The Wolf And The Lamb’ as they are engaging and also carry moral lessons for kids.
FAQs
1. Is there another version of the ’Mary Had A Little Lamb’ Rhyme?
Ans. Yes, there is an older version of the rhyme which goes like this –
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day,
That was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.
And so the Teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near.
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.
And then he ran to her, and laid,
His head upon her arm.
As if he said, ‘I’m not afraid,
You’ll keep me from all harm.’
‘What makes the lamb love Mary so?’
The eager children smile.
‘O, Mary loves the lamb, you know,’
The Teacher did reply.
‘And you each gentle animal,
In confidence may bind.
And make them follow at your call,
If you are always kind.’
2. Who recorded the rhyme for the first time?
Ans. Thomas Edison recorded the rhyme for the first time in 1877 on a device called the phonograph.
This classic is a favourite among kids, parents, and teachers, as it is not just used to keep kids engaged and entertained but also to teach them important moral lessons. When your child sings this rhyme again, use the info we’ve shared above to teach them something new about it.
