Singing a lullaby to your baby wont just calm the baby down and put them to sleep; it will also serve as a special activity for you to connect with your little one. The slow, rhythmic tune and your soothing voice are no less than therapy for your child when they are preparing to face the big-big world out there. And when we talk about lullabies, does the ‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’ song pop up in your mind too? This classic is such a widely used bedtime song. Come, sing along and learn some facts about this English nursery rhyme.
‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’ Lyrics in English
The ‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’ poem is believed to be published by John Newbury, who is also known as the father of Children’s Literature. Here’s how the modern version of the poem goes:
Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
This rhyme retains most of the older version, except for the first line, which originally was ‘Hush-a-bye baby on the tree top’.
What Will Your Child Learn From ‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’?
The song has a slow melody that can help your child calm down when anxious. Encourage the child to sing along, and they can soon use it as a self-soothing technique when they are stressed. Apart from that, your child will be building their vocabulary as they will be introduced to a new set of words and rhymes.
Theme Of ‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’
As mentioned above, the ‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’ song is a lullaby used to lull babies to sleep.
Rhyming Scheme/Pattern Of ‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’
This poem follows the AABB rhyming pattern and is often repeated multiple times, making it extremely easy for babies to relate to, grasp, and remember.
Words That Your Child Will Learn From ‘Rock-A-Bye Baby’
This small poem will definitely add to your child’s existing vocabulary with terms like ‘rock-a-bye’, which means moving a baby in one’s arms using gentle, slow movements. The child is likely to learn about the elements found in nature (i.e., trees and wind), direction (i.e., top and down), and gradually, as they grow older, even get an introduction to consequences (i.e., When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall).
Suggested Activities
The bedtime routine is not the only time you can use this English nursery rhyme. Let’s take a look at some activities that will go very well with the song.
1. Rock-A-Bye Teddy Bear
Encourage your baby to put their favourite teddy bear or doll to sleep by singing this lullaby. You can create a small cradle in a safe spot of the house where the child can lay the toy and rock it to sleep while singing the song.
2. Colour To The Song
A colouring activity goes really well with a slow-paced song. Hand your child some crayons and a colouring sheet and put the song on repeat. Encourage your little one to sing along as they fill in the colours.
FAQs
1. What’s the origin of the ‘Rock-a-Bye Baby’ nursery rhyme?
The song is believed to originate when women working in fields used to take their babies along to work and tie their cradles to the branches of the trees so that the wind could rock them to sleep.
2. How long should I sing the lullaby after the baby is asleep?
While this depends on your baby, you may want to continue singing the lullaby for another 20 to 30 minutes so that your baby can get into a deep sleep while listening to your soothing voice.
Use this song to calm down your little one at any time of the day. Your baby is likely to respond to your voice and the familiar lyrics and sounds way better than a new rhyme or song when needed.
