Rope skipping to the beat of skipping rhymes and kids’ songs is an activity that all kids can enjoy during playtime. Whether they’re hanging in the backyard after school or looking for a pastime during a summer holiday, consider having the kids try skipping games guided by classic and clever rhymes. Here are a few to get you started.
Classic kids’ skipping songs and rhymes
1. Cinderella
Cinderella is a counting rhyme. To provide a bigger challenge, have kids count by twos, threes, or multiples of a given number.
Cinderella, dressed in yellow
Went upstairs to kiss her fella.
By mistake she kissed a snake.
How many doctors will it take?
2. A Sailor Went to Sea
A song that Aussie kids have been singing at school for decades, this one requires concentration and coordination. Kids have to focus on the tongue-twisting nature of the rhyme while skipping along to it.
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea.
To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see.
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.
3. Miss Mary Mack
Also a popular song to clap to, Miss Mary Mack tells the tale of a girl with silver buttons down her back.
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back.
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For 50 cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.
They jumped so high, high, high
They reached the sky, sky, sky
They never came back, back, back
Till the 4th of July, ly, ly!
July can’t walk, walk, walk
July can’t talk, talk, talk
July can’t eat, eat, eat.
With a knife and fork, fork, fork.
4. Fuzzy Wuzzy
This one is also a tongue twister, making it extra difficult to sing Fuzzy Wuzzy and jump at the same time.
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t very fuzzy, was he?
5. Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree
It doesn’t get more Australian than this rhyme, and it’s perfect for a fun little skipping session.
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Eating all the gumdrops he can see.
Stop, Kookaburra, stop, Kookaburra,
Save some there for me!
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Counting all the monkeys he can see.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
That’s not a monkey, that’s me!
6. Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
If your kids really want to make others watch their smooth jump rope skills, this is the go-to rhyme. Mimic the actions mentioned in Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear for an extra challenge.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, show your shoe,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, that will do!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say your prayers,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn out the light,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say goodnight!
7. 7-Up
Kids can show off their counting skills and flexibility with 7-Up.
7 up, 7 up, count to 11 up
1 2 3, 4 5 6, 7 8 9 10 11
6 up, 6 up, do the splits up
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
5 up, 5 up, touch the side up
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
4 up, 4 up, touch the floor up
1, 2, 3, 4
3 up, 3 up, touch your knee up
1, 2, 3
2 up, 2 up, touch your shoe up
1, 2
1 up, 1 up, you’re all done up
8. Buckle My Shoe
Here’s another fun rhyme that gets kids counting while they skip.
One, two, buckle my shoe;
Three, four, shut the door;
Five, six, pick up sticks;
Seven, eight, lay them straight;
Nine, ten, a big fat hen;
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve;
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen;
Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting;
Nineteen, twenty, my plate’s empty.
Make-your-own skipping rope rhymes and songs for kids
If you’re feeling imaginative, try making up new skipping rope rhymes with your children. It’s easier than you think! Start by humming or singing a favourite song, then try changing the words to create a funny story or teach a lesson. Feel free to add in hand gestures or cues for the feet. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
9. Happy Day
Help your little one sing this rhyme to the tune of “Happy Birthday.” This is also perfect for a group of children playing with one long skipping rope.
Happy day to you!
Happy day to you!
Happy day, dear (child’s name).
Happy day to you!
(Repeat with the next child’s name as they take a turn.)
10. Skip a Rope
Sing this rhyme to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” while skipping individually or as a group.
Skip, skip, skip a rope,
Merrily in the spring.
Hop, hop on each foot,
As fast as you can sing.
(Repeat and try to skip faster with each verse.)
11. Skipping Feet
If your child can sing “Jingle Bells,” this skipping rope song will be an easy one to learn.
Skipping feet, skipping feet,
Skipping feet all day.
Oh what fun it is to skip,
The whole day away. Hey!
The benefits of skipping for kids
Kids may not realise it, but skipping to rhymes can offer benefits that extend well beyond the playground. On the most basic level, skipping is a great conditioning tool for their cardiovascular system.
There are even more positive advantages of skipping to songs, such as:
- Teaching their bodies to take on the compression of gravity. By learning how to create force with the help of the ground, they are training their body to absorb force, as well as use energy efficiently and safely. This can ultimately keep physiological imbalances, pain, and injury at bay—all of which could lead to surgery.
- Learning coordination. Because it’s a cyclic activity that’s performed at a steady, regular cadence, skipping helps kids develop coordination between their eyes, feet, and hands. Singing adds even more challenge, with the skipping rhymes acting as a metronome to help with timing and overall coordination.
- Boosting cognitive function. Skipping requires kids to learn new motor patterns, which improves the nervous system communication between the brain, wrists, and lower leg muscles. In turn, this is said to improve overall cognitive function.
- Building foot strength. Because our feet are the base of our bodies, skipping helps to promote foot strength, boost coordination, and build explosiveness. And if kids increase their foot strength, they’ll also become stronger and more mobile in a variety of other ways, too.
Skipping to rhymes and songs will encourage little ones to exercise, play, build physical and mental strength, and bolster their creative thinking. So, whether they’re playing at recess or at home, there’s no doubt a case for encouraging kids to try the activity.