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Nursery rhymes on piano for kids

27 songsBy colorsFree

The Mother Goose classics, each with its words under every colored note and a piano that waits.

A fluffy black sheep beside an upright piano with three bags of wool in a barn with a moonlit windowMediumBaa, Baa, Black Sheep7 notesWordsA cow leaping over a crescent moon, a cat playing a fiddle at a grand piano and a dish running off with a spoonMediumHey Diddle Diddle7 notesWordsA shepherd crook with a pink ribbon beside an upright piano in a moonlit meadow, little sheep walking home in a lineEasyLittle Bo-Peep5 notesWordsA little mouse climbing a tall grandfather clock beside an antique upright piano in a candlelit roomMediumHickory Dickory Dock7 notesWordsA cat sitting on the rim of an old stone well under a bell, an upright piano by a cottage door at nightChallengeDing Dong Bell7 notesWordsA bright full moon over a cobbled village street at night, an upright piano with a hoop and a skipping rope beside itMediumGirls and Boys Come Out to Play7 notesWordsA little cradle hanging from a tree bough under a starry sky with a grand piano beneath itEasyHush-a-bye Baby6 notesWordsAn old well on top of a grassy hill at night, a wooden pail tumbling down and splashing water beside an upright pianoChallengeJack and Jill6 notesWordsA Christmas pie with a plum on top resting on an upright piano in a cosy corner by the fireEasyLittle Jack Horner6 notesWordsA white grand piano with a little golden crown in a field of glowing lavender under a full moonEasyLavender's Blue6 notesWordsA glowing mulberry bush on a frosty morning with an upright piano in a cottage gardenChallengeHere We Go Round the Mulberry Bush7 notesWordsGlowing silver bells and cockle shells along a garden path around a grand piano at nightMediumHow Does My Lady's Garden Grow?6 notesWordsA little tree with a silver nutmeg and a golden pear growing beside a grand piano on a palace terrace at nightMediumI Had a Little Nut Tree7 notesWordsA bowl of oranges and lemons on a grand piano before old London church towers with ringing bells at nightChallengeOranges and Lemons7 notesWordsA cat beside a royal throne and a golden crown in a palace hall with a grand piano, a little mouse hiding under a stoolMediumPussy Cat, Pussy Cat7 notesWordsBlackbirds flying out of a golden pie on a grand piano in a candlelit kitchenChallengeSing a Song of Sixpence8 notesWordsThree little mice in dark glasses walking along the keys of a grand piano towards a piece of cheeseMediumThree Blind Mice7 notesWordsA little pastry pig and a wooden pipe on an upright piano in a cobbled market street at nightMediumTom, Tom, the Piper's Son7 notesWordsAn old stone water mill with a turning wheel by a river at night, an upright piano beside the doorChallengeThe Jolly Miller7 notesWordsFrogs on lily pads, snails on mossy stones and a puppy tail by a garden pond with an upright pianoMediumWhat Are Little Boys Made Of?7 notesWordsA copper kettle steaming on an iron stove beside an old upright piano with a teapot and cups in a cottage kitchenMediumPolly Put the Kettle On7 notesWordsA little embroidered pocket purse with a ribbon and a coin lying on a piano lid by candlelightMediumLucy Locket7 notesWordsThree kittens in colourful knitted mittens around a pie on a grand piano beside a lit Christmas treeEasyThree Little Kittens5 notesWordsA ring of glowing paper lanterns dancing around an upright piano in a night garden full of firefliesChallengeLooby Loo7 notesWordsA huge golden full moon over a hilltop grand piano with a silver soup ladle on its lid and a cream cheese on the benchMediumAiken Drum5 notesWordsA little robin with its head tucked under its wing on an upright piano in a snowy barn lit by a lanternEasyThe North Wind Doth Blow6 notesWordsA folded paper island in a sea of ink with bread and cheese trees and a little paper grand pianoMediumIf All the World Were Paper7 notesWords
For grown-ups

About these songs

The oldest songs children sing

Nursery rhymes are the first songs most children hear, and many of them are very old: Three Blind Mice was printed in 1609, Baa, Baa, Black Sheep and Hickory Dickory Dock around 1744. Their tunes are short, they repeat a lot and they use few notes, which makes them perfect first pieces on the piano, with the words a child already knows by heart.

Old tunes from Walter Crane

Most of the rhymes on this shelf come from two illustrated songbooks by Walter Crane, The Baby's Opera (1877) and The Baby's Bouquet (1878), now in the public domain. Some of their tunes and words are a little different from the versions sung today, like Hush-a-bye Baby or Three Blind Mice, and each page says so. Every melody is set in an easy key for the rainbow piano, with as few black keys as possible.

More

More songs and games

First songsThree to six notes, all white keys: the place to start.Sing-along songsFolk songs and singing games, with the words under every note.Christmas songsCarols and Christmas songs to play for the family.French and German songsChildren's songs from France and Germany, sung in their own language.Famous musicTunes by Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi and more, by colors.First piano lessonsSix short missions: high and low, black keys, find C, finger numbers, a first tune, the rainbow scale.

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Questions

Frequently asked

What are the easiest nursery rhymes to play on piano?

Little Bo-Peep and Lavender's Blue stay under one hand, Jack and Jill is built on repeated notes, and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep uses the Twinkle Twinkle tune.

Why are some tunes different from the ones I know?

They come from songbooks printed in 1877 and 1878. Over time some rhymes changed tune or words; each page says when the old version differs.

Are these nursery rhymes in the public domain?

Yes: the rhymes are traditional and the tunes come from songbooks published in the 1870s.

For grown-ups

Play together in GOONS Studio

Everything in the kids section is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds the full piano with 88 keys, drum machines and a sequencer in the browser, to record a song together and play it back, with a 7-day free trial, no card required.

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