Updated November, 2021
We all know the song The Wheels On the Bus and it’s many versus. The wheels go round and round, the doors go open and shut, the babies go wah wah wah, and the mommies go shh shh shh. Plus any other versus we can think of. We sing it with our young children all the time. There is just one big difference from most people: the babies on my bus don’t cry. I change my baby songs lyrics.
Singing is a powerful way to lead and teach children. It is my favorite way to get a child’s attention or to help a transition. I sing songs in other languages, before bed, and to announce meals.
What we sing is just as important though. The way you talk to your child matters. This valuable teaching tool has all sorts of messages embedded in it. I have found small ways to change a lot of those original songs so that I am sending my children messages that I believe in.
There are a lot of ways we can change our songs to send positive and inclusive messages. When singing Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, alternate the gender of the monkey that fell off, and use the gender neutral pronoun “they” for the last monkey. In Baby Bumblebee, don’t squish the bee, just let it go. In Hush Little Baby, have the parent get or find stuff instead of buying it. Your Ants can plant trees and calculate. And of course, the baby’s on the bus don’t cry.
These are just a few examples of the songs I have changed ever so slightly. Children absorb what we say and do, not what we tell them. So make sure what you are telling them resonates with you.
I typed up a few baby song lyrics below. I changed the lyrics for them because what we say (or sing) to our children really does matter. What songs do you change with your kids?
Ants Go Marching
The ants go marching one by one
Hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
Hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
The little one stops to have some fun
And they all go marching down
To the ground
To get out of the rain
Boom boom boom
Two….. Tie her shoe
Three….. Plant a tree
Four….. Shut the door
Five….. Do a jive
Six….. Pick up sticks
Seven….. Count to eleven
Eight….. Calculate (my two year old loves this line)
Nine….. Climb a vine
Ten….. Begin again
Baby Bumblebee
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee
Buzz, buzz, buzz
I’m letting go my baby bumblebee
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me
I’m letting go my baby bumblebee
Bye bye bumblebee
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
No more monkeys jumping on the bed
Four….. Bumped her head
Three….. Bumped his head
Two….. Bumped her head
One… They fell off and bumped their head
Wheels on the Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish
The money on the bus goes clink, clink, clink
The driver on the bus says “move on back”
The doors on the bus go open and shut
The babies on the bus go zzzz, zzzz, zzzz
The mommy on the bus says “I love you”
The daddy on the bus says “Love you too”
The people on the bus go up and down
The wheels on the bus go round and round
Having been a child care provider for 22 years, I wholeheartedly agree. I used to make up my own songs and change words in others for a more positive outcome. For example, in order to persuade them to drink their milk at lunch I would sing (to the tune of Row, Row, Row your boat): “Drink, Drink, Drink your milk. Drink it every day. It will make you big and strong. The booboo’s go away”. Sometimes, I would change words to be silly (insert new words for things to “go away”). When singing Rock-a-bye Baby, after the bough breaks and the cradle falls, I would sing “and Mom (or Dad) will catch baby, cradle and all.” While singing Ring Around the Rosie, we liked to fill our pocket with different things! I let the kids each have a turn to choose what their pocket was filled with. <3