30 Classic Jump Rope Songs Kids Love {+Videos}
As a parent and teacher, I am always looking for fun activities for kids that don’t require a ton of supplies or time to set up. One activity that meets these requirements and never gets old is Jump Rope. In today’s post I have created a list of new and old jump rope songs that your kids will love.
The Ultimate List of Jump Rope Songs and Rhymes
Give a kid jump rope and they are likely to use it for a few minutes – that’s when they start to get tired.
But guess what?
If you add a song or rhyme for them to sing as they jump rope, they are likely to jump until you tell them it’s time to stop.
There are so many benefits to jumping rope that go way beyond just having fun:
–Improves balance and coordination
–Exercises parts of the brain related to reading, memory and alertness
–Gets kids outside and moving
–Inspires creativity
Jump rope songs also bring kids or groups together and help to encourage teamwork, collaboration and friendship.
Adding a jumprope song provides an additional challenge that keeps kids working toward the goal of making it to the end of the rhyme, or beating their previous jump count.
This allows children to practice developing determination or “grit” which is showed to have a huge impact on their ability to work hard towards a goal later in life…
Like college or a career….or just not giving up when life gets tough.
These are awesome skills for kids to have and it’s amazing that they can learn these lessons through jump rope songs!
So let’s get on to the list!
The Best Jump Rope Rhymes
Classic Kids Jumping Rope Songs
This list has all of the jump rope songs that you remember from when you were a kid. Plus a few more that are sure to become your new favorites.
24 Robbers Jump Rope Song
Not last night but the night before, 24 robbers came knocking at my door,
As I ran out, they ran in, knocked me on the head with a rolling pin.
I asked them what they wanted and this is what they said.
Fancy dancers do the splits, (jumper doing the commands after each)
Fancy dancers do the kicks,
Fancy dancers turn around, Fancy dancers touch the ground,
Fancy dancers get out of town!
Ice Cream Soda
Ice cream soda, cherry on the top,
Who’s your boyfriend/girlfriend I forgot?
A,B,C….(until the jumper makes a mistake. Then take the letter they land on and think of a name that begins with the letter.)
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Turn Around Song
Teddy, 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 lights
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say good-night!
(The jumper will act out the actions as you sing the rhyme. For example: when they say go upstairs, the jumper pretends to climb the stairs.
Cinderella Jump Rope Song
Cinderella, dressed in yella,
Went upstairs to kiss a ‘fella.
Made a mistake and kissed a snake,
How many doctors did it take? 1, 2, 3...(until the jumper makes a mistake)
Buckle My Shoe
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 a-mixing;
Seventeen, eighteen, Maids a-waiting
Nineteen, twenty, My plate’s empty
Down by the River
Down by the river, down by the sea,
Johnny broke a bottle and blamed it on me.
I told ma, ma told pa,
Johnny got a spanking so ha ha ha.
How many spankings did Johnny get? 1, 2, 3...(until the jumper makes a mistake).
Fudge, Fudge, Call the Judge!
Fudge fudge call the judge
Mama's having a baby
Daddy's going crazy
Wrap it up in tissue paper
Throw it down the elevator
First floor stop. Second floor spin around. Third floor touch the ground. Fourth floor get outta town!
I Like Coffee
I like coffee, I like tea.
I like the boys, and the boys like me.
Yes? No? Maybe so? (Repeat until the jumper makes a mistake.)
I Had a Little Puppy
Growing up my friends and I sang this as "I had a little brother...not puppy"
I had a little puppy
His name was Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim
He drank all the water, he ate a bar of soap
The next thing you know he had a bubble in his throat.
In came the doctor
In came the nurse,
In came the lady with the alligator purse
Out went the doctor
Out went the nurse
Out went the lady with the alligator purse
Banana (Jump Rope Song)
Peel a banana upside down.
See if you can touch the ground (the jumper touches the ground).
If you spell your name correct, you will get another chance . . .(The jumper then spells their name until they make a mistake.)
Miss Lucy Had a Baby
Miss Lucy had a baby And she named him Tiny Tim.
She put him in the bathtub To see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water. He ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub But it wouldn't go down his throat.
Miss Lucy called the doctor,
Miss Lucy called the nurse.
Miss Lucy called the lady with the alligator purse.
Miss Mary Mack
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 fifteen cents, cents, cents,
To see the elephant, elephant, elephant,
Jump the fence, fence, fence.
He jumped so high, high, high.
He reached the sky, sky, sky,
And he never came back, back, back
Till the Fourth of July, lie, lie.
Spanish Dancer
Spanish dancer, do the split.
Spanish dancer, give a kick.
Spanish dancer, turn around.
Spanish dancer, get out of town.
California Oranges
California oranges,
50 cents a pack,
California oranges, tap me on the back! (A second jumper comes in and tags the first jumper, who jumps out)
High, Low, Medium, Slow
High, low, medium, slow,
Jolly ol’ pepper and away we go!
Ink, Ink a Bottle of Ink
Ink, ink, a bottle of ink,
The cork fell off and you stink.
Not because you're dirty, not because you're clean,
Just because you kiss the girls behind the magazine!
Down in the Valley
Down in the valley
Where the green grass grows
Sat little (say jumper’s name)
As sweet as a rose.
Along came a boy And kissed her on the cheek.
Why, oh why, you ought to be ashamed!
Got a little boyfriend And you don't know his name!
What is his name? A, B, C ...
Bluebells Cockle Shells
Bluebells, cockle shells
Eevie, ivy, over;
I like coffee, I like tea;
I like the boys, and the boys like me.
Tell your mother to hold her tongue;
She had a fellow when she was young.
Tell your father to do the same;
He had a girl and he changed her name.
Bluebells, cockle shells,
Eevie, ivy, over;
Mother went to market To buy some meat;
Baby's in the cradle Fast asleep.
The old clock on the mantel says One o'clock, two o'clock.. (to twelve o'clock)
Bubble Gum Bubble Gum In A Dish
Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish.
How many pieces do you wish?
1, 2, 3….keep counting until jumper makes a mistake.
Dutch Girl
I’m a little Dutch girl dressed in blue,
Here are the things I like to do:
Salute to the captain (salute)
Bow to the queen (bow)
Turn my back on the submarine (turn around and face the other direction
)I can do the tap dance (dance
)I can do the splits (jump up high with legs apart)
I can do the hokey pokey (turn yourself around)
Just like this!
Jump Rope, Jump Rope
Jump rope, jump rope wanna play?
Jump rope, jump rope what d'ya say?
Jump rope, jump rope hop in time.
Jump rope, jump rope sing in rhyme.
1, 2, 3, 4 Jump high, jump low
5, 6, 7, 8 Jump up, let's go
1, 2, 3, 4 Jump high, jump low
5, 6, 7, 8 how long can you go?
Lemon Lime (Jump Rope Song)
Lemon Lime, Be On time
What time does the party start?
1, 2 (jumper hops out) 3, 4, (2nd jumper jumps just 2x & then hops out etc.) 5, 6, all the way up to 12.
Mabel, Mabel
Mabel, Mabel, neat and able.
Mabel, Mabel, set the table,
And don't forget the Red Hot Peppers! (jumper jumps as fast as they can)
Cookies, Candies in a Dish
Cookies, candy in the dish;
How many pieces do you wish? 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . .
Ladybug, Ladybug
Ladybug, Ladybug, turn around,
Ladybug, Ladybug touch the ground.
Ladybug, Ladybug shine your shoes,
Ladybug, Ladybug read the news.
Ladybug, ladybug, how old are you?
One, two, three, four . . . . .
Three Six Nine
Three, six, nine,
The goose drank wine,
The monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line.
The lion choked, the monkey croaked,
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat
Group Jump Rope Songs
There you have it! A ton of super fun jump rope songs, rhymes and chants.
More Kids Activities:
At what age should a child be able to jump rope?
Most children begin to demonstrate the coordination and motor skills to jump rope between the ages of 4-6. Jumping rope requires a number of developmental skills including balance, timing, jumping and skipping which makes it a challenging activity for some. The majority of children are able to jump rope by the end of first grade if given ample opportunities to practice.
How can I teach my child to jump rope?
Before they can jump rope independently there are a number of steps that a child will need to master. The general progression looks something like this:
- Child is able to jump with two feet.
- Child is able to jump over static object.
- Using a long rope, an adult should swing it slowly back and forth while the child practices jumping over it. (The rope should not be going all the way around in a circle yet).
- Give the child a jump rope and let them practice “skipping over” usually with one foot in front of the other. At this point a child will usually just do one jump at a time.
- For many children it is easier to learn a running skip at this point. You will see children running forward as they skip over the rope.
- Child begins to be able to swing the rope themselves and jump over with two feet in a stationary spot.
How long should a kids jump rope be?
Choosing the correct jump rope for your child all depends on their height. For kids under 4ft tall you’re going to want to choose a rope that is shorter than 6 feet. Above that a general rule of thumb is to add another foot of length to the jump rope for every 6 inches of height. Most kids are going to want a rope that is between 6-8ft long.
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Hi, I’m Seventeen but I played many skipping games as a little girl.One was my favourite and it went :
I like coffee
I like tea
I want(someone else’s name) in with me!
You stood with two people turning the rope and a bunch of friends and someone would start.This person would join in the skipping game until you were jumping with all of your friends. It would start again when someone made a mistake.
I remember you might have an entire class of girls playing this together spread out in one long line in the courtyard of the playground. Players still to play would line up a bit of a distance from the jump rope but all would get a shot.
The min number it could be played with was three people and dependant one the length of the rope there was no limit to the max amount of people!
I remember to make it longer we would tie the skipping ropes together to let everyone join in! The game is called coffee and Tea
That sounds so fun! Thank you for sharing and including the directions for others to play!
We jumped to HELP.
We would say each letter until we missed then each letter had the next way we jumped until we missed again.
H- highwires, the rope would be raised to shin level
E – eyes closed
L- leap frog. Jump like a frog
P-peppers the rope will be spun fast for hot peppers
One of my favorite jump rope songs is as follows:
My Ma, Your Ma
lives across the way.
Every night they
have a fight, and this
is what they say.
Icka, backa, soda cracka,
Icka backa boo,
If your Momma chews
tobacca, out goes you!
It was straight jumping, no tricks, but all we girls loved this one. Think it was the crazy words…Icka backa, etc… We “sang” this one back in the mid 1940’s
That one is so fun! I haven’t heard it before. I love learning about handclapping games from other people’s childhoods!
*This was a popular skipping song in the late 1940s.
Fo, Fo, Fo
Fi, dairy, (insert name)
Who’s that knocking on the door?
If it’s (insert name)
Let her/him in,
and we’ll sock her/him in the chin,
and you won’t see (first person’s name) anymore
Shut the door!