Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse,
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes.
Ride a Cock Horse is an extremely versatile nursery rhyme. You can sing it while you bounce a baby on your knee, give a toddler a ride on your leg or ride around on hobby horses. I like to use it as an instrument song. I hand out sleigh bells to a group of toddlers and get them to discover various ways of playing them. I always end up tucking the hand strap over my foot especially on the line “bells on her toes”.
I have a very fond attachment to this song as it was one my father sang when he played with all the babies in our family. He was a tall man so there was ample space for a child to climb onto his leg for a horsie-ride. He was very kind to young children and took great delight in reciting poems and songs to them. Passing on the nursery rhyme tradition is one of the most important roles for a grand-parent to play.
Have a look at the Musical Child website to find this and lots of other fabulous nursery rhyme tracks and activities.
