The Farmer in the Dell

Posted: Monday, November 19, 2007, 9:36 am

This is a great song to sing if you have more than one child, four years or older.

This song is best used with ages 4 and up. Have the children form a circle and hold hands. As you sing the song, put one (farmer) child in the center of the circle. When you sing the line "the farmer takes a wife" have them point to someone in the group who will be the wife. That child then goes to the center of the circle and then the "wife" picks a child and so on.

The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell
High-ho the derry-o the farmer in the dell.

The farmer takes a wife, the farmer takes a wife
High-ho the derry-o the farmer takes a wife.

The wife takes a child, the wife take a child
High-ho the derry-o the wife takes a child.

The child takes a nurse, the child takes a nurse
High-ho the derry-o the child takes a nurse.

The nurse takes a dog, the nurse takes a dog
High-ho the derry-o the nurse takes a dog.

The dog takes a cat, the dog takes a cat
High-ho the derry-o the dog takes a cat.

The cat takes a rat, the cat takes a rat
High-ho the derry-o the cat takes a rat.

The rat takes the cheese, the rat takes the cheese
High-ho the derry-o the rat takes the cheese

The cheese stands alone, the cheese stands alone
High-ho the derry-o the cheese stands alone.

Help your child be ready to read by practicing early literacy skills. Researchers find that the ability to describe things and events, and to tell stories helps children to understand what they are reading when they start to read.

You can help by:

• Talking to them about what you are doing, even as you go about daily tasks
• Encouraging children to speak
• Listening to them carefully
• Using books to help them tell stories
• Using books to help them talk about their own experiences

Research shows that your child's ability to tell stories will help him understand what he reads. As you read a book together, you be the listener and let your child tell you the story. It is all right if parts are left out, or if he makes up some parts. It is important for your child to tell you about the book. It can be the story, something he knows, or something he remembers doing.

For example: After you sing the song Farmer in the Dell, you can have your children retell the story. You could even have them re-sing it with their stuffed animals, making them the farmer and wife and so on.

More like this: early literacy songs Audio and video for Preschoolers