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Music Education
Resources by Paula Downes, a lot of music by Andrew Downes

Baa Baa Black Sheep FREE ANIMATION!

Watch all nursery rhyme videos in one continuous playlist:

Lyrics
Baa Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool?
Yes Sir, yes Sir, three bags full:
One for my Master and one for my Dame,
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.

Activities

Teach your little one animal sounds - this is the perfect way to introduce the sheep.  Make sure your 'Baa Baa' is realistic!

Use the downloadable colouring page (coming soon) and point out the characters as you sing.

Teach your child to count by acting out the song with three bags of black wool.  This is a good idea for a kids' music class as well.  You could change the number of bags and make up new characters together.

Sing the song while tapping the beat gently on your child's arm.  This is a really good way for a child to get used to a steady beat.

Sing this song regularly.  This is one of the first nursery rhymes my daughter picked up.  I noticed her humming the scale downwards and the opening interval of a fifth a lot before she put the words to it.  As soon as you pick up on your child singing a little snippet, sing the whole song, and before you know it, they will be able to do it too.

History
The words for 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' were first published in 'Tom Thumb's Pretty Songbook' around 1744.  Some people believe that the rhyme is about the wool tax in Medieval England, while others believe it refers to the slave trade.  The melody is based on  the french song, 'Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman' by M.Bouin, which was first published without words in 1761.  Other nursery rhymes, such as 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' and 'The Alphabet Song' are based on the same melody.  

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Music Education
Resources by Paula Downes, a lot of music by Andrew Downes

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