A friendly black sheep beside three bags of wool in a meadow at dusk

Nursery Rhymes · Traditional English nursery rhyme with new bedtime verses

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

A friendly black sheep has three full bags of wool to share. The animal sound, simple question and counting pattern turn this old rhyme into an easy call-and-response for very young children.

The traditional rhyme

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.

One for the master,
One for the dame,
And one for the little child
Who lives down the lane.

More verses for bedtime

The sheep shook her fleece
In the soft evening light,
Then followed the lane
As the moon rose bright.

She curled by the barn
On a warm bed of hay,
And dreamed of green meadows
Till morning was grey.

The End

Next story: Chicken Licken
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Surprise me Tonight's story

About this story

A sheep noise, a question to answer and three things to count give a restless toddler a job on every line.

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Talk about it

The lesson

There is enough to share when everyone receives a part.

Questions to ask

  1. What sound does the sheep make?
  2. How many bags are full?
  3. What feels soft like wool?

Words to know

wool
The soft fleece that grows on a sheep.
dame
An old word for a woman.
lane
A small country road.

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