A tiny mouse climbing a friendly grandfather clock in a cosy nursery

Nursery Rhymes · Traditional English counting rhyme with new counting verses

Hickory Dickory Dock

A tiny mouse races up a tall clock, hears it strike one and scampers straight back down. The tick-tock beat makes this rhyme especially easy to clap, tap or rock along with.

The traditional rhyme

Hickory dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down.
Hickory dickory dock.

More counting verses

Hickory dickory doo,
The clock struck two.
The mouse said, “Boo!”
And down he flew.
Hickory dickory doo.

Hickory dickory dee,
The clock struck three.
The mouse cried, “Whee!”
And skipped with glee.
Hickory dickory dee.

Hickory dickory door,
The clock struck four.
The mouse gave a snore:
“I'll climb no more.”
Hickory dickory door.

The End

Next story: Humpty Dumpty
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About this story

Tap the beat on the blanket and let your child shout 'one'; the whole rhyme lasts less than a minute and rewards instant repetition.

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Talk about it

The lesson

Knowing when to hurry home can be very wise.

Questions to ask

  1. What ran up the clock?
  2. What sound does a clock make?
  3. Can you scamper like the mouse?

Words to know

clock
Something that tells us the time.
struck
Made a sound to mark the hour.
ran
Moved very quickly on foot.

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