A cheerful Humpty Dumpty sitting on a low garden wall beneath the moon

Nursery Rhymes · Traditional English nursery rhyme with new bedtime verses

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty takes his famous tumble in the four traditional lines, then neighbours gather the pieces in a gentle new bedtime ending. The strong beat makes every verse easy to say together.

The traditional rhyme

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

More verses for bedtime

Under the moon by the old garden wall,
Neighbours came running when they heard the call.
They gathered the pieces, both tiny and round,
And carried them carefully in from the ground.

Soft cotton blankets and ribbons of blue
Held every piece while the good glue dried through.
At last Humpty smiled from a cushion in bed:
“Tomorrow I'll sit on a low wall instead.”

The End

Next story: Incy Wincy Spider
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About this story

Begin with the four lines your child knows, then carry on into the gentle repair-and-bedtime ending.

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Talk about it

The lesson

Some things need gentle hands and careful looking after.

Questions to ask

  1. Where did Humpty sit?
  2. Who came to help Humpty?
  3. What things do you handle gently?

Words to know

wall
A strong upright row of stone or brick.
fall
To come down from somewhere higher.
together
Joined in one piece or group.

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