Songs composed and written for children have both entertainment and educational functions. Songs for children often aim to teach children about culture, basic facts and fundamental skills. Exposing children to songs and involving them with singing are extremely beneficial. Singing can help children develop their vocabulary, build their coordination skills, improve their emotion expressions, and strengthen their memories. Parents singing together with children can also boost the bond in the family.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a very popular song and nursery rhyme about a farmer named MacDonald and the various animals he keeps on his farm. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective noise. For example, the verse uses a horse as an animal and "neigh-neigh" as the animal's sound:
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And on this farm he had a horse, E-I-E-I-O !
With a neigh-neigh here and a neigh-neigh there,
Here a neigh, there a neigh,
Everywhere a neigh-neigh.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
This worksheet provides the lyrics of Old MacDonald Had a Farm, together with pictures of the animals. The animals include horse (neigh-neigh), cow (moo-moo), pig (oink-oink), dog (bow-wow), duck (quack-quack), cat (meow-meow), and goat (baa-baa). Parents can use this worksheet to teach their kids to sing this popular song, which is very helpful for kids to learn new words and animals. With the help of the animal pictures, it is easy for kids to learn the song and recognize various animals.