15+ Autumn Songs for Early Years and Preschool

The following is a selection of autumn songs and rhymes for early years and preschool children. I have enjoyed singing these with children in my classes aged 3 to 6 as well as with my own children. I’ve included some songs about leaves, apples, spiders, autumn holiday songs, and some rhymes and songs about animals associated with autumn. You may also want to see my posts on autumn themed books and Halloween themed books.

Some of these songs are ‘new words to old songs’. This means they take the tune of a common nursery song (such as London Bridge is Falling Down) and use new and different words. You can also adapt these to suit the interests of your children! This type of activity is recommended in Letters and Sounds phase 1, aspect 2 to promote speaking and listening.

***You can download word documents with the songs at the end of each section below.***

Seasonal Songs- Autumn Songs for Early Years

Autumn Tree Themed Songs

All the Leaves are Falling Down

*This can be sung to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down. This is a fun song to sing when you are going on a leaf hunt with children.

All the leaves are falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
All the leaves are falling down,
All around the town.

Walk around and pick them up,
Pick them up, pick them up.
Walk around and pick them up
All around the town.

Five Little Leaves

*This can be sung to the tune of 5 little ducks. Using fingers to represent the number of leaves to help children learn the value of numbers. Alternatively, instead of leaves, you can also have 5 little apples dancing around on a tree one day.

Five little leaves so bright and gay
Were dancing about on a tree one day.
The wind came blowing through the town
Whooooooooo… Whoooooooooo
And one little leaf came tumbling down.

Four little leaves so bright and gay…
(and then repeat and continue down to no little leaves)

Five Shiny Conkers

Five shiny conkers on a horse chestnut, (Hold up 5 fingers or point to 5 conkers)
Beautiful and brown, don’t you all agree?
Along came the wind, woooosh (Make wooshing/blowing noise)
And down one fell, (Drop hands down or remove one)
And a squirrel came to find it in its spikey green shell.

Four shiny conkers on a horse chestnut tree…

*Repeat and keep counting down until there are no conkers left.

Five Little Acorns

Five little acorns sitting in a tree
Along came Mr. Squirrel as hungry as could be!
Then the fall winds blew
And rustled all the leaves
Down came an acorn
And Mr. Squirrel was pleased!

*Repeat and keep counting down until there are no acorns left.

I’ve got a Basket of Apples

I’ve got a basket of apples, (Pretend to hold a basket on arm)
Picked from a tree, (Reach up high to pretend to pick from a tree)
Apples rosy-red for you, (Point)
And shiny green for me; (Point to self)
Some of them are big, (Hands cupped wide)
Some of them are small, (Hands cupped small)
Some are like a ball; (Indicate shapes with forefingers.)
Some of them are sour… ugh!! (Pull a face)
Lots of lovely apples
For you and me to eat. (Fist on fist on fist to indicate a pile.)

Scarecrow Themed Songs

Dingle Dangle Scarecrow

When all the cows were sleeping (hands folded to side of head)
and the sun had gone to bed
Up jumped the scarecrow (jump up)
and this is what he said,
“I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow (hold hands out to side)
with a flippy floppy hat, (pretend to tip hat)
I can shake my hands like this (shake hands to out to side)
and shake my feet like that.” (shake each foot)

When all the hens were rousting (put arms in chicken wings)
and the moon behind a cloud,
Up jumped the scarecrow (jump up)
and shouted very loud,
“I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow (hold hands out to side)
with a flippy floppy hat, (pretend to tip hat)
I can shake my hands like this (shake hands to out to side)
and shake my feet like that.” (shake each foot)

Scarecrow, Scarecrow

*Alternative version of Teddybear, Teddybear.

Scarecrow, scarecrow turn around (Turn around)
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch the ground (Bend over and touch the ground)
Scarecrow, scarecrow reach up high (Reach up)
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch the sky (Tap hands at the sky)
Scarecrow, scarecrow bend down low (Bend down)
Scarecrow, scarecrow touch your toes (Touch your toes)

Songs & Rhymes about Spiders – Autumn Songs for Early Years

I have a Little Spider

*Have one hand do a spider crawl and then jump up on to shoulder, etc.

I have a little spider,
And I’m very fond of him;
He climbs on to my shoulder,
And then up to my chin;
He crawls down my arm,
And then down my leg;
Now he’s a tired little spider
So I put him into bed.

Incy Wincy Spider (or Itsy Bitsy if you’re from the USA)

Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the water spout,
(Use fingers of both hands to represent a spider climbing up)
Down came the rain and washed poor Incy out;
(Raise the hands and lower them slowly, wiggling fingers to represent rain)
Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain,
(Raise hands up together above head and then out and down)
And Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the spout again.
(Move hands like in first line)

One Little Bug went out to Play

One little bug went out to play,
On a spider’s web one day.
He had such enormous fun,
He called for another bug to come.

Two little bugs went out to play…

*Then repeat versus from above. Continue with one more bug until you get to 5 or however many bugs you want to count.

Five little bugs went out to play,
On a spider’s web one day.
They got stuck, all in a bunch.
And along came spider, in time for lunch!

*If you are singing this song in a classroom you can have children stand up and be bugs on the spider’s ‘web’.

Songs about Autumn Holidays – Autumn Songs for Early Years

Halloween Songs

Walking out on Halloween

Walking out on Halloween,
What did I see? What did I see?
A little black cat
Purring at me.

*Repeat first two lines followed by:

A little brown rat squeaking at me.
A fat orange pumpkin smiling at me.
A skinny warty witch cackling at me.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Pumpkin, pumpkin,
Round and fat;
Turn into a Jack-O-Lantern
Just (clap)
Like (clap)
That! (clap, clap)

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate (hold up 5 fingers)
The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late!” (hands on cheeks)
The second one said, “There’s a chill in the air!” (arms around self)
The third one said, “But we don’t care!” (circle pointer finger)
The fourth one said, “We are ready for some fun!” (wave hands in the air)
The fifth one said, “Let’s run and run and run!” (pump arms)
So whooooooo went the wind, (make a whooooooo sound)
And out went the lights! (clap hands together)
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight! (roll hands over one another)

In a Dark, Dark Wood

In a dark, dark wood there’s a dark, dark house
In a dark, dark house there’s a dark, dark room,
In a dark, dark room there’s a dark, dark cupboard
In a dark, dark cupboard there’s a dark, dark box,
In the dark, dark box there’s a ????????

*It could be a mouse that goes squeak or a ghost that goes boo or a witch that cackles, etc. Children can always help choose.

Other Holiday Songs

Diwali is Here Again

Diwali is here again,
Diwali is here again,
Shining lanterns,
One, two, three.

Lots of fireworks, lots of noise,
Lots of sweets for girls and boys,

Diwali is here again,
Diwali is here again,
Shining lanterns,
One, two, three!

Diwali

*Sing to the tune of London Bridge is falling down.

Little lamps are burning bright,
Burning bright, burning bright.
Little lamps are burning bright.
It is Diwali.

See them lighting up the night,
Up the night, up the night.
See them lighting up the night.
It is Diwali.

Bonfire Party

Ten wiry sparklers
Looking thin and grey,
Mummy put them in the ground,
While we stood well away;
She lit them with a special match,
And suddenly we found
Those ten dull sparklers made a
bright, light, busy, fizzy garden!

One round Catherine Wheel
Looking flat and pale,
Fastened to the fence post
With a great big nail;
But when the special match
Touched its little paper tail,
It whizzed around quite wildly
In a wheel of coloured sparks!

One huge rocket
Looking rather dull and blue,
Then it went WHOOSH-
And how the sparks flew!
Red and green and gold stars
Falling through the sky,
Ending with a great big, BANG!
And then a little sssigh.

Autumn Animals – Autumn Songs and rhymes for Early Years

Turkey

The turkey is a funny bird,
Its head goes bobble-bobble;
And all he knows is just one word…
And that is
GOBBLE-GOBBLE!

Hedgehog

There’s a hedgehog on the grass,
Do you think he’ll let me pass?
Or will he curl up in a ball, (Curl arms overhead)
Pretending I’m not here at all!

I’m a Little Hedgehog Song

*Sing to the tune of ‘I’m a Little Teapot’

I’m a little hedgehog,
Brown and small.
Very prickly,
Not that tall.
When I’m feeling frightened,
Away I crawl,
And curl up,
into a ball!

I’m a little hedgehog,
Build my nest,
When it’s autumn,
Leaves are the best.
If you build bonfire,
Have you guessed?
Check inside,
I might be having a rest!

Owl

There’s a wide-eyed owl (Forefingers and thumbs round eyes.)
With a pointed nose, (Forefinger and thumb make point.)
He has pointed ears (Clenched hands, forefingers up for ears.)
And claws for toes: (Make hands into claws.)

He sits in a tree
And looks at you; (Circles round eyes again.)
Then flaps his wings and says, (Hands to chest and ‘flap’ elbows.)
‘Tu-whit, tu-whoo!’ (Hands cup mouth to hoot.)

Grey Squirrel

Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel shake your bushy tail x2 (shake your body)
Hold a nut between your toes (Touch your toes)
Wrinkle up your little nose (Wrinkle & touch your nose)

*You can repeat verses with mummy squirrel, daddy squirrel, baby squirrel, etc.

I hope you have found these autumn songs for early years and preschool helpful. Let me know if you have any other requests.