When my daughter was a toddler, she made up songs. Or rather, she sang stories – long, rambling tales of ponies and rabbits, which she sang to long, rambling melodies, made up as she went along. I proudly liked to think that, by age two, she had been sung to so much, she found it was the natural thing to sing everything she saw or imagined.
Whether that was the reason or not, now that she has a little baby of her own, she's singing again and she's making up songs again. Today, I overheard this (she made up her own tune, but it works to the tune of Here we go gathering nuts in May). Her little baby was feeling a bit grouchy.
Are you bored of lying there,
lying there, lying there,
Are you bored of lying there,
lying in your bouncy chair?
What shall we do to make you smile,
make you smile, make you smile?
What shall we do to make you smile,
make the baby smile?
Wave your arms and legs in the air,
in the air, in the air,
Wave your arms and legs in the air,
lying in your bouncy chair.
Beep your nose and ruffle your hair…
Now are you happy lying there…
The possibilities for your own verses are endless. Take it away.