Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a traditional English-language nursery rhyme for children aged 2 to 7. This page includes the Old MacDonald Had a Farm lyrics, Kooky Kids World listen-along audio, animal pictures and simple classroom ideas for preschool and early elementary children.
Use it for singing, sound play, movement, vocabulary practice and a cheerful first look at farm animals.
Short Summary
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a playful cumulative nursery rhyme about a farmer and the animals on his farm. Each verse repeats the E-I-E-I-O refrain, names an animal and invites children to join in with the animal sound.
Story Details
- Independent Reading Age: 4 to 7 years
- Listen-Along Age: 2 to 6 years
- Reading Level: Preschool to early elementary
- Reading Time: Under 5 minutes
- Author / Source: Traditional nursery rhyme
- Story Type: Nursery rhyme and cumulative song
- Region / Origin: Traditional English-language rhyme
- Main Characters: Old MacDonald, a cow, a pig, a duck, a horse, sheep and chickens
- Moral / Themes: Farm animals, listening, repetition, rhythm and joining in
Listen Along
Listen along to Kooky Kids World read-aloud audio for Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
Choose an Animal |
Moral |
Short Summary |
More Nursery Rhymes |
Main Characters |
Vocabulary |
Discussion Questions |
Activities |
Teachers’ Notes |
Background |
FAQ
About This Rhyme
This Kooky Kids World page keeps the familiar traditional rhyme structure while making the page useful for children, parents and teachers. Traditional nursery rhymes can vary between families, classrooms and recordings, so this version should be read as one child-friendly version.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm Lyrics
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
And on his farm he had a cow,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there.
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere moo-moo.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
And on his farm he had a pig,
E-I-E-I-O.
With an oink-oink here and an oink-oink there.
Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere oink-oink.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
And on his farm he had a duck,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a quack-quack here and a quack-quack there.
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere quack-quack.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
And on his 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 neigh-neigh.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
And on his farm he had some sheep,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a baa-baa here and a baa-baa there.
Here a baa, there a baa, everywhere baa-baa.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
And on his farm he had some chickens,
E-I-E-I-O.
With a cluck-cluck here and a cluck-cluck there.
Here a cluck, there a cluck, everywhere cluck-cluck.
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.
Choose an Animal
Point to an animal, say its name and make the sound together.
Moral
Moral: Listening, repeating and joining in can make learning language feel playful and shared.
More Nursery Rhymes
Nursery Rhymes for Kids |
Humpty Dumpty |
Frère Jacques |
Five Little Ducks |
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star |
The Farmer in the Dell |
Mary Had a Little Lamb |
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Main Characters
- Old MacDonald: The farmer who names each animal on the farm.
- The farm animals: The cow, pig, duck, horse, sheep and chickens help children practice animal names and sounds.
- The listeners: Children become part of the rhyme when they sing, clap or copy each animal sound.
Vocabulary Spotlight
- Farm: A place where animals or crops are cared for.
- Cow: A farm animal that says moo.
- Pig: A farm animal that says oink.
- Duck: A bird that can swim and says quack.
- Horse: A large animal that says neigh.
- Sheep: A woolly animal that says baa.
- Chickens: Birds that can say cluck.
- Cumulative song: A song that repeats and builds as it goes along.
Discussion Questions
- Which animal sound is easiest for you to remember?
- Which animal would you add to Old MacDonald’s farm?
- How does the E-I-E-I-O part help the rhyme feel musical?
- What changes in each verse?
- What stays the same in every verse?
- How could you act out the cow, pig, duck, horse, sheep or chickens?
Classroom Activities for Children
- Animal sound circle: Sit in a circle and give each child one animal sound to make when their animal appears.
- Picture sequencing: Put the cow, pig, duck, horse, sheep and chickens in the order they appear on the page.
- Farmyard movement: Walk, waddle, trot or flap safely around the room when each animal is named.
- Make a farm card: Draw one animal from the rhyme and write or copy its sound underneath.
- Call and response: An adult sings the first line and children answer with E-I-E-I-O.
- Feelings check: Ask children how it feels to sing together: happy, silly, shy, excited or calm.
- Outdoor listening: If possible, go outside and listen for real animal, bird or nature sounds.
Teachers’ Notes
- Best curriculum fit: Early years language, music, movement, animal vocabulary and listening skills.
- Key learning themes: Repetition, sound play, turn-taking, memory and farm animal vocabulary.
- Before listening: Show the animal pictures and ask children which sounds they know.
- During listening: Pause before each animal sound so children can predict what comes next.
- After listening: Invite children to create a new verse with a different animal.
- Cross-curricular links: Music, phonics, movement, art and simple science about animals.
- Teacher tip: Use a smaller set of animals for very young children, then add more verses as confidence grows.
Why This Version Works for Children
This version keeps the familiar repeating pattern, clear animal order and simple sounds. The pictures support young children who are still learning animal names, while the audio helps children join in at their own pace.
What Parents and Teachers May Want to Know
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is light, repetitive and suitable for young children. The rhyme is useful for sound play and participation, but adults can adapt the number of verses to suit a child’s attention span.
Story Background
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a traditional nursery rhyme and cumulative song. Cumulative songs repeat a pattern, then add or change one part each time.
A related early printed version appeared as “Old MacDougal Had a Farm” in 1917. The rhyme has changed over time through singing, classrooms, families and recordings.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Who is the author of Old MacDonald Had a Farm?
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a traditional folk rhyme with no single known author. An early related version called “Old MacDougal Had a Farm” appeared in a 1917 collection called Tommy’s Tunes.
What is the meaning of E-I-E-I-O?
E-I-E-I-O does not have one fixed literal meaning. In the rhyme, it works as a musical refrain that helps children keep the beat, practice vowel sounds and remember the pattern.
Why is Old MacDonald good for child development?
The rhyme can support early language play because children hear repeated words, copy animal sounds, predict the next line and join in with a familiar pattern.
Is Old MacDonald Had a Farm a folktale or a nursery rhyme?
It is usually described as a nursery rhyme and cumulative song. Because it has been passed down and changed through use, it is also connected with folk-song tradition.
Copyright Notice
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is based on a traditional nursery rhyme. The Kooky Kids World page text, audio narration, illustrations and supporting educational materials are © Kooky Kids World. They may not be copied, republished or reused without permission.
Any external video shown on this page belongs to its original creator and is included for families and teachers to review separately.
