Read, say or listen along with Old MacDonald Had a Farm. This playful nursery rhyme page gives the lyrics, spoken-word read-aloud audio, animal names, animal sounds and the familiar E-I-E-I-O refrain.
Listen Along
Use the Kooky Kids World spoken-word listen-along audio, then read or sing the lyrics below.
Lyrics | Choose an Animal | Read, Say and Move | What Children Practise | External Video | More Rhymes | Quick Questions
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.
Read, Say and Move
- Clap or tap on each E-I-E-I-O.
- Pause before each animal sound and let children answer.
- Make a small action for each animal: waddle, trot, flap, stomp or curl up like a sheep.
- Add a new animal if children want another verse.
What Children Practise
- Animal names and sounds.
- Listening for a repeated pattern.
- Joining in with a group rhyme.
- Remembering what changes and what stays the same.
External YouTube Video
Kooky Kids World does not have an Old MacDonald song recording. The audio above is our spoken-word read-aloud. This external video is included separately for families who want a music version, and it belongs to its original creator.
More Nursery Rhymes
Nursery Rhymes for Kids | Humpty Dumpty | Frère Jacques | Five Little Ducks | Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | The Farmer in the Dell | Baa Baa Black Sheep
Frequently Asked Questions About Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Is this Kooky Kids World audio a song?
No. The Kooky Kids World audio is a spoken-word read-aloud of the lyrics. We do not have our own Old MacDonald song recording.
What does E-I-E-I-O mean?
E-I-E-I-O is the repeated refrain in the rhyme. Children can say it, clap it or use it as a pause before the next animal sound.
Who wrote Old MacDonald Had a Farm?
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a traditional nursery rhyme, so there is no single known modern author. Different families and classrooms often use different animals and sounds.
What age is Old MacDonald Had a Farm for?
It works well for toddlers, preschool children and early readers because the pattern is simple, repeated and easy to join in with.
Source Note
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a traditional nursery rhyme that is often sung. Traditional rhymes can vary between families, classrooms and recordings. This Kooky Kids World page gives one child-friendly lyrics version with spoken-word read-aloud audio, not a KKW song recording.
