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Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Languages: English, French
Ressource Type: song, nursery rhyme
Theme: animals
Age-range: infant-preschool, 3 – 7 years

Download the words of the song:
Old MacDonald had a Farm Lyrics

“Old MacDonald Had a Farm” is a nursery rhyme for children. The lyrics were first printed in 1917. It deals with a farmer named MacDonald and the various animals he keeps on his farm.

Culture and Vocabulary:

  • farm animals : cow, pig, duck, horse, sheep, dog, hen
  • cries of animals : moo, oink, quack, neigh, baa, woof, cluck

Grammar:

  • using the past tense “had”
  • adverbs of places : here, there, everywhere

Teaching suggestions:

  • ask questions about characters – Who had a farm? How many different animals can we hear in the song?
  • ask questions about animal cries – How does the duck go? (Quack quack.) How does the cow go? (Moo moo.) How does the dog go? (Woof woof.)
  • ask questions about the structure of the song – How is the song structured? How many parts are there?
  • complete the song with other animals
Old MacDonald Had a Farm illustrated by Anne Kennedy
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Old MacDonald Had a Farm illustrated by Ben Mantle
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Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Gris Grimly
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English version:

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

1. Old McDonald 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 a “moo-moo”
Old McDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

2. Old McDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a pig,
E-I-E-I-O
With a “oink” here
and a “oink” there
Here a “oink” there a “oink”
Everywhere a “oink-oink”
Old McDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

3. Old McDonald 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 a ‘’quack-quack’’
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

4. Old McDonald 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 a ‘’neigh-neigh’’
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

5. Old McDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a sheep,
E-I-E-I-O
With a ‘’baa-baa’’ here
And a ‘’baa-baa’’ there
Here a ‘’baa’’, there a ‘’baa’’
Everywhere a ‘’baa-baa’’
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

6. Old McDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a dog,
E-I-E-I-O
With a ‘’woof-woof’’ here
And a ‘’woof-woof’’ there
Here a ‘’woof’’, there a ‘’woof’’
Everywhere a ‘’woof-woof’’
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

7. Old McDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a hen
E-I-E-I-O
With a ‘’cluck-cluck’’ here
And a ‘’cluck-cluck’’ there
Here a ‘’cluck’’, there a ‘’cluck’’
Everywhere a ‘’cluck-cluck’’
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O.

French Translation:

Old McDonald avait une ferme

1. Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O
Et dans sa ferme, il avait une vache,
E-I-E-I-O
Avec un «meuh-meuh» ici
Et un «meuh-meuh» là
Ici un «meuh» là un «meuh»
Partout un «meuh-meuh»
Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O.

2. Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O
Et dans sa ferme, il avait un cochon,
E-I-E-I-O
Avec un «groin» ici
Et un «groin» là
Ici un «groin» là un «groin»
Partout un «groin- groin»
Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O.

3. Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O
Et dans sa ferme, il avait un canard,
E-I-E-I-O
Avec un «coin-coin» ici
Et un «coin-coin» là
Ici un «coin-coin», là un «coin-coin»
Partout un «coin-coin»
Le vieux Macdonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O.

4. Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O
Et dans sa ferme, il avait un cheval,
E-I-E-I-O
Avec un «hi-hi» ici
Et un «hi-hi» là
Ici un «hi-hi», là un «hi-hi»
Partout un «hi-hi»
Le vieux Macdonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O.

5. Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O
Et dans sa ferme, il avait un mouton,
E-I-E-I-O
Avec un «bêê-bêê» ici
Et un «bêê-bêê» là
Ici un «bêê», là un «bêê»
Partout un «bêê-bêê»
Le vieux Macdonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O.

6. Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O
Et dans sa ferme, il avait un chien,
E-I-E-I-O
Avec un «ouaf-ouaf» ici
Et un «ouaf-ouaf» là
Ici un «ouaf», là un «ouaf»
Partout un «ouaf-ouaf»
Le vieux Macdonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O.

7. Old McDonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O
Et dans sa ferme, il avait une poule
E-I-E-I-O
Avec un «cot-cot» ici
Et un «cot-cot» là
Ici un «cot-cot», là un «cot-cot»
Partout un «cot-cot»
Le vieux Macdonald avait une ferme,
E-I-E-I-O.

Video in English:

Video in French “Dans la ferme de Mathurin”:

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5 Comments

  1. I loved this post! “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” brings back so many childhood memories. The flashcards and games you shared are fantastic for teaching kids about animals and their sounds. Can’t wait to try them out with my little ones! Thank you for such a creative resource!

  2. What a delightful post! I love how you’ve included flashcards and games to make learning the song even more engaging for kids. The lyrics are so catchy, and I can’t wait to sing it with my little ones. Thanks for sharing such creative resources!

  3. I love how you incorporated flashcards and games into the classic song! It makes learning so much fun for kids. Can’t wait to try these activities with my little ones! 🐄🎶

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