“Sally Go Round the Sun” is a traditional rhyme that can be sung in canon. A version of this song can be found in “Journal of American folklore, Volume 31” which was collected in Toronto in 1909. In this version, the rhyme ends with “Every afternoon”.
“Sally Goes Round the Sun” is a popular circle dance usually played in larger groups. The dance is a very simple one, kids go around in a circle singing. When they sing the song a second time, they go in the opposite direction. The second version of this traditional song can also be used to teach little kids the days of the week in English. Follow this adventurous little girl on her tours in this song…
Original Version:
Sally Go Round the Sun
Languages: English, French
Ressource Type: song, nursery rhyme
Themes: nature
Age-range: infant-preschool, 3 – 7 years
Download the words of the song:
♦ Sally Go Round The Sun Original Lyrics
English Lyrics:
Sally Go Round the Sun
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
Every afternoon.
French translation:
Sally tourne autour du soleil
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Tous les après-midi.
Version with the Days of the Week:
Sally Go Round the Sun
Languages: English, French
Ressource Type: song, nursery rhyme
Themes: nature, days of the week
Age-range: infant-preschool, 5 – 8 years
Download the words of the song:
♦ Sally Go Round The Sun Lyrics with Days
English Lyrics:
Sally Go Round the Sun
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
on a Monday afternoon.
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
on a Tuesday afternoon.
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
on a Wednesday afternoon.
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
on a Thursday afternoon.
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
on a Friday afternoon.
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
on a Saturday afternoon.
Sally go round the sun,
Sally go round the moon,
Sally go round the chimney-top
on a Sunday afternoon.
French translation:
Sally tourne autour du soleil
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Un lundi après-midi.
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Un mardi après-midi.
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Un mercredi après-midi.
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Un jeudi après-midi.
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Un vendredi après-midi.
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Un samedi après-midi.
Sally tourne autour du soleil,
Sally tourne autour de la lune,
Sally tourne autour du haut de la cheminée
Un dimanche après-midi.
Culture and Vocabulary:
- Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
- The sun, the moon, the chimney-top.
Grammar:
- “Sally go” instead of “Sally goes”.
- Formula “go round”.
- We always capitalize the days of the week in English.
Phonology:
- Pronunciation of the days of the week: Monday /ˈmʌndeɪ/, Tuesday /ˈtjuːzdeɪ/, Wednesday /ˈwɛnzdeɪ/, Thursday /ˈθəːzdeɪ/, Friday /ˈfrʌɪdeɪ/, Saturday /ˈsatədeɪ/, Sunday /ˈsʌndeɪ/.
- The sound [eɪ] (Monday,Tuesday…).
- Pronunciation of “chimney-top” /ˈtʃɪmni.tɒp/.
- Pronunciation of “sun” /sʌn/.
- Long sound of “moon” /muːn/.
Teaching suggestions:
- Kids go around in a circle singing this song. When they sing it a second time they go in the opposite direction.
- Choose one child to represent each of the following: Sally, the sun and the moon. Choose two or three children to be the chimney-top. The “sun”, the “moon” and the “chimney-top” are positioned randomly. Sally skips around the objects as sung in the song. On the words “Every afternnon” everybody slaps knees.
- Learn how to say the date in English: work on the question “What’s the day today? It’s…”
- Point to the days on a calendar as you sing.
- Discover “Today is Monday” by Eric Carle.
Videos of the Song “Sally Go Round the Sun” in English:
Related posts:
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush – Lyrics in French and in English – Free Printable
The Wheels on the Bus – Nursery Rhyme with Lyrics in French and in English
Santa, Santa High in the Sky – Christmas Song with Lyrics in English and in French
“Days of the Week” to the tune of “The Addams Family” – Lyrics in French and in English