12 Best French Nursery Songs And Rhymes 

Are you looking for French nursery songs and rhymes?

As kids, nursery rhymes are a way to introduce the young to new words, in a fun way as they are often sung with accompanying gestures. As adults, however, these often short and catchy songs are ingenious ways to learn a new language.

A lot of these French songs were passed on from centuries ago and considered public domain. In France, nursery songs and rhymes are often strange yet fascinating.

12 Best French Nursery Songs And Rhymes

Here are some of the most popular French nursery rhymes to sing and dance to, and how to pronounce the words correctly. 

1. Alouette (Alouette, the Lark) 

Year Released: 1879

The ‘Alouette’ being referred to in this French nursery song is a lark. The song is like a mini-lesson about body parts, using the bird to show each part referred to in the lyrics.

However, the way each part was identified is rather dark, as the narrator in the song sings about each part being plucked. 

It is like a bird version of “Toes, Knees, Shoulder, and Head” and this is a song often used in French language lessons. The melody is fun and upbeat, which is the opposite of what’s going on in the song.  

READ MORE: Alouette Lyrics In French (With English Translation)

2. Au Clair de la Lune (By the Light of the Moon) – France Gall 

Year Released: 1964

A popular nursery rhyme not just in France but in many parts of the world, ‘Au Clair de la Lune’ is often sung as a lullaby to help put younger children to sleep. Those who are learning French are most likely familiar with the song because it is featured in Beginner French exams. 

However, the song isn’t quite innocent as a lullaby. Listening to the lyrics will immediately make anyone conclude that the song is rather inappropriate. It is about a man who knocks on his friend Pierrot’s door to borrow a quill pen. It was late at night and Pierrot doesn’t have what the other wants so he tells his friend to go to his female neighbor instead. 

The song ends with the man and woman shutting the door behind them. It is a strange ending and situation for a song that millions of young children might have heard before they fell asleep. 

3. Ah! Les Crocodiles (Ah! The Crocodiles)

Year Released: 1856

This French nursery rhyme was first dung as a ballad in an opera way back in 1856. It was said to be somewhat about France’s colonial past under Napoleon.

It is a  delightful song about crocodiles who were about to go to war against the elephants. It has a catchy refrain that kids love to sing along to, and it goes like: “Ah, les crocrocro, les crocrocro”. 

4. Dans le ferme de Mathurin (Old McDonald Had A Farm)

Year Released: 1917

A French version of the English classic “Old Macdonald had a farm”, this nursery rhyme is another hit among kids. The animal sounds are included but they are different from the English version. For example, the duck says “coin” instead of quack. The “e-i-e-i-o” part, however, is retained and even in French, the song is still fun to listen to and sing along with. 

5. Fais dodo, Colas mon petit frère (Go to sleep, Colas my little brother)

Another lullaby with a rather strange twist, “Fais dodo, Colas mon petit frère” is about a kid who’s singing to the little brother on the crib.

As the song goes, we learn that while the child is putting the baby to sleep, the rest of the family is busy making delicious goodies. The mom is baking a cake, while the dad is making chocolate. The other siblings are making compote and nougat, and the cousin is making candies.

One would wonder how many kitchens are there in this house, or how big? Nonetheless, this is a lovely song with a soothing melody. 

6. L’araignée Gipsy (Incy Wincy Spider)

This popular French nursery rhyme is the French version of the English”Incy Wincy Spider”. A fun and sweet song that is a favorite among kids and adults alike, it is about a spider that likes climbing up the water spout.

Incy Wincy spider loved the water spout so much that even if he got washed up by the rain, he went back inside when the sun came out again. 

7. Petit Escargot (Little Snail)

A nursery rhyme that is truly French, Petit Escargot is not really about one of France’s delicacies. The song is about cute little living snails. The catchy, danceable tune is often sung with gestures like putting a hand on either side of the head as ears.  

It is a very short song, that’s about a little snail who carried its house on its back. When the rain falls, the snail sticks his head out for a splash. 

8. Pomme de reinette pomme d’api (Pippin Apple and Lady Apple)

The “Pippin Apple and Lady Apple” (Pomme de reinette pomme d’api) is mentioned in the song apple varieties in France. The catchy, fun song doesn’t seem to make sense when you’re only listening to it, but when accompanied by a photo or video, you will get that it is about apples in carpets.

What are the apples doing on the carpet? No one knows, but kids love the song and are popular among those young ones who are learning to identify objects (fruits) and colors.

9. Vole Vole Papillon (Fly, Fly Butterfly)

Another French nursery rhyme that’s fun to dance along to, “Vole Vole Papillon” is about encouraging a butterfly to spread wings and fly. Kids usually sing along with hand-flapping gestures that mimic butterfly wings. 

The first part of the song is about telling a butterfly to fly above the school, the house, and over pretty windmills. The second part, meanwhile, is sort of about clapping’s pretty hands in delight upon seeing the butterfly take flight. 

10. Un petit Cochon (A Little Pig)

Not to be confused with another beloved nursery rhyme ‘Les Trois Petits Cochon’ (Three Little Pigs), the lone little pig in this song has a different story. It is popular among young kids because it is an easy song to sing and very catchy. 

This French nursery rhyme is about a little pig that for some reason hangs in a ceiling. The pig seems to be some sort of a magical creature, as it gives something depending on which part of the body you pull. If you pull its nose and it will give some milk, pull its tail to get some eggs and when you pull harder, the little pig will give you gold. 

11. Une Souris Verte – (A Green Mouse)

Year Released: late 27 to early 18th century

When listening to the first few lines of ‘Une Souris Verte’, it sounds like most nursery rhymes. The simple, yet catchy melody, and what seems like a story about a green mouse will entertain the kids. However, after a few lines, something surreal happens. 

From running in the grass, the mouse was picked up by a child. He was then told by three Messieurs to place the mouse in a pan with oil and water to turn it into a snail. 

It was never mentioned if the mouse indeed became a snail but in the next lines, we learn that the mouse was in the kid’s hat. He didn’t like it there because it was too hot. In the end, the child simply holds the green mouse in his hand. The mouse liked it and called it ‘très bien’.

12. Vive le vent (Long Live the Wind) – Mireille Matthieu

Year Released: 1968

This beautiful French nursery song celebrates winter, particularly the winter wind. It is also considered a song for the Holidays because it adapts the joyful melody of ‘Jingle Bells’. 

The first few lines paint a pretty picture of the winter holiday scenery, from Christmas trees to snowballs, as well as being with family.

The second verse turns nostalgic, as the song touches on bringing back childhood winter memories. Then the song continues to honor the wind and the happy memories in a delightful and familiar refrain. 

If you are looking to learn French through other means, here’s our list of best children books in French that might be able to help you out.