Little Bo Peep lyrics
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
Actions to do together
- Shade your eyes with one hand and look all around for the sheep.
- Hide your face behind your hands, then pop out: peekaboo!
- Wiggle your hands behind your back like wagging tails.
- Hide a toy sheep in the room and look for it together.
What children learn
- Patience: things often turn up if we wait
- Animal words, and where animals live
- Looking and finding, through peekaboo play
The story behind the rhyme
Little Bo Peep was first printed in the early 1800s. “Bo-peep” is an old name for the game we now call peekaboo, so the shepherdess’s name is a little game in itself.
Older versions say the sheep come home “bringing their tails behind them”. Today most families sing “wagging their tails”, as we do here.
Questions parents ask
What does “Bo Peep” mean?
Bo-peep is an old word for peekaboo, the game of hiding your face and popping out again.
Do Bo Peep’s sheep come home?
Yes. The rhyme tells her to leave them alone, and they come home on their own, wagging their tails.
Keep playing
More from KiddiesTV that goes with this rhyme.
More nursery rhymes
Johny Johny Yes Papa
Ages 1–4 · 1:37 video
Caught with the sugar! A question-and-answer rhyme that toddlers love to act out with a grown-up.
Sing along
Humpty Dumpty
Ages 1–5 · 1:30 video
Four short lines, one big tumble. Humpty Dumpty is the perfect first rhyme for toddlers who love a dramatic fall.
Sing along
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Ages 1–5 · 2:20 video
The finger-play everyone knows. Up the spout, down with the rain, and up again when the sun comes out.
Sing along