Old MacDonald Had a Farm Rainy Day Song for Kids

Pat your knees like rain!

Hi! It’s Ori. It’s raining on the farm. Drip, drop! The animals are all wet, so Miri, Grandpa Barnaby and I are bringing them into the barn. And the ducks? They love the rain!

Pat your knees with me, pitter-patter, like rain. Make every animal sound too. Moo! Baa! Quack! Oink! Cheep! When the rain stops, let’s dance!

How to play

Press play. The rain starts.
Hear “pitter-patter”? Pat your knees like rain.
Hear “Slide the door”? Push your hands to one side. Slide!
Hear “Splish, splash”? Jump in a pretend puddle.
Hear “Count the chicks”? Count on your fingers: one, two, three, four. Is there one more? Peek!

Sing along: the words

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pat your knees like rain!

Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Out in the rain there was a cow, E-I-E-I-O!
Drip, drop, rain on her soft pink nose,
Slide the door together, and in she goes!
With a moo moo here, and a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo!
Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Out in the rain there was a sheep, E-I-E-I-O!
Her wool is wet, her steps are slow,
Ori walks beside her, in they go!
With a baa baa here, and a baa baa there,
Here a baa, there a baa, everywhere a baa baa!
Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Splish, splash, puddle play,
Ducks love a rainy day!
With a quack quack here, and a quack quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack, everywhere a quack quack!

Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Out in the rain there was a pig, E-I-E-I-O!
Muddy hill goes slip and slide,
Lay a board and walk inside!
With an oink oink here, and an oink oink there,
Here an oink, there an oink, everywhere an oink oink!
Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!
Out in the rain were little chicks, E-I-E-I-O!
Count the chicks, one, two, three, four,
Peek, peek, peek! Is there one more?
With a cheep cheep here, and a cheep cheep there,
Here a cheep, there a cheep, everywhere a cheep cheep!
Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!
And in the barn they’re warm and dry, E-I-E-I-O!
Moo, baa, oink, cheep, who’s not in?
Here come the ducks with a quack and a grin!
Rainy day down on the farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Pitter-patter, soft and slow,
Safe and dry, E-I-E-I-O.

For grown-ups: ways to play

Pat the rain, then dance. The song opens with “pitter-patter, pat your knees like rain” and ends with “pitter-patter, soft and slow.” Pat your knees together at the start, then pat softer and slower at the end. It works sitting down too, on the sofa, the rug or at a desk.
Leave the animal sound to your child. Each animal has its own sound: moo, baa, quack, oink and cheep. The sounds also pop up on screen in bright letters. Sing up to “With a moo moo…”, pause, and let your child say it. Then swap and let them be the singer while you make the sound.
Play “is there one more?” afterwards. Line up four small toys and count them together. Hide a fifth one under a cloth, a cup or a leaf, and ask, “Is there one more?” Peek and find it. Then your child hides one and you look. Not finding it straight away just means one more peek.

Questions grown-ups ask

Is this the Old MacDonald song we know?

It’s a new rainy-day version. The words are new, and the parts children already love are still there: “E-I-E-I-O” and “a moo moo here, and a moo moo there.” This time it rains on the farm, and Miri, Ori and Grandpa Barnaby help the animals into the barn.

Is there anything scary in it?

No. It’s a gentle, cheerful rainy day. The pig slips on a muddy hill and walks in on a board, the fifth little chick is found nice and dry under a leaf, and the ducks splash Ori, who gets wrapped in a towel. Then the rain stops, a rainbow comes out and everyone dances.

What age is it for?

Kittelfdora Kids makes things for children aged 4 to 9, and this song is simple enough for the youngest of them. The animal sounds and “E-I-E-I-O” come back again and again, so little ones can join in from the first verse. Older kids can count the chicks out loud, or make up a new verse for another animal.