In Sweden, there are many popular children's songs that everyone knows and can sing. Some of these songs have special actions associated with them. These songs are among those that are part of the festivities when everyone sings and dances around the maypole at midsummer and around the Christmas tree during the holidays. We have pictures of groups dancing on the dance pictures page.

The small frogs / Små grodorna:

• A search on YouTube can turn up various versions of this number being performed
• Wikipedia has its own discussion of this song
• Our translation to English:
  
  The froggies, the froggies are funny to look at
  The froggies, the froggies are funny to look at
  They don?t have ears, they don?t have ears, they don?t have ears or tails
  They don?t have ears, they don?t have ears, they don?t have ears or tails
  
  Ko-ak-ak-ak, ko-ak-ak-ak, ko-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak
  Ko-ak-ak-ak, ko-ak-ak-ak , ko-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak
  
  The piggies, the piggies are funny to look at
  the piggies, the piggies are funny to look at
  Both ears, both ears, they have both ears and tails
  Both ears, both ears, they have both ears and tails
  
  A-neuf-neuf-neuf, a-neuf-neuf-neuf, a-neuf-neuf-neuf-neuf-neuf
  A-neuf-neuf-neuf, a-neuf-neuf-neuf, a-neuf-neuf-neuf-neuf-neuf

The carousel / Karusellen

• This song starts with everyone holding hands in a circle and walking. During the last line of the verse, everyone speeds up and holds the faster rate through the chorus, still holding hands in a circle.
• A translation to English:
  
  Young girl, young girl, young girl sweet
  Here?s the carousel which will go til evening
  10 for the big ones and 5 for the small
  Hurry up, hurry up, now the carousel is off!
  
  Oh ha, ha, ha, it?s fun as can be
  For Andersson and Petterson and
  Lunström and me!

We are musicians / Vi äro musikanter

• In this action song, everyone pretends to play the instruments that are named. The actions that are associated with the lines in our translation are as follows:
  • 1st two lines: Hold hands and walk in a circle
  • 3rd line: Drop hands, first pretend to play a fiddle, then pretend to play a bass and a flute as they are named
  • 4th line: Hold hands and skip quickly in the opposite direction from that used in the first two lines
• A translation into English:
  
  We are musicians that come from Skaraborg
  We are musicians that come from Skaraborg
  We can play the fiddle, bass, and flute
  And we can dance the other way, other way other way, and we can dance the other way other way too.

The fox is running o'er the ice / Räven Raskar over isen

• During the song's chorus, everyone holds hands and goes around in a circle. During the verses, everyone stops and does specific actions associated with the focus of that chorus. In our English translation below, we include several traditional ideas for different actions during the chorus. A fun opportunity in this song is to introduce original ideas for other actions for the chorus.
• A translation into English (with actions marked in italics within curly brackets):
  
  Chorus: {action: hold hands in a big circle and walk/run to the left}
  The fox is running o?er the ice
  The fox is running o?er the ice
  And may we please, may we please
  Sing the *girls'* song?
  
  Verse: {action: hold out an (imaginary) skirt and curtsey}
  The *girls* do this where they go, and where they sit and where they stand
  {action: clap hands and spin on the spot}
  And may we please, and may we please
  Sing the *girls'* song.
  
  {repeat chorus}
  
  Additional traditional verses (replace *girls* in verse above)
  • Boys {action: bow from the waist}
  • Shoemaker {action: pound with fist on bottom of shoe}
  • Baker {action: pretend to knead bread}
  • Lauging Olles {action: hold stomach and do belly laughs}
  • Crying Olles {action: rub eyes and cry loudly}