"The Farmer in the Dell" Lyrics & Story

The author of “The Farmer in the Dell” remains unknown. It is believed to have originated in Germany in the 1820s with the title “Ein Bauer ging ins Holz,” which translates to “A Farmer Drove into the Woods.”

“The Farmer in the Dell” is sung all over the world, but the title and words vary depending on the country you’re in! In the United Kingdom, children sing “The Farmer’s in His Den,” in Germany they sing “A Farmer Drove into the Woods, ”and in Romania they sing “The Farmer is on the Field.”

Here are the five simple steps to play “The Farmer in the Dell” game:

1. Gather a group of friends into a circle. 
2. One player is chosen to be the farmer and stands in the middle while all players sing the first verse. 
3. When “the farmer takes a wife,” the “farmer” chooses another player to join them in the middle. 
4. The game continues verse by verse, with each new child choosing the next child to join in the middle, until the last verse, when “the cheese stands alone.” 
5. On the last verse, all players in the middle run back out to the circle, leaving the player who was chosen as the cheese left standing alone in the middle. This child then becomes the new farmer, and the game starts a new round.

“The Farmer in the Dell” is a good song to help children practice ordinal numbers (numbers that show order or position). Help your child practice counting by asking questions like, “Who was third?” or “What position was the cheese?”

Then print the lyrics and the FREE ordinal numbers practice activity found on "’The Farmer in the Dell’ Lyrics & Story” blog post from The Good and the Beautiful.to further practice counting along with the song!

“The Farmer in the Dell” is a good song to help children practice ordinal numbers (numbers that show order or position). Help your child practice counting by asking questions like, “Who was third?” or “What position was the cheese?”

Then print the lyrics and the FREE ordinal numbers practice activity found on "’The Farmer in the Dell’ Lyrics & Story” blog post from The Good and the Beautiful.to further practice counting along with the song!

Watch and sing along with “The Farmer in the Dell” in this beautifully illustrated video found on The Good and the Beautiful Kids channel on YouTube.