Action Song: NCERT Class 1 English Poem (Raindrops Chapter 19)

etmantra4 Feb 20206 min read

This is a song to move to. Every line gives children a small action to do, so they learn English words with their whole body and have fun at the same time.

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From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 1, chapter 19. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: Action Song

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Action words: jump, run, skip, bend, stretch, clap, laugh
Body words: knee, thighs, eyes
Following simple spoken instructions
Rhyming words: three and knee, eyes and thighs

What the poem is about

The song asks children to do things “a little”: jump a little, run a little, skip a little, bend and stretch a little, clap a little and laugh a little. It also asks them to count one, two, three, touch their knees and thighs, and close their eyes.

The song has no story. Its message is simple: moving and laughing is good fun, and each action word can be shown with the body.

New words, with Hindi meanings

jump: to push yourself up into the air with your legs (हिंदी: कूदना)
skip: to move along with small hops from one foot to the other (हिंदी: फुदकना)
knee: the middle part of your leg where it bends (हिंदी: घुटना)
bend: to make your body go down or curve (हिंदी: झुकना)
stretch: to make your arms or body long by reaching out (हिंदी: शरीर तानना)
thighs: the top parts of your legs, above the knees (हिंदी: जाँघें)
clap: to hit your hands together (हिंदी: ताली बजाना)
laugh: to make a happy sound when something is funny (हिंदी: हँसना)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What does the song ask you to touch?
Which actions in the song use your legs?
What do you do when the song says “close your eyes”?
Which action was the most fun for you?

Answers for parents

It asks you to touch your knee and your thighs.
Jump, run, skip and bend use your legs.
You shut your eyes.
For example: I liked jumping the most, because I can jump high.

Grammar corner: Action words (verbs)

Action words tell us what someone does. The song is full of them: jump, run, skip, clap. You can show every action word with your body.

My little brother can jump over the mat.
We clap when the song ends.
The cat likes to stretch after a nap.

Practice at home

Spot the rhyme: which word in the song rhymes with 'knee'? And which rhymes with 'eyes'?
Fill in the blank: ___ your eyes.
Say and do: the parent says an action word, the child does it and says 'I can ___.'

Answers: 1. 'Three' rhymes with 'knee'; 'thighs' rhymes with 'eyes'. · 2. Close · 3. For example: I can skip. I can clap.

Try this

Sing and move. Say the song slowly while your child does each action. Then mix up the order and see if they can still follow. Let your child lead the song for the family, or for the whole class.

Tip for parents

Say each action in Hindi and English together while you do it: “कूदो, jump!”, “ताली बजाओ, clap!” After a few rounds, say only the English and see if your child still does the right action. If they get one wrong, laugh together and show it again; trying is what counts.

Questions parents ask

What is Action Song about?

It is a movement rhyme. Each line asks children to do a small action, like jumping, skipping, bending, clapping or touching their knee.

Which words rhyme in Action Song?

'Three' rhymes with 'knee', and 'eyes' rhymes with 'thighs'.

Which NCERT book is Action Song from?

Action Song is Chapter 19 of Raindrops, NCERT's older English book for Class 1. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 1 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →