Bells: NCERT Class 2 English Poem (Marigold Unit 1)

etmantra13 Jun 20208 min read

Bells is a tiny poem full of sound. Children love saying the "ding dong" lines again and again, and it helps them hear rhythm, rhyme and repeated words in English.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 2, unit 1. NCERT’s newer Class 2 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Bells

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

Sound words: ding dong
Rhyming words: ringing and singing
The word holiday and what it means
Saying 'Let's' to invite friends to play

What the poem is about

The poem is about bells ringing all around. The bells ring and sing, and the sound tells everyone that today is a holiday.

The feeling of the poem is pure joy. A holiday means no school and lots of fun, so the poem ends by calling everyone to go out and play.

New words, with Hindi meanings

bells: metal things that make a ringing sound when they swing or are hit (हिंदी: घंटियाँ)
ringing: making a clear sound like a bell (हिंदी: बज रही हैं)
holiday: a day off from school or work (हिंदी: छुट्टी)
singing: making music with your voice; here, the bells sound like they sing (हिंदी: गा रही हैं)
ding dong: the sound a bell makes (हिंदी: टन-टन)
let's: short for 'let us'; used to ask others to do something with you (हिंदी: चलो)

Explained in Hindi

If your child finds the English hard, watch this explanation of the poem and its word meanings in Hindi, then go back to the English video.

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 are the bells doing in the poem?
What special day is it?
What does the poem ask us to do on the holiday?
Where have you heard bells ring? At a temple, at school or on a bicycle?

Answers for parents

The bells are ringing and singing ding dong.
It is a holiday.
It asks us to go out and play.
For example: I hear the temple bell every morning, and the school bell when class ends.

Grammar corner: Rhyming words

Rhyming words end with the same sound. In this poem 'ringing' rhymes with 'singing', and 'holiday' ends with the same sound as 'play'. Rhymes make a poem fun to say and easy to remember.

The bell is ringing, and the children are singing.
It is a holiday, so we can play all day.
Ding dong, sing a song.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: All the bells are ringing, all the bells are ___.
Spot the rhyme: Which word rhymes with 'play'? (day / bell / run)
Make a sentence starting with 'Let's' about a holiday.

Answers: 1. singing · 2. day · 3. Sample: Let's fly a kite on the holiday.

Try this

Play a bell game. One child is the bell and says "ding dong" while swinging their arms. Others tap a spoon on a steel glass. Then say the poem together, ringing on every "ding dong". Ask your child to find things at home that ring, like a doorbell or a phone.

Tip for parents

Ask in Hindi, "घंटी कैसे बजती है?" and let your child make the sound. Then teach the English way to say it, "ding dong", and the line about the holiday. If your child says "आज holiday है", smile and say it back fully in English: "It's a holiday."

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Bells about?

It is about bells ringing and singing because it is a holiday. The poem ends by calling everyone to go out and play.

Which words rhyme in the poem Bells?

'Ringing' rhymes with 'singing'. 'Holiday' and 'play' also end with the same sound.

Which NCERT book has the poem Bells?

It is Unit 1 of NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 2. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 2 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 →