Little by Little: NCERT Class 3 English Poem (Marigold Unit 3)

etmantra13 Jun 20209 min read

Little by Little shows how a big tree begins as a small seed. Children learn about how plants grow, and a quiet lesson: patient, steady effort leads to great things.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 3, unit 3. NCERT’s newer Class 3 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Little by Little

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

How a seed grows into a tree: root, shoot, leaves, branches
Rhyming pairs like root and shoot
Phrases for slow change: little by little, day by day
Being patient while getting better at something

What the poem is about

The poem follows an acorn, the seed of an oak tree. Lying in its mossy bed deep in the earth, the acorn says it is getting better every day. It sips the dew, sends a thin root downwards, and a tiny shoot springs up into the air.

Day by day and year by year, leaves appear and slender branches spread wide, until the acorn has become a mighty oak, the pride of the forest. The message is that big things grow slowly, a little at a time.

New words, with Hindi meanings

acorn: the small nut or seed of an oak tree (हिंदी: बलूत का बीज)
mossy: covered with moss, a soft green plant (हिंदी: काई वाला)
dew: tiny drops of water found on grass in the early morning (हिंदी: ओस)
root: the part of a plant that grows down into the soil (हिंदी: जड़)
shoot: a new young part of a plant that grows up (हिंदी: अंकुर)
slender: thin (हिंदी: पतला)
mighty: very big and strong (हिंदी: विशाल)
oak: a large, strong tree (हिंदी: बलूत का पेड़)

Sing and dance

Once your child knows the poem, sing it together with actions. Children who can’t sing yet can still do the moves.

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.

Where was the acorn lying?
What did the acorn send downwards?
What did the acorn grow into in the end?
What is something you are getting better at, little by little?

Answers for parents

It was lying in a mossy bed, hidden deep in the earth.
It sent a thin, thread-like root downwards.
It grew into a mighty oak tree, the pride of the forest.
For example: I am getting better at riding my cycle. Every day I can ride a little longer.

Grammar corner: Rhyming words

Rhyming words end with the same sound. This poem puts rhyming words at the ends of lines, like grew and dew, or root and shoot. Rhymes make a poem musical and easy to remember.

The little seed began to grow, slowly, slowly, row by row.
A tiny root went into the ground, without a sound.
The tree grew tall and wide, the forest's pride.

Practice at home

Find the rhyme in the poem for ‘root’.
Match the rhyming pairs: grew, year, wide — pride, dew, appear.
Fill in the blank: Little by little, the acorn became a mighty ___.

Answers: 1. shoot · 2. grew–dew, year–appear, wide–pride · 3. oak

Try this

Act out the poem. Your child curls up small on the floor as the acorn. As you read slowly, they stretch out a hand as a root, push up a finger as the shoot, and slowly rise and spread their arms wide as the mighty oak. If you like, soak a few moong seeds and watch them sprout over a few days.

Tip for parents

Explain the poem in Hindi first: “एक छोटा बीज धीरे-धीरे बड़ा पेड़ बन जाता है।” Then teach that ‘little by little’ means धीरे-धीरे, and use it at home, for example when your child is learning to tie laces. Praise each small step, just as the poem does.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Little by Little about?

It is about an acorn that grows slowly, first a root, then a shoot, then leaves and branches, until it becomes a mighty oak tree.

What is the message of Little by Little?

Big things grow slowly. With patience and a little growth every day, something small can become great.

Which NCERT book has Little by Little?

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

Learn every Class 3 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and first writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →