Five Little Speckled Frogs facts for kids

Five Little Speckled Frogs is a fun nursery rhyme that started in the United States. This song helps young children learn about subtraction. It tells the story of frogs jumping off a log, one by one, into a cool pool. As each frog jumps, the number of frogs left on the log goes down.

Sing Along: The Lyrics

This popular version of the song shows how the frogs disappear:

5 little speckled frogs, sat on a great big log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
1 jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool,
Now there are 4 speckled frogs,
Brup, Brup.

4 little speckled frogs, sat on a great big log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
1 jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool,
Now there are 3 speckled frogs,
Brup, Brup.

3 little speckled frogs, sat on a great big log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
1 jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool,
Now there are 2 speckled frogs,
Brup, Brup.

2 little speckled frogs, sat on a great big log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
1 jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool,
Now there is 1 speckled frog,
Brup, Brup.

1 little speckled frog, sat on a great big log,
Eating the most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
She jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool,
Now there are no speckled frogs,
Brup, Brup.

Different Ways to Sing It

Sometimes, people sing about the frogs eating "flies," "clinkers," or "grubs" instead of "bugs." Also, some versions might say "green and" instead of "little" when describing the frogs. The last frog might be called "he," "they," or "one."

Fun Hand Motions to Follow

You can add hand motions to make the song even more fun and interactive. Here's how:

• Line #1: Hold up your fingers to show the number of frogs sitting on the log. For example, start with five fingers.
• Line #2: Bring your hands close to your chest. Curl your fingers downwards, like a frog sitting on a log.
• Line #3: Pretend to eat something while singing "Eating some most delicious bugs." Then, rub your belly happily for "yum, yum!"
• Line #4: Hold up one finger to show the single frog that is about to jump off the log.
• Line #5: Lean or pretend to fall over, showing the frog jumping into the water.
• Line #6: Hold up your fingers to show how many frogs are left on the log. When you sing "(glup, glup)," repeat the hand motion from line two, but look upwards as if you are a frog underwater.