Pease Porridge Hot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Pease Porridge Hot" |
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Music from The Song Play Book.
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| Nursery rhyme | |
| Published | c. 1760 |
| Songwriter(s) | Unknown |
"Pease Porridge Hot" is a well-known children's nursery rhyme and singing game. It is also sometimes called "Pease Pudding Hot". This rhyme has been enjoyed by kids for hundreds of years, often with a fun hand-clapping game.
What are the Lyrics?
The words to the "Pease Porridge Hot" rhyme are:
- Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
- Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;
- Some like it hot, some like it cold,
- Some like it in the pot, nine days old.
Where Did "Pease Porridge Hot" Come From?
The exact beginning of the "Pease Porridge Hot" rhyme is not known. The name "pease porridge" refers to a type of food. This food was a thick dish made from peas. Today, we usually call this dish "pease pudding". Long ago, "pease" was a word for the food itself, similar to how we say "oatmeal" today.
The earliest time this rhyme was written down was around 1760. It appeared as a riddle in a book called Mother Goose's Melody by John Newbery. The riddle went like this:
- Pease Porridge hot,
- Pease Porridge cold,
- Pease Porridge in the Pot
- Nine Days old,
- Spell me that in four Letters?
- I will, THAT.
Sometimes, if people use the terms "pease pudding" or "pease pottage" for the food, the words in the rhyme might change a little to match.
How Do You Play the "Pease Porridge Hot" Game?
"Pease Porridge Hot" is a popular clapping game often played by schoolchildren. Kids usually play this game in pairs. They clap their hands together while saying the rhyme. Here is how the actions go with the words:
- Pease (clap both hands to your thighs)
- porridge (clap your own hands together)
- hot (clap your partner's hands)
- pease (clap both hands to your thighs)
- porridge (clap your own hands together)
- cold (clap your partner's hands)
- Pease (clap your thighs)
- porridge (clap your own hands)
- in the (clap only your right hands with your partner's right hand)
- pot (clap your own hands)
- nine (clap only your left hands with your partner's left hand)
- days (clap your own hands)
- old (clap your partner's hands)
You repeat these same actions for the second part of the rhyme. Remember, you do the action at the same time you say the word or phrase.
