Goodnight Moon is a very famous and much-loved English nursery rhyme written by author and poet Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by a close friend of hers, Clement Hurd. Goodnight Moon song was published on 3 September 1947.
Lyrics Of Goodnight Moon
Here are the original lyrics of the poem Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
In the great green room
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture of –
The cow jumping over the moon
And there were three little bears sitting on chairs
And two little kittens
And a pair of mittens
And a little toy house
And a young mouse
And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush
And a quiet old lady who was whispering “hush”
Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Goodnight cow jumping over the moon
Goodnight light
And the red balloon
Goodnight bears
Goodnight chairs
Goodnight kittens
And goodnight mittens
Goodnight clocks
And goodnight socks
Goodnight little house
And goodnight mouse
Goodnight comb
And goodnight brush
Goodnight nobody
Goodnight mush
And goodnight to the old lady whispering “hush”
Goodnight stars
Goodnight air
Good night noises everywhere
What Will Your Child Learn From The Goodnight Moon Poem?
Author Susan Cooper has written that this book could possibly be the only “realistic story” that has gotten universal approval to be called a fairy tale, although, according to her, it’s more of a simple ritual than a story, per see.
Famous writer, Ellen Handler Spitz, says that the poem, Goodnight Moon, teaches kids that life can have stability and reliability.
By saying goodnight to all, the story suggests that everything will still be there in the morning, making it a departure but not a farewell.
Theme Of The Poem Goodnight Moon
The theme of the poem is that there is a ritual that’s been followed by the rabbit, that it must say goodnight to everything and then go to bed. This poem leaves a trail of innocence behind it, about how the rabbit is so innocent; it does not think about the next day or worry about anything but just follows its ritual.
Rhyming Scheme Of The Song Goodnight Moon
The rhyming pattern in the poem “Goodnight Moon” is known to change, where in the first stanza, it is A/B/C/D, and then it becomes E/E. This particular pattern emerges again and again in the entire poem.
Words To Learn From The Goodnight Moon Poem
There are a lot of sight words that can be taught to kids from this particular poem. Here are some of them –
- Room
- Telephone
- Balloon
- Cow
- Moon
- Bear
- Kitten
- Mitten
- Mouse
- House
- Comb
- Brush
- Bowl
- Lady
- Socks
- Stars
Suggested Activities For The Goodnight Moon Poem
1. Sight Word Memory Game
- One of the coolest games that your little one can play is the sight word memory game.
- All you need to do is write each word on a small square of paper and draw its corresponding image.
- Eg: Telephone – Write the word and draw the image on two separate sheets of paper.
2. Goodnight Moon Sensory Bin
Here, one can create a sensory bin with many of the words mentioned in the poem. The following can be added:
- Black beans
- Shiny Stars (beads)
- Yellow pompoms for the moon
- Picture of a comb / very small doll comb
- Very small spoon and bowl
Your child then gets to play with all the ingredients in the bin and understand how each one feels, improving their sensory skills.
3. Rhyming
This poem has a lot of rhyming words that make it very rhythmic. Here’s what you can do to make your little ones identify these rhyming words:
- As you read the story aloud, have your little one stand up or raise their hand when they hear a rhyme.
- Have your child read the book in pairs and write down the rhyming words.
- Tell your little one to pick their favourite pair of rhyming words from the book and draw pictures of them.
4. Listen and Find
Collect objects that correlate to each item the bunny says ‘goodnight’ to in the poem. Some of the items you will need include a toy clock, some mittens, stuffed bears and a picture of a star. Put them in a pile in front of you where your little one can see them. Let your child take turns finding each item as you read it in the book. For example, when you read, ‘goodnight bears,’ let your child come up and find the stuffed bear, placing it on a table. Continue until you’ve found each item from the book.
FAQs
1. What is the plot of this poem?
This poem has a young bunny rabbit that says goodnight to all the objects and creatures in the bedroom and then, drifting off to sleep as the lights slowly dim, and the moon glows brightly.
2. When was this poem written?
This poem was written in the fall of 1947.
Also Read:
Little Bo Peep Rhyme for Nursery Kids
Wee Willie Winkie Nursery Rhyme for Children
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Rhyme for Kids
