“A Hunting We Will Go” is a traditional English nursery rhyme.
It’s a fun, musical, and easy-to-sing song.
Children often sing it in school and at home.
It’s used to teach rhythm, rhyming, and imagination.
The original lines are something like this:
“A hunting we will go,
A hunting we will go,
We’ll catch a fox and put him in a box,
And then we’ll let him go.”
Notice: The rhyme is about pretending to go on a hunt, not real hunting.
It’s just a playful and imaginative way of playing with words.
Meaning of the Rhyme
This rhyme is not about real hunting.
Instead, it’s about:
Adventure — pretending to go on a trip.
Imagination — thinking about catching animals in silly, playful ways.
Creativity — making rhymes with words like “fox-box,” “bear-chair,” “mouse-house.”
Kindness — even though the animals are caught, they are not harmed.
They are let go.
Example:
If you say, “We’ll catch a fish and put him on a dish,”
It makes children laugh and also learn rhyming words.
Learning Rhyming Words Through the Poem
One main goal of this rhyme is to teach rhyming words.
Rhyming words are words that sound the same at the end.
Examples:
Fox — Box
Bear — Chair
Mouse — House
Goat — Boat
Example Activity:
Teacher: “A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go.
We’ll catch a cat…”
Kids: “And put him in a hat!
”
This way, kids practice rhyming while having fun.
Moral Lesson from the Rhyme
Although it looks like a silly song, it carries good values:
Imagination is powerful — we can make stories with any word.
Kindness to animals — we don’t keep them; we let them go.
Teamwork — everyone sings together in rhythm.
Learning through fun — study doesn’t always mean books; even rhymes can teach.
Fun Examples of “A Hunting We Will Go”
Let’s create more versions to make it exciting:
“We’ll catch a bear and put him on a chair.”
“We’ll catch a mouse and put him in a house.”
“We’ll catch a snake and put him in a cake.”
“We’ll catch a goat and put him in a boat.”
“We’ll catch a bee and put him in a tree.”
Notice: All examples are silly and playful, not real!
Educational Benefits of the Rhyme
(a) Improves Language Skills
Kids learn new words.
They practice rhyming and sentence structure.
(b) Develops Memory
Singing again and again helps children remember lines easily.
(c) Encourages Creativity
Children can invent their own rhymes, like:
“We’ll catch a frog and put him on a log.”
(d) Makes Learning Fun
Instead of only reading books, rhymes mix music, rhythm, and play.
Topic-Wise Breakdown for Easy Learning
(i) Vocabulary Building
“Catch” — to hold something.
“Box” — a container.
“Fox” — an animal.
“Go” — to move or travel.
Kids learn meanings while singing.
(ii) Rhyming Practice
Rhymes help in early reading skills.
Example: Fox-Box, Bear-Chair, Dog-Log.
(iii) Imagination and Storytelling
The rhyme can be used to make up mini stories.
Example Story:
“One day, we went hunting.
We caught a frog and put him on a log. The frog jumped into the pond and swam away happily.”
This builds creative thinking.
(iv) Music and Rhythm
The rhyme has a sing-song beat.
Children can clap, tap, or march while singing.
Helps in coordination and listening skills.
(v) Values and Emotions
Catching animals is just pretend-play.
The animals are not hurt; they are let free.
Teaches compassion and friendliness towards nature.
Classroom Activities with the Rhyme
Activity 1: Rhyme-Making Game
Teacher sings: “We’ll catch a cat and put him in a…”
Children finish: “…hat!”
Activity 2: Drawing Fun
Children draw their favorite animal in a funny situation:
A fish in a dish
A bear on a chair
A mouse in a house
Activity 3: Acting the Rhyme
One child acts as the “hunter.”
Others act
