Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?

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"Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?" or the Cookie Jar Song is a traditional sing-along song/game, sung usually with young children in a pre-school, school, or day camp setting. The song is an infinite-loop motif, each verse directly feeds into the next. It is usually performed as a fun game, with the children sitting in a circle.

The song usually begins with an adult asking who stole a cookie from an apocryphal (or, in some cases, real) cookie jar, followed by the name of one of the children in the circle. The child questions the "accusation," answered by an affirmation from the "accuser," followed by continued denial from the "accused." The accuser asks who stole the cookie, followed by the name of another child in the circle. The call-and-answer is potentially infinitely recursive, limited only by the number of participants or the amount of time the participants wish to spend on it.

Sometimes, a clapping or snapping beat is used by the children in the circle. Sometimes, the other children in the group sing along with the "accuser" after the "accused" has been identified. Some variations on the theme include the use by teachers of the song as a lesson in keeping with a beat and improvisation. As with many children's songs, there can be many variations on the execution of the performance.

The song's lyrics are usually:

Accuser: Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

(name of a child in the circle) stole the cookie from the cookie jar.

Accused: Who me?

Accuser/Group: Yes, you!

Accused: Not Me, Couldn't be!

Accuser/Group: Then who?

This is followed by the "accused" saying the name of someone else, as "(name of a child in the circle) stole the cookie from the cookie jar," and the subsequent back-and-forth lines are repeated. The song may be repeated ad infinitum or it may end - if it is being performed as part of a game, where members of the group are eliminated by failing to keep up with the prescribed beat or eliminated as a result of being chosen as one of the accused.

The song, and game, is featured as one of the sequences in Grandpa's Magical Toys.

[edit] See also

• The Priest of the Parish

[edit] External links

• Example of a lesson plan used by teachers, with lyrics, and appropriate grade level.
• Another example of a lesson plan used by teachers, this one focusing on the educational variations and the importance of sticking to a beat and improvisation.
• A variation on the performance of the piece, noting the importance of keeping to a rhythm.