Jack Be Nimble The Jumping Rhyme, With Lyrics and a Free Printable
Jack Be Nimble is one of the shortest nursery rhymes of all — a single quick verse about Jack jumping over a candlestick. The full lyrics are below, with a safe pretend-candle jumping game for toddlers and a free printable lyrics sheet to chant together at home.
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Quick Answer
Jack Be Nimble is a traditional nursery rhyme with just one short verse: Jack is nimble, Jack is quick, and Jack jumps over the candlestick. This page gives the full lyrics, a safe way for toddlers to practise the jump over a pretend candle, and a free printable lyrics sheet.
At a Glance
- Rhyme: Jack Be Nimble
- Type: Movement / jumping rhyme
- Verses: 1 — the single classic verse
- Best for: Ages 2–4
- Printable: 1 lyrics sheet
- Cost: Free — print at home
🎵 Jack Be Nimble Lyrics
Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over
The candlestick.
✂️ Download Your Free Jack Be Nimble Lyrics Sheet
All the lyrics from this page on one sheet, in big, well-spaced type for young readers.
⬇️ Download Free Lyrics Sheet 🖨️ Print🎁 Free printable for ages 2–4
🕯️ Jump Over the Pretend Candle
Tradition says children once played a jumping game with this rhyme — jumping over a candle, with a clean jump said to bring good luck. That is the old fortune-telling game attached to the verse, and it belongs in the past: never jump over a real candle or any flame.
The toddler version keeps the fun and drops the fire. Put a pretend candle on the floor — a line of tape, a scarf laid straight, or a toy candle — chant the verse together, and jump over it with two feet on “candlestick.” Land soft with bent knees, turn around, and go again. Chant it faster, then slower; the giggling is the exercise.
🖨️ How to Use This Rhyme
- Chant the verse first. Say it together a few times sitting down, clapping on “nimble” and “quick,” until the words are familiar.
- Make a pretend candle. A line of tape or a scarf on the floor is the candlestick — never a real candle, and nothing with a flame.
- Print the lyrics sheet. One page, one verse, in very big type — a first “song” a young child can hold and follow.
- Let your child “read” it back. Pointing at the lines while chanting from memory is early reading confidence at its simplest.
🎵 More Rhymes & Fun
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Every rhyme in this set lives on one hub page, with lyrics and a printable for each. Browse the collection.
🎵 Five Little Monkeys
The counting-down rhyme, sung on five wiggling fingers. Read the lyrics.
🎵 Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
The circle singing game with morning-routine actions to mime. Read the lyrics.
📚 Learning Activities
The full hub of free printable activities for toddlers and preschoolers. Browse activities.
❓ Jack Be Nimble FAQ
What are the lyrics to Jack Be Nimble?
The whole rhyme is one short verse: “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick.” It is printed in full above, and the same verse is on the free printable sheet.
What age is Jack Be Nimble for?
The chant suits babies and toddlers from the lap up, and the jumping game suits ages 2 to 4, once a child can jump with two feet. Older siblings love leading the chant and timing the jump.
Can I print the lyrics sheet?
Yes — the lyrics sheet is free to print at home with no signup. It carries the same single verse as this page, in extra-large type for young readers.
Did children really jump over a candle?
That is the tradition attached to the rhyme — children once played a jumping game over a candle, and a clean jump was said to bring good luck. Treat it as an old story about the rhyme, and only ever play the pretend version, over a line or a scarf.