Counting sheep is one of the oldest bedtime tricks there is. In our new nursery rhyme, a capybara does the counting for you.
The Sleepy Capybara Shepherd is an original nursery rhyme and bedtime song. A gentle capybara in a straw hat with flowers sits on a grassy hillside, shepherd's crook beside it, keeping watch over a fluffy flock of sheep in the meadow below. The stars are out, a crescent moon shines over the hills, there's a little cottage far away, and lavender grows in the grass. At a minute and a half, it's our shortest song: just right for very little ones.
Opens on YouTube. Find all our songs on the Sparkle Tree Studios channel.
Counting sheep, the calm way
Counting is soothing because it's simple and steady, and it gives a busy mind something gentle to hold on to. Watching a calm shepherd look after a sleepy flock turns that into a story: the sheep are safe, the shepherd is watching, and everyone can rest.
Bedtime ideas
- Count the sheep together. Pause, point and count the sheep in the meadow, slowly and quietly.
- Keep counting with eyes closed. When the song ends, turn the screen off and carry on counting imaginary sheep in a whisper. One… two… three…
- Find the cottage and the moon. Who might live in the little house on the hill?
- Give the shepherd a name. It makes a nice "see you tomorrow" when you say goodnight.
A little activity for tomorrow
Make a cotton-wool flock: draw a green hill, glue on fluffy cotton-wool sheep, and add a capybara shepherd with a straw hat. Number the sheep from 1 to 10 and practise counting them back to bed.