The Wheels on the Bus - Listen and Read Along
The Wheels on the Bus is one of the first rhymes most children love to sing. In this free read-along activity, your child listens to the rhyme and follows each line on the screen. The words are simple and repeat often, so even young learners can join in quickly. Children can turn the wheels with their hands, swish like wipers and beep like a horn while they sing. It is a happy, gentle way to link sounds with written words and build early reading skills at home or in a preschool classroom.
How to play
- Press play and let your child listen to the full rhyme once, just for fun.
- Play it again and point to each line as it is sung, so your child sees the words while hearing them.
- Add the actions: roll your hands for the wheels, swish your arms for the wipers, tap for the horn, and open and shut your hands for the doors.
- Pause after each verse and ask your child to say the last line on their own.
When children sing and read at the same time, they begin to understand that the words they hear are also written down. This rhyme repeats the same sentence pattern in every verse, which helps your child predict words and remember them. The action words round, swish, beep, open and shut build useful vocabulary about movement and transport. Joining in with hand actions supports listening, memory and coordination. Encourage your child to point at each line as it is read, and later ask simple questions such as, "What does the horn do?" This grows speaking confidence in a natural, playful way.
Frequently asked questions
What age is this read-along rhyme best for?
Can my child learn to read from a rhyme like this?
What if my child only wants to sing and not look at the words?
Do we need to print anything to use this activity?
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Updated 1 Nov 2026