Circle Game · England · Grades 2–4
Full lyrics, how to play the circle game, and a complete teaching guide for elementary music. A brilliant song for teaching 6/8 meter, solfege la, and steady beat through improvised movement.
Complete lyrics
About this song
Oliver Twist is originally a ball-bouncing playground game from England, where a single child bounces a ball against a wall and performs each motion — touching knees, touching toes, clapping, and throwing under the leg — all while keeping the beat. In the classroom it transforms into a circle game where each student takes a turn creating a motion for the whole class to copy.
The trouble with the original words "you can't do this" is that they invite children to do exactly what the song suggests — create motions that others genuinely cannot do, often at the expense of the beat. You end up with children attempting splits, elaborate sequences, or movements no one can remember. The small but important change to "you can do this" transforms the game from competitive to collaborative, and keeps every child's focus where it belongs: on the beat.
"Give children a moment before starting to think of a motion — so they don't freeze when it's their turn. And remind them: they can't stop the song while they think. The song must continue on the beat."
— Deborah Skydell Pasternack, The Singing ClassroomMusically, Oliver Twist is a teacher's dream for 6/8 meter. There are no pick-up notes, and the word "Oliver" falls beautifully into the first three beats — students feel the compound duple swing naturally from the very first phrase. The song's do-based pentatonic scale makes it ideal for introducing the solfege syllable la to older beginners, and the repetitive, on-the-beat motions are a physical demonstration of steady beat that makes the concept concrete and visible.
Teaching guide
The song itself comes together quickly. The game is where the teaching decisions matter — how to set up the improvised motions so students don't freeze, how to keep the beat going without pausing between turns, and when to shift from the game into the 6/8 and solfege la teaching. The transition from play to musical analysis is specific, and Deborah demonstrates it with real students in the full video.
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By grade level
Focus on learning the song and playing the circle game with confidence. The emphasis is on keeping a steady beat while singing and moving simultaneously. Use the fixed motions (knees, toes, clap, turn) before introducing improvisation.
Use Oliver Twist to introduce or reinforce 6/8 meter. The word "Oliver" naturally demonstrates the compound duple feel. This is also an excellent song for introducing the solfege syllable la to students encountering it for the first time.
Older students can explore the do-based pentatonic scale and add barred instrument accompaniment. The three-note melody creates a clear framework for improvised ostinato patterns. Discuss the song's English playground origins and how it changed when it moved to the classroom.
What teachers say
"Changing 'you can't do this' to 'you can do this' was a game-changer. The kids stay focused on the beat instead of trying to stump each other. I'll never go back to the original."
"I use this every year to introduce 6/8. 'Oliver' just lands perfectly on those three beats — students feel compound meter in their bodies before I ever write it on the board."
"Deborah's tip about giving kids a moment to think of their motion first completely solved the freezing problem. Now the game flows without stopping. Such a simple fix."
Explore the complete elementary music curriculum — 150+ folk songs, every one demonstrated on video.
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Each of these songs includes a complete teaching guide and step-by-step video demonstration inside The Singing Classroom.
Lyrics, how to play, and the musical concepts behind this classic circle game.
See teaching guide →The complete teaching guide for this beloved English singing game.
See teaching guide →Full lyrics and how to use this counting out chant to teach tiri-tiri and 2/4 time.
See teaching guide →Common questions
The original lyrics invite children to create motions that others genuinely cannot do — which sounds fun in theory but quickly devolves into splits, complicated sequences, and moves no one can remember. More importantly, it causes students to sacrifice the steady beat while they think up something impossible. Changing to "you can do this" keeps the game collaborative and keeps everyone's focus on the music, not on one-upping each other.
There are no pick-up notes, which removes a common source of confusion when students first encounter 6/8. More importantly, the word "Oliver" falls perfectly into the first three beats of the measure — students hear and feel the compound duple grouping (two big beats, each subdivided into three) simply by saying the name. It's one of those rare songs where the text and the meter are perfectly aligned from the very first word.
There's a specific preparation step Deborah does before starting the circle that solves this problem almost entirely. It's a small thing that makes a big difference. Demonstrated in the teaching video.
In the original ball-bouncing playground game, "underthrow" means to throw the ball under your leg — one of the motions a child would perform while bouncing the ball against a wall. It's a great piece of folk etymology to share with older students who are interested in the song's origins as a British playground game.
The game works well from 2nd through 4th grade. Second graders focus on learning the song and the circle game format. Third graders are ready to explore 6/8 meter and solfege la. Fourth graders can work with the pentatonic scale and add barred instrument accompaniment. The song's short melody and energetic game format keep it engaging across the grade range.
The real problem
Every teacher knows this feeling. You find a song, try it on Monday, and something goes sideways — the kids don't engage, you're not sure how to introduce it, the lesson loses momentum. It's not that the song was wrong. You just didn't have a clear picture of how it actually goes.
That's what makes The Singing Classroom different. Every song in the library — including this one — has a full video of Deborah teaching it with real students. You don't have to guess how to introduce it, how to structure the activity, or how to handle the tricky moments. You watch it. Then you teach it.
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