“The Lamb” Questions and Activities

“Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead;”

That is an excerpt from what I think is one of the sweetest poems ever written. The title of the piece is “The Lamb” and it was composed by William Blake in the late 1700’s.

This is a nice, balanced poem to share with your children. It has repetition, an easy rhyme scheme, and a pleasant rhythm. It uses an interesting question and answer format. Most importantly, it alludes to Jesus. 🙂

Below you will find the poem as well as some questions and activities to use in your homeschool. I have also included a free “The Lamb” Printable Pack that has a copy of the poem plus posters and coloring pages. One of the images for your children to color is a hand-drawn picture of Jesus, the Good Shepherd holding a lamb. I hope your children enjoy it.

“The Lamb” Poem and Questions

Before sharing the poem with your children, you may want to cover these vocabulary words:

• dost – an archaic form of the word ‘do’
• o’er – a poetic contraction of ‘over’
• vales – valleys
• mead – shortened form of the word ‘meadows’

Now, on with the poem.

The Lamb

by William Blake

Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
        Little Lamb, who made thee?
        Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb;
He is meek and He is mild,
He became a little child
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
        Little Lamb, God bless thee,
        Little Lamb, God bless thee.

Discussion Questions:

1. Which phrases are repeated in this poem? Why do you think that is?
2. Find the rhyming words in each stanza. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
3. What words or phrases are used to describe the Lamb?
4. What does “clothing” refer to in the first stanza?
5. According to the second stanza, who made the Lamb?
6. How is the one who made the Lamb described?
7. Who is the speaker in this poem? Hint: Look towards the end of the second stanza.
8. How does the poem make you feel about the Lamb?
9. How does the poem make you feel about the creator of the Lamb?

“The Lamb” Activities

Here are some activities you might like to do with your children.

• Draw a picture to go with the poem
• Color the lamb coloring pages in the free printable pack
• Go see lambs at a farm or zoo
• Learn more about sheep and lambs
• Get a piece of lambswool for your children to touch
• Put the words of this poem to music
• Recite the poem
• Color “The Lamb” posters in the free printable pack
• Use the poem for copywork or dication
• “Lamb” is just one name that refers to Jesus in the Bible. Find other words and phrases that refer to Him.
• Compare and contrast “The Lamb” to “The Tiger,” another poem by Blake

I hope this poem and its activities come in handy for you this homeschool year. You can find questions and activities for the companion to this poem here:

“Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright” Questions and Activities

Many blessings,