She was very musical and began taking piano lessons early.

She attended seminars in Stockholm (Högre lärarinneseminariet) and trained as a teacher.

[3] In 1885, she married Jakob Tegnér (1851–1926), a lawyer, and later secretary of the Swedish Publishers' Association and editor of Svenska Bokhandelstidningen.

[4][5] Alice Tegnér wrote many well-known children's songs in Swedish, most notably Mors lilla Olle.

Her well-known hymnbook Nu ska vi sjunga, with illustrations by Elsa Beskow, was published in 1943.