Nursery rhymes are an important part of our literary heritage, and they are as engaging for children today as they were hundreds of years ago. Their “magical” quality is testimony to the fact that they have endured through the years. Nursery rhymes are also an excellent way to nurture literacy skills from infants through school age children. Phonological awareness, oral language, print connections, and many other reading skills can be developed in a meaningful and child-friendly way with nursery rhymes. As you read through these activities, you can kiss your brain every time you can connect them to the Common Core State Standards!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (naeyc.org) has a position paper called “Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices” that you should download and use as a resource for yourself and your parents. The research presented validates the importance of using nursery rhymes, songs, and poems with young children to get them ready to read. Here is a link:
NAEYC - Learning to Read and Write
You can also check out these websites for additional activities with nursery rhymes. Just click a link:
curry.virginia.edu/go/wil/rimes_and_rhymes
readwritethink.org
enchantedlearning.com
literactive.com
teachersandfamilies.com
mrsdiminnie.com
prekinders.com
pre-kpages.com
One time a mother said, “I don’t want you teaching my child nursery rhymes. They are stereotypic and violent.” The truth is they are stereotypic, but it takes an adult with a hidden agenda to figure out that Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater is the male dominating the woman. Children accept these rhymes for their face value and are delighted with the music of the words – rhyme, rhythm, and alliteration.
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If you would like to have printable copies of the files for the various parts of this month's activities, just go to the Downloads page where you will find links to all of them in PDF format.