Toddlers love to hear their favourite nursery rhymes over and over again.
This is great, as it really helps them with their language skills, as Dr Michelle Peter explains in the film below.
Michelle:
Shall we do some singing? What song shall we sing?
Nursery rhymes are a wonderful way for you to introduce the type of language to your child that you wouldn't necessarily use on a daily basis.
Mum:
Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.
Michelle:
The reason they're so attractive to children is that they rhyme.
That can help children to guess what words are coming up next, but it also helps them to remember the rhymes much more easily.
Mum 2:
Shall we do 'Twinkle, Twinkle'?
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.
Michelle:
One thing we do know is that using lots of language that's diverse, is related to better language and literacy outcomes by the time chlidren start school.
The incy wincy spider climbed up the spout again.
That was a good one, wasn't it!
The benefits of nursery rhymes
- Nursery rhymes are great for introducing children to words they wouldn't normally hear on a daily basis. This means they're likely to build their vocabulary from hearing different rhymes
- The rhyme and repetition of nursery rhymes helps children to build their attention skills as they get used to anticipating what comes next in the song
- As children begin to recognise the rhymes and different word sounds that make nursery rhymes such fun to sing, they build their 'phonological awareness', that is, their understanding of the different sounds that make up words and make some words sound similar to others. This helps when they come to learn to read
- Songs with actions help toddlers to develop their motor skills, as well as helping them to remember certain words that go along with the actions
- Laughing and singing rhymes together promotes bonding between you and your child through the release of happy hormones like oxytocin
Find out more in our article on why we sing nursery rhymes to children.
Image caption, Nursery rhymes are great for introducing children to words they wouldn't normally hear on a daily basis.
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