Benefits of Singing Nursery Rhymes to Children

Nursery rhymes are an invaluable way of teaching children a wide range of skills.

They assist in vocabulary growth, motor skills, social skills, speech sounds, and early literacy and numeracy skills.

Actions!

Many nursery rhymes such as Incy Wincy Spider, Five Little Speckled Frogs and Humpty Dumpty and can be paired with simple actions. Actions combined with a nursery rhymes increase interactivity and in turn improves your child's ability to learn. Children learn best when they can hear it, see it and act it out themselves.

Repetition!

Almost all nursery rhymes have an element of repetition (Old McDonald Had a Farm, Five Little Speckled Frogs, BINGO). Not only are the same words repeated but the song has a routine and they usually start and end the same way. The repetitive and predictable nature of nursery rhymes help children absorb more information, helps them identify patterns, develops a child's confidence and makes singing nursery rhymes all the more fun and memorable.

Sequencing!

Nursery rhymes such as Baa Baa Black Sheep, Incy Wincy Spider and Humpty Dumpty teach children sequencing. Sequencing is the ability to logically order events, images, thoughts and actions. It is an important fundamental skill that will equip your child with the thought processes required for learning.

Counting and Spelling!

For older toddlers and preschoolers, nursery rhymes with a strong emphasis on counting forwards, backwards, subtraction, addition and spelling can be extremely helpful in making learning fun. Songs such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive, BINGO, The Alphabet Song, 5 Little Speckled Frogs all help children grasp basic cognitive concepts in a fun and enjoyable way.

Singing Nursery Rhymes with your children is a fantastic past time and one they will look upon fondly when they grow up. The Little Lamb book by Wondertivity is a great book to help nuture and encourage your child's love of nursery rhymes. It contains 12 pages of themed nursery rhyme activities for you and your child to sing to whilst working on fine motor skills and acting out the song. Also perfect for unwinding after a big day out or for incorporating into your night time routine.