The SEN Resources Blog

Have you ever wondered why generations upon generations have taught their children Nursery Rhymes? Is there still a place for them in our kid’s childhood? 

In my opinion- absolutely!
Nursery rhymes are great fun and they are fabulous for developing children’s language and communication skills. 

What else can children gain from nursery rhymes? 
– Early Phonic Skills– phonics are an important component of many children’s education- helping them to learn to read. Nursery rhymes help develop early phonics by children hearing sounds and repeating them then blending them to make words. 

– Social skills– one of the best things about nursery rhymes is the social benefit. Often sung in groups it helps children build relationships with other children. It can also be a wonderful bonding experience between parents and children.

–Language Development– through repetition of key words and phrases children’s language and vocabulary is extended. 

–  Rhyme and Rhythm–  Nursery rhymes are a great introduction into rhymes and rhythmn. 

– Non verbal communication skills– it’s not just language that is debeloped. Through the actions that accompany many nursery rhymes, children can develop non-verbal communication. 

How can you make nursery rhymes even more engaging? 

Here’s what we did:

Example: Hickory Dickory Dock

• Incorporated this fun, puppet book by Little Learners (Parragon Books)

• Made our own ‘clock’ to run our toy mouse up and down! This also helped them develop their understanding of time/numbers. 

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