It’s World Nursery Rhyme Week! Launched in 2013, World Nursery Rhyme Week promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development and education. The initiative, which was founded by Music Bugs, is open to parents, Early Years practitioners, and anybody who works with children under the age of 7.
How It Works:
Every year, Music Bugs chooses five nursery rhymes and encourages children to take part in their ‘Rhyme A Day’ challenge by singing the rhymes and other activities. You can register here and have instant access to loads of fantastic free resources and suggested activity ideas! You’ll get access to a super resource pack which contains song downloads for the five chosen rhymes, videos, colouring in sheets, cutting exercises, pencil control sheet, playdough mats, certificates, posters plus loads more! So what’s been chosen for 2020? Let’s take a look!
The Nursery Rhymes:
Monday 16th – Wheels On The Bus Tuesday 17th – Five Little Speckled Frogs Wednesday 18th – Hickory Dickory Dock Thursday 19th – Old MacDonald Had A Farm Friday 20th – Miss Polly Had A Dolly
The Importance of Nursery Rhymes:
You’ve heard the expression “Great Rhymers Make Great Readers” and it certainly holds true. Songs and rhymes are a cornerstone of development in children. In early infancy, nursery rhymes and songs pave the way for language, learning and communication.
Great rhymers make great readers!
Then, as children grow, nursery rhymes continue to be a key source of interaction and learning between children and adults. Nursery rhymes have been proven to be hugely important in the development of language as they often tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. This teaches children about sequences of events. They also expose children to words they not usually hear. When was the last time you asked someone to fetch a pail of water? They also have a familiar pattern so they can help with children’s recall and ability to memorise. Additionally, rhymes also incorporate patterns, repetitive structures, and numbers so children also learn basic numeracy and mathematical skills. They are also great for teaching social, physical, and emotional skills because they’re just so much fun! It is sure to be an amazing week! To celebrate, we at Early Days Foods are even hosting our own competition for our customers! Create your own original nursery rhyme and win a pizza party for your entire class. We’ve already had so many amazing entries and there’s still a few hours left before the closing date! We hope you all have a great time with Old McDonald and Polly and her dolly!