Nursery Rhymes
Rhymers are Readers
Tony Stead, national literacy consultant
for Mondo Publishing.
• In 1945, average elementary student had a
vocabulary of 10,000 words.
• Today (2010), children have a vocabulary of 2500
words.
• “Listening comprehension precedes reading
comprehension. For a child to understand what
they are reading, they have to be able to hear the
language first.”
• Rhyme is important in developing phonemic
awareness in children.
Rhymers are Readers
Why Rhymes Are Important
• Language Development
• Hear the sounds vowels and consonants make
• Practice pitch, volume ad voice inflection
• Vocabulary development
• Cognitive Development
• Patterns of rhymes make them easy to recite and memorize
• Story patterns: Beginning, middle & end
• Sequencing
• Numbers, counting, and other math concepts
Rhymers are Readers
Why Rhymes Are Important
• Physical Development
• Develop mouth and tongue muscles
• Reciting with movement actions, improve coordination
• Social/Emotional Development
• Sense of humor
• Understand emotions
• Allows children to express themselves
Ways to Include Nursery Rhymes
in the Curriculum
•Unit: Develop a unit incorporating a group of
nursery rhymes.
•Nursery Rhyme of the Week
•Add to current curriculum topics
•Include in morning message
•Create a center
Planning a Nursery Rhyme Curriculum
September:
1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive
(Letter Ff)
Rock A Bye Baby (Baby Moses)
October:
Rub a Dub Dub (Columbus Day)
Little Miss Muffet (Spiders)
November:
Sing a Song of Sixpence (Birds)
Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe
(Old Lady and Coins)
January:
Wee Willie Winkie (Pajama Day)
Three Little Kittens (Winter/Mittens)
February:
Queen of Hearts
Hey, Diddle, Diddle
March:
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Little Bo Peep
April/May:
Old King Cole
Muffin Man
Teacher Resource Books
• “Cut and Create Mother Goose” by Kim Rankin
• “Teaching Math and Science with Nursery Rhymes” by Amy DeCasro
& Jennifer Kern
• “Literacy Centers & Activities for Nursery Rhymes Vol. 1 PreK-1” &
Vol. 2 by Teacher Created Materials
• “Follow the Directions Art: Nursery Rhymes” by Deborah Schecter
• “Mother Goose Math” by Deborah Schecter
• “Teaching Tunes: Favorite Songs” by Dr. Jean Feldman
• “Once Upon a Nursery Rhyme Prek-K” Mailbox Books
• “Everything Nursery Rhymes Pre-K” Mailbox Books
• “Beginning Counting with Mother Goose” by JoEllen Moore
• “Literature Pockets: Nursery Rhymes” by JoEllen Moore
References
"Rhymers Are Readers: The Importance of Nursery
Rhymes." http://www.kbyutv.org. KBYU Eleven, n.d. Web.
18 Feb. 2012.
<www.kbyutv.org/kidsandfamily/readytolearn/file.axd?file=
2011%2F3%2F2+Rhymers+are+ReadersWhy+Important.pdf>.
"Why Nursery Rhymes?." The Kids at Our House - Danny
& Kim Adlerman. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.dannyandkim.com/WhyNurseryRhymes.html>
.
Clip Art:
DJ Inkers