DRAMATIZATION OF NURSERY RHYMES
Prepared by Jo Ho, Storyteller August, 2014
Preschool nursery rhymes can reinforce learning in all areas of the curriculum
including reading, language, math, art, and science.
Fun nursery rhyme dramatization will make learning fun for preschoolers.
Children become familiar with the words, letters and names in the rhymes.
The repetition leads to phonetic awareness and early reading skills.
Preschoolers will sing the songs and chant the rhymes over and over and
eventually recognize the words associated with the rhymes.
Nursery rhymes also reinforce counting, number recognition and other skills
vital for growth and development.
Kids love the silly characters depicted in nursery rhymes and are more likely to
pay attention to the lesson being taught when it involves a silly song or chant.
Listed below are rhymes that can be incorporated into lesson plans and thematic
units, movement, dramatic play, or taught in a nursery rhyme unit.
Also
listed are several wonderful rhyming activities for preschoolers.
NOTE: Rhyming is a phonemic awareness skill; so rhyming activities should
focus on how words sound. Pictures, rather than printed words, are best used in
rhyming games.
Rhyming Basket
Objects are placed in a basket (one object for each child present), and the
basket is passed around the circle. As each child gets the basket, I say a
word (such as “fizzers”) and they pull out the object that rhymes
(“scissors”). You can use any objects, because it doesn’t matter if the
rhyming words are real words or nonsense words.
Erase a Rhyme
Draw a picture on a dry erase board, such as grass, sky, tree, flower, and
sun. Say a word, such as tower, and have a child come up to erase what
rhymes (flower); erase what rhymes with bee (tree); erase what rhymes
with fun (sun). Continue until the whole picture is erased.
House story-draw a picture of a house with a door, two windows and
a chimney, yard with a fence and two flowers, grass and a tree.
Include a sun in the sky. Story - Just for fun, erase the sun/ If you
can count to three, erase the tree/ If you can count to four, erase the
door, So you don’t get stung by a bee, erase the chimney/ If you can
do so, erase the window/ If you see a hound, erase the ground/ A dog
can say “woof,” erase the roof/ Climb the tower, erase the flower/ If
you see a doe, erase another window/ You need power, to erase
another flower/ If you see a mouse, erase the house.
Rhyming Rings
Hook words that rhyme together on a ring. Include a picture with the word.
Children flip through the picture cards and say them.
Rhyming Memory
Use picture cards turned upside down for this rhyming game. Have the
children take turns turning over two cards. Have them say the words
aloud, and then help them to determine if those words rhyme.
Dinner Time
Put pictures on plastic or paper plates, and then have the children use
spatulas to transfer rhyming pictures to the correct plates.
Variations: Tape pictures to trucks, trains, or cars and have the kids drive
the vehicles to the appropriate rhyming picture.
Have dolls and action figures hold pictures, and then have the children
match up the pairs that rhyme.
Rhyming Partners
Pin a picture to each child’s shirt. When you tell them to, the children have
to find their partner who has a coordinating rhyming word.
Rhyming Hopscotch
Use tape to create hopscotch game inside, or chalk for an outside game.
Have pictures inside each hopscotch square. Call out a word, and then
have the child hop to the appropriate rhyming word. Have each child take
3-4 hops then have another child take a turn, etc.
Beanbag Rhyme Game
Hold the beanbag and say a word (e.g., bat). Pass the beanbag to a child.
That child is to think of a word that rhymes with bat, say the new word
aloud, an then pass the beanbag to another student. The game continues
until the children can think of no more rhyming words. The child who is
holding the beanbag at that point begins the game with a new word.
Rhyming Chime
On index cards, glue two pictures side by side, making some with rhyming
matches and some with non-rhyming matches.
Hold up a card and say, “Rhyme chime one more time. Tell me,
________(Child’s name), do these rhyme?” Then name the two pictures.
Classroom Rhymes
Begin game by saying to children, “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with
something in the classroom. My word is ‘hair’. What am I thinking of?”
Children try to guess the word ‘chair’. Continue with other words.
Down By the Bay
1. After reading the book or listening to the song on tape, sing the song
together as a group.
2. In the second verse, leave out the last word and instruct children to
identify a rhyming word that would complete the verse.
3. Children could even be asked to create a complete rhyming verse by
themselves.
4. Song-Down by the bay/Where the watermelons grow/Back to my
home/I dare not go/For if I do/My mother will say/Have you ever seen
a ________?/ Down by the bay!
5. Sample verses-Moose kissing a goose/Duck driving a truck/Bee
slapping his knee/Goat wearing a coat/Llama wearing pajamas/Fish
washing a dish/Dog riding a log/Cat swinging a bat/Bear combing his
hair/Bug washing a rug/ Cow taking a bow/Pig dancing a jig.
DRAW A RHYME
Monster Rhyme - When you draw a monster, it is said, you always begin
with his head/ He’ll be able to see when he flies, if we draw two bright eyes/
To tell which way the cold wind blows, our monster will need a great big
nose/ Look to the north and look to the south, now we can give our
monster a mouth/Some up above and some beneath, our monster has lots
of teeth/ Now under this chin, let’s just check, that’s where we should put
his neck/ So he won’t be tipsy-toddy, let’s give him a polka dot body/ If he
really, really begs, I guess we could give him legs/ To make our monster
nice and neat, we’ll have to teach him to wipe his feet/ A notice sent by air
mail, we can’t forget our monster’s tail/ He isn’t fierce, he isn’t hairy, but
don’t you think he’s a little scary?
NONSENSE WORDS
Higglety, Pigglety, Pop
The dog has eaten the mop. The pig’s in a hurry,
The cat’s in a flurry Higglety, pigglety, pop.
Substitute words to make a new poem. For example, substitute the
word pop with the nonsense word pag.
Have the children help fill in the new word that will rhyme with pag.
Continue with nonsense words until each child has had a turn.
ROUND ROBIN RHYME
Have children sit in a circle. Tell them you are going on an imaginary trip.
You will say one item that you want to take on a trip. The children are to
repeat the item and then name another item that rhymes. For example, if
you say, “I’m going to the park and I’m taking a mat,” the next child in the
circle might say, “I’m going to the park and I’m taking a mat and a hat.”
SILLY WILLY
Teach the children the following verse to the tune of “Skip to My Lou”.
Invite the children to sing along and complete the last line using a word
that rhymes with a student’s name.
Silly Willy, who should I choose (repeat three times)/I choose ___________.
(ex.- Terri Berry/ Matt Bat/ Sarah Harah)
Continue to sing along, using new names and rhymes.
This song could be used in group activities, during transitions and in a
modified version of Duck Duck Goose.
Have the children sit in a circle and choose a child to be it. As the children
sing the song, “It skips around the outside of the circle. During the last
line, have “It” complete the verse, tap the selected child on the shoulder
and race around the circle to sit in his spot.
Rhymes
COME RHYME WITH ME! By Hans Wilhelm (Learning the A,B,C’s) A is for alligator snoozing in the sun. If you dare to tickle him, you’d better start to run! B is for bear sitting on a rug, Eating all your chocolates and waiting for a hug. NUMBERS ON THE LOOSE by Leo & Diane Dillon WASH the dishes, Wipe the dishes, Ring the bell for tea; 3 good wishes, 3 good kisses, I will give to thee. Early in the morning at 8 o’clock You can hear the postman’s knock; Up jumps Ella to answer the door, 1 letter, 2 letters, 3 letters, 4! 1,2,3,4,5, I caught a hare alive; 6,7,8,9,10, I let him go again. Chook, chook, chook, chook, chook, Good morning, Mrs. Hen, How many chickens have you got? Madam, I’ve got 10. 4 of them are yellow. And 4 of them are brown. And 2 of them are speckled red. The nicest in the town. From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is 15 miles, From Wobbleton to Wibbleton is 15 miles. From Wibbleton to Wobbleton, From Wobbleton to Wibbleton, From Wibbleton to Wobbleton Is 15 miles. RHYMES FOR MOVEMENT SCARECROW, SCARECROW (Tune: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear) Scarecrow, scarecrow, turn around, Scarecrow, scarecrow, jump up and down. Scarecrow, scarecrow, raise your arms high, Scarecrow, scarecrow, wink one eye. Scarecrow, scarecrow, bend your knees. Scarecrow, scarecrow, flap in the breeze. Scarecrow, scarecrow, climb into bed, Scarecrow, scarecrow, rest your head. Dingle Dangle Scarecrow When all the cows were sleeping And the sun had gone to bed, Up jumped the scarecrow (Jump up.) And this is what he said? I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow With a flippy floppy hat. I can shake my hands like this, I can shake my feet like that! (Sit down.) When all the hens were roosting And the moon’s behind the cloud, Up jumped the scarecrow. (Jump up.) And shouted very loud. I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow With a flippy, floppy hat. I can shake my hands like this, I can shake my feet like that! (Sit down.) When the dogs were in the kennels And the doves were in the loft, Up jumped the scarecrow (Jump up.) And whispered very soft, I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow, With a flippy, floppy hat. I can shake my hands like this, I can shake my feet like that! (Sit down.) ONCE THERE WAS A SNOWMAN Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman. Once there was a snowman, tall, tall, tall. (Stand up very tall.) And in the sun he melted, melted, melted, And in the sun he melted, small, small, small. (Pretend to melt and crouch down to the floor.) I’M A LITTLE TURTLE
I’m a little turtle,
I crawl oh so slow,
And carry my house
Wherever I go.
When I get tired
I pull in my head,
My legs and my tail,
And go to bed!
THE ANIMALS
Limpety, limpety, lump,
The camel has a hump.
He eats the leaves
Off of the trees,
Limpety, limpety, lump.
Trumpety, trumpety, trump,
The elephant has a trunk.
He uses his nose
As a watering hose,
Trumpety, trumpety, trump!
SUGGESTED BOOK LIST:
The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin
The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian