Hickory

Using nursery rhymes in the classroom is often perceived as curriculum for preschool children. Rhymes are appropriate for children of all ages. Educators should not assume that children arrive as school with strong early childhood experiences in literacy from home. The ability to recite rhymes is an indicator of how well a child will learn to read (Patricia Cunningham, 1995). Rhymes are easy to learn and enhance diverse learning experiences as well as oral language development. Since the rhymes are appealing to young children, why aren't early childhood classrooms filled with rhymes, pictures, Mother Goose stories, and songs? Again, it is based on the premise that the rhymes are immature or that the child already is familiar and will be bored with this form of patterned language.

All cultures have traditional rhymes. Spanish nursery rhymes are written with wonderful oral language and phonemic concepts. However, do not assume that the English language learner acquired the rhymes and literacy patterns before entering school in the United States. Especially in low socioeconomic families or families who are non-literate in their first language, the traditional rhymes may have never been introduced.

Children should learn to recite the rhymes, sing the rhymes, clap beats and syllables to the rhymes, act out the rhymes, and develop language skills. The concept of rhyming words, word families, vowels, consonants, tracking print, punctuation, and other concepts are teachable moments in nursery rhymes. The rhymes are the foundation of phonological and literacy development. An entire curriculum can be integrated around nursery rhymes. They represent a strong oral heritage that will continue with each generation. It just takes a bit of creativity, patience, planning, and a bit of seasoning to make the lessons fun and interesting.

Selections and examples are provided in the menu below. Click on the topic of interest. The book and resource section provides a list of books and thematic resources for teachers. Scenes from my first grade classroom are included. Additional pictures and activities will be added since creative units are always a work in progress. Come back and visit us real soon.