Any parent who has been along to one of our sessions such as Little Explorers, Sing it Move It or Stay & Play will be familiar with ending the session with singing songs and rhymes, many of which have fun and silly actions that go along with them. You don’t have to be a great singer to have lots of fun and it’s a great way for children to burn off a little bit of energy.
Lots of parents sing nursery rhymes to their young children at home too, particularly if they remember them from their own childhoods. It’s also great fun to make up rhymes and songs about everyday activities such as cleaning teeth or getting dressed.
But fun and enjoyable as they are, there’s actually a lot more to traditional songs and rhymes than meets the eye as they help children to develop a range of skills including:
- Speech and language development
- Early reading
- Writing skills
- Learning to count
- Physical skills
- Building blocks of memory
- Social interaction
Whichever rhymes you share with your little one, you can be safe in the knowledge that every time you share a rhyme together, you’re helping them to develop skills and abilities they’ll need when they’re older – and having fun with it too!
