Nursery Rhymes Are the First Literature of Childhood
And What We Lose When They Disappear.
It’s ironic how we have become so “sophisticated” in modern life with all our technology, advancements and capabilities and yet we seemed to have gone backwards in so many ways.
We are seeing the rapid decline of literacy, creativity and overall excellence in our children in numerous ways.
In our pursuit of modernity, we have determined that so much of what was in the past holds no value and should be thrown out with all the other outdated traditions that have existed for hundreds of years.
The truth is though, many traditions, like nursery rhymes held immense benefits for our children. Nursery rhymes were the first step in a continuum that led to classical education. Children who learned nursery rhymes, were then well on their way to developing into children who could memorize poetry, more complex songs, stories and blossom into loving great literature, music and art.
See the thing with education and learning, is that it’s all intrinsically linked to early childhood and how are tastes are shaped.
We have blamed the lack of teaching phonics in our country as the root of all evil, but in reality the truth is much more complex. Yes, phonics is incredibly important and necessary, but what about what comes before phonics?
Do we think children will become excited to memorize abstract sounds for abstract letters when it comes time for reading if they never developed rich pre-literacy skills? If they didn’t develop a love of the spoken word, and rhythmic phrasing, and silly rhyming and the ability to break down syllables and sounds?
The answer is a resounding no. Phonics is not a magic wand. The demise of literacy in our country is due to not only the lack of phonics teaching, but also the lack of musical, literature rich childhoods. It was the straw that broke the camels back. We already were facing a generation that was using screens more, being read to less, being less musical and knowing less nursery rhymes.
Children’s auditory system is at the most sensitive in early childhood. They are picking up new sounds. It’s why meaningful music exposure is so important in early childhood. It forms the foundation for all future learning along with skills for emotional regulation. It’s truly the all in one foundational skill that builds all other skills. This development of the auditory system is what will make future phonics learning either, a walk in the park, or an uphill battle.
What I find strangest of all though, is that it seems like an agenda to remove nursery rhymes from childhood, People started talking about how they were strange, and unusual and not appropriate for children. Why should we be talking about Humpty Dumpty not being able to be put back together again? This is too scary for kids. And outlandish silly things like cows jumping over the moon.
Then began the barrage of pandering down to children and remaking nursery rhymes to be more palatable and less strange and more kid friendly. Everything became sanitized, over explained and emotionally flat.
And guess what? No wonder kids found these new re-written rhymes boring. Because they are! The lack of respect for childhood and understanding of development, wether intentional or not, still astounds me.
The beauty of nursery rhymes is that they give children an opportunity to encounter fear, humor, surprise, tension and loss all from a safe distance. It actually helps them build the necessary coping skills they need in life.
By removing these opportunities in symbolic literature, like nursery rhymes, we don’t make children safer. In fact, we make them less safe, because they never are given the opportunity to start to develop the coping skills needed.
From: Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes Collected by: Elizabeth HammillIt also needs to be said that nursery rhymes are not purely a Western world tradition. Many cultures have their own nursery rhymes and child-lore and traditions. In fact, many other cultures have far richer oral traditions than the English speaking world and it should be noted that if cultures stop passing down their oral traditions and nursery rhymes, then history ceases to be passed on.
Parents should be passing on the mantle of nursery rhymes to their children. I have heard countless examples from teachers in the classrooms telling me how so many children have never heard some of the most common nursery rhymes. This should be shocking.
It’s an example of how we have gone backwards. Decades ago, children could recite dozens of nursery rhymes, clapping games, folk songs, chants and other childhood lore with ease. And it enriched their lives and learning immensely.
We need parents to bring back nursery rhymes. Bring back excellence.
Watch my latest video on YouTube where I talk more about nursery rhymes and my son’s immediate response after I taught him a particular nursery rhyme. It’s a beautiful example of why nursery rhymes are so effective.
Nursery Rhyme Books
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I have created a list of some of my favorite nursery rhyme books and ones that I dug up on different cultures. I scoured the internet looking for nursery rhymes from Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean- as much as I could find! I hope that there will be something for everyone and that you will find some hidden gems! Please click the book list links below for the full list as I did not link individual books in the photos below.
I wanted to especially mention this book because it’s not only chock full of nursery rhymes, but so many other things and it is without a doubt one of our most loved books. My youngest child looks at this book every day without fail and will spend so much time on his own flipping through the pages. Highly recommend this book! :) It’s linked in the book lists below.
Purchase from Bookshop.org and support local bookstores: Nursery Rhymes Book List
Purchase from Amazon: Nursery Rhymes Book List
Magical Music Method Members
I have added a Nursery Rhymes Section to Magical Music Method this weekend! Learning nursery rhymes with accompanying activities from using nursery rhymes to draw, to play with music bells and so much more to come. It is truly one of the parts of the membership I am so excited to grow with content.
If you would like to join Magical Music Method and gain lifetime access to a unique, growing body of content for parents to raise musical kids the way it should have always been, consider joining.
Thank you to all the wonderful families who have joined so far - your support has made it possible for me to continue growing wonderful content.