NURSERY RHYMES

Nursery rhymes help young children become ready to learn to read!  Children hear new words and new ways of making sentences from nursery rhymes.  Many rhymes are also little stories that help children understand and remember a series of events.  Children also start to understand that many words sound alike, they rhyme!  This understanding will be a big help to children later when they start learning to spell words.  And because many nursery rhymes have nonsense or unusual words in them, children pay attention to them because the words sound different from what they hear most of the time. For example, what does “Hey, Diddle Diddle” actually mean?  It doesn’t matter!  It’s just fun to say it or sing it!!

Nursery Rhyme Index
Index to activities and products featuring specific nursery rhymes and children’s song; indexed by title of nursery rhyme or song 

Nursery Rhyme Math and Science Activities
Suggested activities to introduce young children to math and science concepts through specific nursery rhymes.

Nursery Rhyme Name Songs
Help children learn to spell their names by singing old songs with new words!  This project introduces children to 24 traditional nursery rhymes and children’s songs and matches the beats in the songs to the number of letters in children’s names.  Project materials include a manual, song sheets, printable mini books, and a recording of all songs used in the project.  All documents can be downloaded free for non-commercial use.

Nursery Rhyme Printable Mini Books
Developed by the State Library of Louisiana; one-page printable mini books of 24 popular nursery rhymes for children to color and keep and have read to them over and over.

Nursery Rhyme Products
Sample products that help children learn nursery rhymes; includes links to publishers of music, felt figures, magnetic figures, charts, posters, games, puzzles, and online resources.  For similar products see your local educational supply store and other manufacturers of early childhood resources.

Nursery Rhyme Web Sites
Web sites with nursery rhyme activities, color sheets, rebus pictures, crafts, games, text of the rhymes, thematic units, history of rhymes, trivia, lesson plans, mini-posters, and bibliographies.