Nursery rhymes actually go back at least 200 hundred years but possibly more, nobody is quite certain. The reason that nobody is really sure as to how far back nursery rhymes go is because over 200 hundred years ago nobody but the upper upper class knew how to write so most of the time any kind of stories or songs were actually only handed down by word of mouth and this included nursery rhymes. But basically the nursery rhymes were created for a variety of different reasons.
One thing that many of us don’t think about when it comes to nursery rhymes is that they are a great way to teach young children some hard concepts. In fact nursery rhymes have been used in early childhood education for years because it provides young children with a fun and exciting way to learn about math, letters, opposites, position words and other important concepts. But nursery rhymes were not only created to teach young children about hard concepts, they were actually created to help teach children things in general. In fact nursery rhymes were also created to help soothe babies who were crying and to give a voice to numerous fears that people had. It has even been said that some of the nursery rhymes were created because of politics, such as Humpty Dumpty.
But even though nursery rhymes are dated as far back as 200 hundred years ago that doesn’t mean that nursery rhyme activities actually go back that far. These activities were actually created well after nursery rhymes came about, but they were created for the same reason that nursery rhymes were created. They were created by people who taught young children. The reason for this was that the nursery rhyme activities, even if it was just simple hand motions, helped teach children numerous concepts. In fact all of the older nursery rhyme activities are based on hand motions and actions. It is only now that we have numerous activities to choose from.
Here are some of the reasons why nursery rhyme activities were created:
Reason One:
Another way that nursery rhyme activities benefits children is that it helps kids figure out the English language. Basically nursery rhymes are going to teach children about the different types of speech patterns and other necessities that they need to learn in order to communicate. It is often said that English is one of the hardest languages to learn because of the rhythm of the English language, but the nursery rhymes will help to convey how the rhythm of the English language actually works. In fact you will also see nursery rhyme activities in classes that teach English to adults as well as kids.
Reason Two:
One of the most important reasons for doing nursery rhyme activities with your children is that it can help them learn to read later on in life. The reason for this is that nursery rhyme activities encourage you to read to your child which in turn will show your child how enjoyable reading is. But nursery rhyme activities are also good to help children to read later on in life because they teach children about words that rhyme and silly words, basically through the sounds of the words your children will become enthralled with nursery rhymes.
Reason Three:
Another reason that doing nursery rhyme activities with your children is good for your children is that they are going to be teaching your child a variety of skills. What skills they will be working on will depend on what nursery rhyme activities you are doing but regardless of the activity they will still help. If you are doing physical activities they will be developing their gross motor skills, such as running, jumping, balancing, etc. Other activities will require them to develop fine motor skills such as cutting and pasting, placing things in order, etc.
