ACTIVITY CORNER

Melanie Pilcher, quality and standards manager at the Alliance, shares ideas for using nursery rhymes to celebrate the festive season

The joy of singing a repeated line can be seen on children’s faces as they belt out classic festive songs. Many children may learn their first song and perform together for the first time at this time of year.

In these simple songs children learn so much about the ebb and flow of language when singing for their own enjoyment. When singing as a group, children are practicing the intonations of each word, which needs to be sung in time and with inflection in the right places. It is often the innocent joy of muddled words, slightly out of sequence, with at least one child singing to their own tune, that make these group performances so endearing!

The early years are a critical time for exposing children to a wide range of music, including simple rhymes. The more a child hears a repeated refrain, the more they build their capacity to recognise the tones of the music and develop the mental aptitude to memorise the sequence, melody and words in the correct order.

Just as with language development, children need the opportunity to develop their musical ability by imitating rhythms and tones – therefore repetition and exposure to musical rhymes is vital.

Parents often instinctively begin the process of supporting their child’s communication skills by singing or crooning to their babies. This quickly becomes a two-way interaction as the baby responds. Educators can join in this playful approach by encouraging children to have fun with rhymes by suggesting a first line and seeing where they take it next.

Making your own nursery rhymes
Children will no doubt link their rhymes to whatever is piquing their interest at the time. Inevitably, this may be linked to the festive season at this time of year. Here are some opening lines you can use to prompt them:

I’m a little snowflake, see me fall, Drifting slowly to the floor, Making everything look white, Chilly, but that’s alright, Snowflakes, snowflakes everywhere!

You can prompt children to join in with hand movements to demonstrate the snowflakes falling and point to your toes or nose to demonstrate being cold. You could swap the word ‘snowflake’ for ‘snowman’, ‘reindeer’ or ‘bauble’ and make up your own words to complete the rhyme – you’ll then have your own unique nursery rhyme that parents will be able to quickly learn too.

Educational programmes
Don’t forget to recognise all the learning opportunities that nursery rhymes and songs bring. Ofsted inspectors often wish to know why early educators have chosen particular songs and what learning you are trying to encourage through them. While you may be drawn to certain rhymes simply because they are fun, don’t forget how beneficial they can be.

Communication and language
Nursery rhymes will help children learn words that they may not come across elsewhere – words like ‘Santa’ and ‘chimney’ often appear at this time of year. Not all children will have a chimney in their home and you may be able to extend the learning here if children are curious about what they are and what their purpose is. Some children may not know the word ‘Santa’ or may use a different word for the same character in their family. This will help them begin to realise that people of use different words for the same thing.

Physical development
There are plenty of opportunities for movement alongside rhymes and songs. Try asking children to act out some of the actions mentioned in the songs you sing.

Personal, social and emotional development
There are plenty of conversations to be had that can help children to recognise their emotions and to understand the feelings of others. Ask them about how the characters in your rhymes are feeling or how they could help them.

Literacy
The educational programme for literacy describes how language comprehension develops when educators talk with children about the world around them and how they enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Children find joy in the language that underpins a lifelong love of reading through rhymes.

Expressive arts and design
There are endless opportunities for music and movement using rhymes and songs. Children can be creative as they become familiar with the words and rhythm of their favourite rhymes. Let them play and explore their own ideas using music or dance.