Nursery rhymes

Serenading young children with nursery rhymes is a time honoured tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation throughout the centuries. So much so that they form an important part of our cultural heritage and help us to remember important historical events long after memories of the events themselves has faded. However, if you listen to reports in the media, nursery rhymes are soon set to become a thing of the past. Losing this wonderful tradition will be beyond a shame not least because of the developmental benefits that nursery rhymes bring.

Singing nursery rhymes to your children from a young age has been shown to improve language skills to such an extent that it gives infants a head start in school. This benefit is understandable when you consider that even before babies can understand the words being spoken nursery rhymes help to demonstrate the rhythms, patterns and sounds of speech. Later on, learning nursery rhymes helps infants' to expand their vocabulary, learn basic number skills and gives them the confidence to express themselves through speech.

You can start singing nursery rhymes to your baby right from birth; they'll love the repetition and familiarity of the tunes and may start to jig or 'sing' along too. Whats more nursery rhymes make for great entertainment wherever you are and can also be sung as lullabies to settle your baby to sleep.

One of the best things about sharing nursery rhymes with your baby is that they make learning fun. Add actions, silly voices and dance moves to keep your baby entertained and one day they'll be able to join in themselves.

To help you keep this important tradition alive here are the words to some of our favourite nursery rhymes. If you remember any we don't let us know using the comments box below and we'll make sure we add them in!

Click here for our complete list of children's nursery rhymes

Enjoy!