Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are traditional short poems and songs that have been passed down through the generations, such as "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" and "Jack and Jill". They are familiar to adults and children alike and are a way of sharing childhood traditions and social and oral history. Singing, saying and acting out nursery rhymes improves early literacy skills and encourages visualisation, imagination and play.

The simple songs and rhymes included this week in Play School can be sung or said in traditional ways or modified to accompany play and the daily routines of eating, sleeping and washing. Each day nursery rhymes are used as a spring board for moving, singing, baking, making and playing. This week the Play School calendar is a large quilt with panels reflecting different nursery rhymes.