COURSE DESCRIPTION
HOME FUN
Home fun is essential if the term’s syllabus is to be adequately covered. After the first week, children are given home fun, parents/ Guardians are expected to expect to ensure that home fun is done and communication books signed.
CLASS AVAILABLE / AGE
- Crèche (Day care): 1 month- 1 year and 5 months.
- Early learning: 1 year, 6 months – 3 years.
- Nursery 1: 3- 4 years.
- Nursery 2: 4- 5 years.
- Basic 1: 6 years
- Basic 2: 7 years
- Basic 3: 8 years
- Basic 4: 9 years
- Basic 5: 10 years
- Basic 6: 11 years
Rhyme
The Benefits of Nursery Rhymes on Preschool Development
If you’re the parent of a toddler or preschooler, then you probably learned early on that you can’t easily escape nursery rhymes.
These ditties seem fairly innocuous at first, but it doesn’t take long before you’re going bonkers from hearing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” for the 4,783rd time.
You start to wonder why you’re allowing these antiques into your house in the first place. After all, aren’t they just outdated (and often politically incorrect) collections of pseudo-history, most of which don’t even make sense in today’s society?
But before you try to rid yourself of these earworms by digging them out of your head with a spoon, read this list.
Believe it or not, nursery rhymes are incredibly powerful influencers in preschool development. Phonemic skill development gained from nursery rhymes has even been scientifically shown to significantly improve reading, spelling and other literacy skills (Harper, 2011)!
So try to grin and bear it (and start a round of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” while you’re at it!) as you learn all the ways nursery rhymes can positively affect your toddler or preschooler:
Cognitive development
- Repetition of rhymes and stories is good for the brain, teaching how language works and building memory capabilities.
- Nursery rhymes help develop inferencing skills, both with encountering new words and in reading comprehension.
- Because these verses are made up of patterns, they are easy first memorization pieces.
Speech
- Nursery rhymes are important for language acquisition and help with speech development.
- They help children develop auditory skills such as discriminating between sounds and developing the ear for the music of words.
- Rhymes like these help kids articulate words, modulate voices (practicing pitch, volume, and inflection) and enunciate clearly by saying them over and over without fear of criticism.
- Nursery rhymes are excellent, the natural choice for a first recitation selection.
- The mouth and tongue muscles are developed as children say these rhymes.
- Listening comprehension is a foundational skill that is often skipped, but nursery rhymes can help ensure this crucial ability (that precedes reading comprehension) is covered.
Reading
- Nursery rhyme knowledge provides an excellent foundation for later literary works.
- They are a great introduction to stories since many contain a beginning, middle, and end (sequencing).
- Familiarity with nursery rhymes makes good readers, even despite differences in social background (Bryant, Bradley, Maclean & Crossland, 1989).
- Work with these verses helps children detect the phonetic segments of words.
Language
- Nursery rhymes increase vocabulary (like the word “fetch” in Jack & Jill).
- They help children assimilate language.
- They are a great, wonderful introduction to poetry.
- They promote spelling skills.
- Verses like these introduce literary devices like alliteration, onomatopoeia, and imagery.
Creativity
- Nursery rhymes expand children’s imagination.
- They promote creative dramatization when kids act the scenarios out.
History
- These classic verses preserve culture and provide something in common between multiple generations (a good way to bond with grandparents or when meeting new people!)
- Nursery rhymes teach history and connect a child to the past.
Math
- Nursery rhymes are full of patterns, sequencing, numbers, and counting (forward and backward).
- They also discuss size, weight and other important math vocabularies.
Physical
- Since many nursery rhymes involve movement, coordination and physicality are integrated with their readings (Think “Ring Around the Rosey” or “London Bridge.”)
- Coordinating fingerplays are helpful to fine motor skill development.
Social and emotional
- Nursery rhymes develop humor.
- Because of the connection between movement, rhythm, and words, singing these songs can be a great group activity.
- Children can learn social skills from many of the rhymes.
- Nursery rhymes are familiar and can thus provide comfort and support to youngsters in uncomfortable situations.
It involves you too parents!
Parental involvement is always a good way to cultivate an interest in music or any subject. It provides necessary stimulation through music experiences, contributing to environmental factors in music development.
Here are 8 ways parents can help their children learn nursery rhymes:
- Identify and keep singing your child’s favourite nursery rhymes. Children love repetition, which can help them learn better too.
- Sing along with your child, and clap / tap along to the beat.
- Use items around the home to make music and sing along to nursery rhymes to increase the fun element.
- Use actions to accompany words. Linking hand gestures and other actions with your body not only helps the child to visualise the words, it is also easier for the child to learn the nursery rhyme.
- Miss out words in the nursery rhyme and have your child help fill in the missing words. This is a fun way to help your child use his/her memory to recite the rhyme.
- Remind them of the rhymes they have learnt. Ask them to draw or paint. Use daily activities (counting etc).
- Introduce new rhymes periodically to children. This helps to constantly engage their interest in learning.
- Select rhymes that teach concepts like numbers, colours, shapes, weather etc to increase children’s love for learning.
Finally, nursery rhymes are just plain fun to say!
So, put away that spoon and embrace Mother Goose with open arms! Every time you cringe from hearing “Humpty Dumpty” or “Hey Diddle Diddle,” just remember how important these classics are to your child’s growth!
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SUBJECTS
NURSERY
- Numeracy
- Literacy
- Rhyme
- Phonics
- Creative Arts/ Coloring
- General science
- Handwriting
- Social Habits
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Verbal Reasoning
- Christian Religious Studies
BASIC
- Mathematics
- English Studies
- Basic Science and Technology
- Pre- Vocational
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Verbal Reasoning
- National Value
- Computer/ ICT
- Phonics/ Diction
- Creative Arts
- Christian Religious Studies
- French
- Vocational Aptitude
- Literature
- Dictation/ spelling
- Handwriting
- Music
- History
