Nursery Rhymes, Finger Puppets and Action Songs

Sep 20, 20192 min read

Nursery rhymes are simple, fun and all children love them - but why are they such a staple in our daily routines here at DMW? From our youngest babies in the Nursery to our preschool children heading off to school next year, action songs provide an array of educational benefits that help to build solid foundations for learning.

Speech and Language Development

Exploring rhythm and wordplay with finger puppets introduces children to the sounds of spoken language. It gives them the ability to segment and manipulate sounds - a key component of literacy and reading preparation.
When children mimic educators by singing along or responding to songs, they are increasing their vocabulary and developing their listening and comprehension skills.
Repeating phrases and words encourages the shaping of vowels and consonants.

Fine and Gross Motor Skills

Some action songs include repetition and practise of finger isolation while others encourage motor planning skills and bilateral coordination movements.
These actions help to develop hand and finger strength and coordination, (necessary for a child to correctly hold and control a pencil when drawing and writing), and encourage body awareness, finger awareness, co-ordination of hand or foot movement, hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination.

“Each time children learn a chant or nursery rhyme, their reading skills grow. Each time children learn a rhythmic pattern, they strengthen their accenting and syllabication skills. Each time children learn a new song, their memorisation and comprehension skills are strengthened”

- Hill-Clarke, K. Y., and N. R. Robinson

Songs suitable for Nursery children (0-2 years)