Nursery World - Rhythm and rhyme (1)

Children can be introduced to the joys of language through ryhmes and rhythms they will be proud to show off and to share Early years settings all need a wide variety of books which contain poetry, rhymes and rhyming and rhythmic text. Many children are familiar with nursery rhymes they have heard at home, often from children's television or cassette tapes. Lots of young children will have had pleasurable, reassuring experiences when family members or friends have shared soothing lullabies or rhymes with them when they were babies.

Children can be introduced to the joys of language through ryhmes and rhythms they will be proud to show off and to share

Early years settings all need a wide variety of books which contain poetry, rhymes and rhyming and rhythmic text. Many children are familiar with nursery rhymes they have heard at home, often from children's television or cassette tapes. Lots of young children will have had pleasurable, reassuring experiences when family members or friends have shared soothing lullabies or rhymes with them when they were babies.

Children are generally comfortable with rhythm and rhyme; it is a natural part of their lives. Advertising campaigns and sales slogans often rely heavily on rhythm and rhyme and they are a strong influence in modern culture. Practitioners can build on these early experiences when planning to use poems, rhymes and songs.

Many adults feel uncomfortable about poetry. They think it is 'difficult' or has nothing to do with them. Perhaps they have unhappy memories of 'poetry lessons' at school. But early years practitioners have to put aside these fears and join with young children to develop a love of poetry and rhyme.

Traditional rhymes

Adults working with young children need to be enthusiastic and informed about all forms of children's literature, including poetry. It is important that all adults are familiar with both traditional rhymes and modern rhymes and poetry for children. All settings should have a small collection of books that adults can refer to. No one can go far wrong with the favourites in My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie (Walker Books, 14.99). This is an excellent choice of verse with many familiar traditional rhymes. The layout is bold and the illustrations are fascinating.

Contemporary rhymes

There are some excellent books of contemporary rhymes available.

* A personal favourite of mine is Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar edited by John Foster (Oxford University Press, 7.99). It contains a wide variety of poems and rhymes of varying lengths which are all original and often very funny. The topics covered are ones that appeal to adults and children alike.

* Another set of books useful to have around is the 'First Verse' series (Oxford University Press, 4.99). This is a series of volumes of new and original poetry for young children, chosen by John Foster. Carol Thompson's illustrations include help on how to 'play' some of the rhymes. Titles in the series include Finger Rhymes, Counting Rhymes, Chanting Rhymes, and Action Rhymes. There is an excellent audio cassette available with each book.

* Skip Across the Ocean by Floella Benjamin (Frances Lincoln, 5.99) contains a selection of nursery rhymes from around the world and is sure to become a favourite collection.

* Asian Nursery Rhymes - Itchyka-dana (Mantra Publishing, 7.99) contains nursery rhymes in Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu scripts with translations into English. The book is an essential resource for settings with children who speak these languages at home and is useful in any setting.

Introducing rhyme

It is really important that adults familiarise themselves fully with a poem or rhyme before introducing it to the children. As with picture books, children should hear poems for pleasure. Rhymes exist to be told and heard. Children don't need to learn to recite every rhyme or poem; they simply need to enjoy hearing them. However, it is a good idea to encourage children to join in with new rhymes from time to time. When this happens, it's important for the adult to read or say the rhyme several times before encouraging the children to join in. The children need time to become familiar with the rhythm and pattern of the verse. It's a good idea to include some actions if possible, because this gives children clues as they go along. Once a new rhyme has been introduced, it's important to include it frequently until the children are confident with it and it becomes part of their 'repertoire'.

Core rhymes

Many early years settings choose to have a set of 'core rhymes'. The staff members choose a number of favourite rhymes (usually between ten and 15) from their reference collection. The words to these poems and rhymes are then put on to A4 cards. Each week one of the core rhymes is the 'rhyme of the week' and is used every day. This doesn't mean that other poems and rhymes are not used; it simply means that by the time children leave the early years setting, they are all familiar with a range of quality verse. It is a good idea to make sure parents and carers are familiar with these core rhymes. Many settings make a cassette tape for parents to borrow and often send props home to support the rhymes.

Favourite verse

Many favourite songs and rhymes are available in individual books:

* There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Child's Play, 3.99) is a delightful retelling of the traditional rhyme. The amusing illustrations support children through their own retelling of the rhyme. There is also a widely available story prop that allows the children to 'feed' the various creatures to the old lady.

* In We're going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen (Walker Books, 4.99 pb, 12.99 bb) a family sets off on an expedition to find a bear. The wonderful illustrations are a perfect match to the verse, making retelling easy. The repetitive nature of the verse and the accompanying sounds and movements make this a sure favourite with children.

* The Wheels on the Bus by Maryann Kovalski (Puffin, 4.99) retells the traditional song within a story of a grandmother's shopping trip with her grandchildren. The family are so busy singing that they eventually miss the bus.

Wide range

Practitioners should introduce all young children to a wide range of verse, helping them to enjoy the rhymes and rhythms in language. It is very important that children begin to hear these patterns as this is an essential part of the process of learning to read. Many of the books in the CLPE 'learning to read' category have rhythmic and rhyming text (see page 16).

Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Puffin, 4.99) is a simple and memorable rhyming book. The format and illustrations invite the reader to predict what will happen next. Children can use all their earlier experiences with nursery rhymes and traditional stories to anticipate the story events.

Once Upon a Time by John Prater (Walker Books, 4.99 pb, 12.99 bb) is a clever book that also builds on children's knowledge of traditional stories and nursery rhymes. At first they may focus on the text, which tells the story of a child's uneventful day. But children soon begin to notice the illustrations and recognise familiar characters. Their confidence grows as they share the 'secret' with a trusted adult.

Focus for the week

Sometimes it's a good idea to have a 'book focus for the week'. This could be on books by a specific author, or rhyming books. Books about 'bears' would make an ideal focus. A retelling of 'The Three Bears' could be linked to contemporary texts. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr (Hamish Hamilton, 4.99) is a book that will appeal to even the youngest child. The simple question and answer format encourages prediction and also reinforces familiar vocabulary for children. It's the Bear! by Jez Alborough (Walker Books, Pounds 4.99) is the follow-up to the author's memorable Where's my Teddy? (Walker Books, 4.99). In this book the huge bear is hungry and joins little Eddy at his picnic in the woods, with lines such as 'he cuddled his teddy, he huddled and hid... then a great big bear bottom sat down on the lid'.

Practitioners who use poetry, rhymes and rhyming texts on a regular basis find that the children's enthusiasm inspires them to continue. Why not give it a try?

Poetry and rhyme collections

* My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie (Walker Books, 14.99)

* Poems for the Very Young by Michael Rosen (Kingfisher, 7.99)

* Orchard Book of Nursery Rhymes, edited by Zena Sutherland (Orchard Books, 12.99)

* This Little Puffin, compiled by Elizabeth Matterson (Puffin Books, Pounds 6.99)

* First Verse series, edited John Foster (Oxford University Press, Pounds 4.99)

* Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar, edited by John Foster (Oxford University Press, 7.99)

* All Join In by Quentin Blake (Red Fox, 4.99)

* Skip Across the Ocean Floella Benjamin (Frances Lincoln, 5.99)

* Asian Nursery Rhymes - Itchyka-dana (Mantra Publishing, 7.99)

Books with rhyming and rhythmic text

* This is the Bear by Sarah Hayes (Walker Books, 3.99 pb, 12.99 bb)