My family are completely musical, we have drummers, pianists, trumpeters, singers, the list goes on. Naturally, we were expecting an orchestra to be running through Rosie’s veins…and so far, she’s got rhythm and a love for music that is insatiable. She does this cute little head nod when she likes a song and since her birth, we’ve reeled off old nursery rhymes for her (any other parents need help remembering them all?) because I do believe in the power of nursery rhymes. I might have been adamant before kids that I wouldn’t let them in front of a screen, but nursery rhymes have a profound affect on a child’s learning and Rosie loves watching shows with music in them. In a nutshell, nursery rhymes can improve vocabulary, expand imagination, and teach event sequencing, and on a deeper level:
- They teach rhyme, rhythm and repetition which children love.
- Studies have shown that children who listen to nursery rhymes on a regular basis have more confidence (and we could all do with more of that).
- Singing nursery rhymes helps children develop a steady beat, and children with this skill are better readers.
So, what does Rosie listen to?
ItsyBitsyKids is a lovely YouTube channel that proclaims Mother Goose as their muse and produces a range of nursery rhymes for little ones. The designs have a retro charm to them, nothing garish or too modern here and they include a range of incredibly well known rhymes such as The Wheels On The Bus and Six Little Ducks. They are published as single videos (around 2-3 minutes long) or as longer playlists and Rosie is currently obsessed with the sleeping little bunnies because once they wake up, mummy starts bouncing her up and down the room. The illustrations really are precious and I’ve seen her start to point out bunnies when she sees them.
Sitting in the airport as we waited for our flight to the UK last week, I kept Rose entertained by playing these on repeat (much to our neighbors annoyance) and I’m not ashamed to admit that at home, if I need to catch 15 minutes to myself, I know that what she is watching on the ItsyBitsyKids channel is safe for her impressionable ears and eyes.
They’ve just released a new video – The Farmer in The Dell – and you can find the rest of their videos on their channel. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
1 Comment
This is great! Nursery Rhymes are a great way to introduce reading and I know kiddos are going to love this unit. Thanks for sharing!