Suggested Reading: Gabi The Sweet And Naughty Pug - This book by our school owner Jerry Hanus is an adorable rhyming and fun filled story of a sweet, loving and naughty pug. You can purchase it on Amazon.
The first years of life are essential for language acquisition, a foundation for problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and creativity, among many other things. In addition, language and speech skills are the basis of a child's success in school and their future personal and professional lives.
Young children enjoy rhymes and songs. Thus, nursery rhymes may be the best way to encourage language acquisition and speech development in young children.
The rhythm and repetition of words promote brain development in children, helping them learn how language works, develop memory, and build solid foundations for learning.
Reading rhyming books to babies and young children is important because it helps them develop a love for learning and prepare for communication. Also, nursery rhymes are a fun and natural way to help your child learn social skills, express their feelings, and bond with you.
So, here are the main reasons why rhyming is important and why you should start teaching rhymes to your child early on.
Rhyming Fosters Cognitive and Language Development
Nursery rhyme books are a fantastic way for children to learn words, sounds, and language.
According to research, learning phonemic abilities via nursery rhymes greatly improves reading, spelling, and other literacy skills. In addition, nursery rhyme books are an excellent way to introduce a toddler to letters and numbers.
Unlike everyday speech, nursery rhymes are organized so that similar sounds stand out, helping children differentiate between syllables and discover similarities between words that rhyme or start with the same sounds.
Because they typically include sequencing (a beginning, middle, and end), rhymes are a great way to foster listening comprehension, and introduce children to stories and poetry.
Children can expand their vocabulary and enhance their attention span by listening closely to nursery rhymes. Also, rhyming fosters thinking skills, imagination, and concentration.
In addition, the repetition of words improves a child's memory.
Can you hear the rhymes in this song? If you are not sure, you can read the lyrics too. If you are a Joy Family, you will know those voices too. It's Hoaloha! Hoaloha's members are Jerry, Aina, Isaac, and Katie. Be sure to let them know you listened to this song! ❤️🎵
Nursery Rhymes Encourage Social and Emotional Development
Reading rhyming books to your child can help them acquire key social skills such as empathy, collaboration, patience, self-control, and turn-taking, to name a few. Books and rhymes also help children develop humour and boost the creative process.
Moreover, rhyming facilitates emotional expression, helping children learn words to communicate their feelings. They also promote feelings of happiness, joy, trust, and love.
For example, you may use nursery rhymes to calm and assist your child in difficult times and promote group activities through rhythm, language, and movement.
Furthermore, nursery rhymes are an excellent way to introduce children to social relationships and encourage acceptance and diversity by teaching your child about your own and other cultures.
Nursery Rhymes Promote Healthy Attachment
Nursery rhymes are a great way to bond with your child and teach them how to play end work with others and form healthy attachments.
Takeaways
Reading rhyming books to young children is an excellent way to promote brain development and early literacy skills. Nursery rhymes also help babies and children:
- Increase their linguistic exposure and allow them to acquire new words and sounds.
- Improve their early reading abilities by expanding their vocabulary.
- Improve their listening abilities.
- Improve your memory, problem-solving skills, and other cognitive abilities.
- Encourage curiosity, creativity, and imagination
- Instill a passion for reading and learning in your children.
- Enhance your communication and social skills.
- Improve their attention span and capacity to focus.
- Teach them to impulse control and patience.
- Give your child the opportunity to bond with you.
