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Rhymes and reasons: why nursery favourites fell out of fashion
Nursery rhymes are a powerful force. Long after we've forgotten the names of those we sat next to in school, the words to Incey Wincey Spider and The Grand Old Duke of York remain ingrained on the memory.
However, if new research is to be believed, the nursery rhyme is falling out of fashion and soon Humpty Dumpty and the actions to I'm A Little Teapot may be lost in the mists of time.
According to the survey by Bookstart, many parents feel embarrassed reading out rhymes aloud. Others admitted they couldn't find enough hours in the day to sit down with their children and some said that in the age of wall-to-wall children's television, the humble nursery rhyme is just too old-fashioned to interest 21st-century youngsters.
It's a claim those at Bookstart, the charity set up to provide free books to every child in the UK, is eager to disprove.
"Sharing rhymes with young children is as important today as it ever was," says Professor Roger Beard, head of primary education at the Institute of Education.
"It helps them to enjoy playing with language and to learn about its patterns and rhythms. If children are able to hear the sounds in words and discriminate between them, it seems to be a predictor of later reading success
"Some favourite rhymes date back more than 200 years or more, but they are still relevant to today's children. Something like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star has an enduring simplicity, which also allows children
and grown-ups to share a sense of wonderment.
"The appeal of other rhymes like Incey Wincey Spider is probably linked to the simple actions which accompany them and which are easily shared with small children."
Tomorrow, the organisation will celebrate National Bookstart
Day with the launch of a new book of nursery rhymes which will be given to one million families. However, as those who work at the forefront of the initiative know, getting parents to actually sit down and
read to their children is a much trickier prospect.
"Some parents don't always understand why reading a book to a little baby is helpful or relevant," says Karen Wilkinson, Bookstart co-ordinator at Wakefield council. "Some are worried the baby will chew the book and others think a child needs to be talking by the time they start reading to them.
"However, often all they need is a little guidance. I try to get across the idea that when you share a book with a baby, you're not teaching them to read, you're teaching them that books are fun."
Bookstart began as a pilot scheme in Birmingham in 1992, but quickly became a national organisation. The first set of free books are given out before the baby's first birthday, with another when the child is between 18-30 months old and the final pack is designed for three to four-year-olds.
"More than 90 per cent of parents get their free packs around the right time, though it's more of a challenge to get the packs to the parents of toddlers," says Rosemary Clarke, director of Bookstart and Bookgifting. "Many mothers will have returned to work by this time, so are less likely to attend the health visitors' sessions which are the prime route for handing them out. It's a fact that some families are harder to reach than others.
"A love of reading stories, songs and rhymes is a priceless gift that every mother, father and grandparent can pass on to a child. Sharing stories, songs and rhymes from the well-known traditional fairytales, to those that may only be known to your family helps babies and toddlers in so many ways.
"It helps children build a wider vocabulary and enables them to achieve more in their reading and writing when they start school. Children are taught how to read at school, but it is even better if they already have a love of books."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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