I find it interesting that many programs steer clear of using Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales nowadays.
I understand where most NR and FT originated from, and why most people don’t like using them anymore. For instance, Ring Around the Rosie was written during the plague.
To use them now, I'm told, is inappropriate.
But I do beg to differ.
When we use Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales and Fables, we can teach children concepts and life skills in a whimsical and fun way.
We can avoid the historical aspect, and sing a song, or read the ‘story’, as it is - a song or story.
Here are 5 reasons why Wee Beginnings uses Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales and Fables.
Pre-Reading skills. Nursery Rhymes teaches children pre-reading skills. This is essential for their future school success. It’s been proven that when children can recite at least 5 nursery rhymes by age 4 they possess better reading skills (It’s the rhyming / word families!).
Concepts. Fairy Tales teaches children concepts such as science & seasons (Little Red Hen), real vs pretend (The Gingerbread man), sizes, seasons & hibernation (Goldilocks & the Three Bears), counting & Math (The Three Little Pigs), and so many others.
Life Lessons. Fairy Tales and Aesop’s Fables are whimsical stories that teach children about appropriate behaviours we use in society everyday, like stealing (Jack & the Beanstalk) or trespassing (Goldilocks & the Three Bears), stranger danger (Little Red Riding Hood) or lying (Aesop's Fables of The Boy Who Cried Wolf).
Creativity & Imagination. Using Fairy Tales teaches children about creativity and imagination. Creativity and imagination are so important in life, although as adults we tend to forget that we use these two essential brain functions everyday. Being creative and imaginative helps us to learn new ways of doing things; and they help us to solve problems in real life.
Thinking Skills. (This goes along with Creative and Imagination). Using stories such as Aesop’s Fables are a great way to teach children HOW to think, not what to think. For example, have you ever read Aesop's Fable about the crow who was thirsty? That is a great story, and one of my favourites. It was read to me when I was six or seven, and I still think of it today. The Fable goes that the weather was really hot, and the creek where the crow lived, had dried up, and the crow became thirsty. One day he saw a glass of water and went to it, but found that he couldn’t drink the water - It was too far down in the glass. Instead of giving up, or getting angry that he couldn’t get what he wanted, he found a way to get the water.
I don’t know about you, but I think these stories have so much potential for children to learn the many necessary skills for life. Can you think of anything your child has learned when exposed to these wonderful old stories and rhymes?
