Nursery Rhymes

By: Althera J. Brown

What are Nursery Rhymes?

• A short story or tale recited in simple verses, usually accompanied by a simple tune.

• A short verse or poem using words of similar sounds, recited verbally.

• Folk song, ballad or proverb orally recited and accompanied by music.

History of Nursery Rhymes

• These Rhymes were used back in the early 17th century as vehicle to spreading subversive messages. Most of them narrated historical, political, traditional and religious events and situations. They were invented as a subtle way of spreading gossip about royalty and other significant people and events. One example is London Bridge.

Why are they Important?

• They promote literacy and build vocabulary.• Helps audio and visual awareness.• Introduces children to music, sound, objects,

pictures, letters, numbers, and places.• Increases motivation and eagerness for learning.• Increases social interaction with others.• Gets children's attention.

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Hush, little baby, don't say a word,Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird won't sing,Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass,Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke,Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat.

Lullaby

Hush Little Baby

•1. Lullabies--designed to be sung to get children to relax while sharing physical closeness with an adult.

•2. Play Rhymes--used to accompany actions like "Patty cake patty cake baker's man.“

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker’s man,Bake me a cake as fast as you can,Pat it and roll it and mark it with a “B”,and bake it in the oven for baby and me.(REPEAT)Put it in the oven for baby and me,(REPEAT)

• There were ten in the bed,

• And the little one said,• " Roll over! Roll over! "• So they all rolled over,• And one fell out.• There were nine.....• There were eight.....• There was seven….• There were six……

• There were five…..• There were four…..• There were three…..• There were two…….• There was one in the

bed• And the little one said,• "Goodnight! Goodnight!"

•3. Number Rhymes--used in nursery rhymes for three purposes: to teach the child to count, to count up action in play, and to select one child to be "it" in a game.

Roll Over

Humpty Dumpty

Nursery Rhyme

– Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

– Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

– All the king's horses and all the king's men

– Couldn't put Humpty together again.

History Behind It• The question should be not Who was

Humpty Dumpty but What was Humpty Dumpty? Humpty Dumpty was in fact an unusually large canon

• which was mounted on the protective wall of "St. Mary's Wall Church" in Colchester, England. It was intended to protect the Parliamentarian stronghold

• of Colchester which was in the temporarily in control of the Royalists during the period of English history, described as the English Civil War ( 1642 - 1649). A shot from a Parliamentary canon succeeded in damaging the wall underneath Humpty Dumpty causing the canon to fall to the ground. The Royalists 'all the King's men' attempted to raise Humpty Dumpty on to another part of the wall but even with the help of ' all the King's horses' failed in their task and Colchester fell to the Parliamentarians after a siege lasting eleven weeks

•4. Historical Personages and Events--contains historical events or are lampoons on personages.

Cumulative Rhyme There was an old lady who swallow a fly.

• There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.I dunno why she swallowed that fly,Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;How absurd, to swallow a bird!She swallowed the bird to catch the spiderThat wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -Perhaps she'll die

5. Cumulative Rhymes--these verses are more persuasive and universal like "the house that Jack built."  

The End.