Why nursery rhymes are important for toddlers' learning

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Toddlers love to hear their favourite nursery rhymes over and over again.

This is great, as it really helps them with their language skills, as Dr Michelle Peter explains in the film below.

The benefits of nursery rhymes

• Nursery rhymes are great for introducing children to words they wouldn't normally hear on a daily basis. This means they're likely to build their vocabulary from hearing different rhymes
• The rhyme and repetition of nursery rhymes helps children to build their attention skills as they get used to anticipating what comes next in the song
• As children begin to recognise the rhymes and different word sounds that make nursery rhymes such fun to sing, they build their 'phonological awareness', that is, their understanding of the different sounds that make up words and make some words sound similar to others. This helps when they come to learn to read
• Songs with actions help toddlers to develop their motor skills, as well as helping them to remember certain words that go along with the actions
• Laughing and singing rhymes together promotes bonding between you and your child through the release of happy hormones like oxytocin

Find out more in our article on why we sing nursery rhymes to children.

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