Nursery Rhymes

A nursery rhyme is a short rhyming song or story, usually designed for young children, such as those still living in a nursery. Songs for children are a part of many cultures, and often serve as an interesting oral record of important political and historical events, as well as preserving archaic forms of language. In the English language, the bulk of commonly used nursery rhymes date from the 16th-18th centuries, with some originating in Europe while others, such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” came from the Americas.

Typically, a nursery rhyme has simple vocabulary and a catchy rhyme. Children can quickly learn to sing along with a nursery rhyme, and nursery rhymes are often used to help young children build up their vocabulary. Since counting is often integrated into a nursery rhyme as well, children can also start to learn to count using nursery rhymes. When a child learns a nursery rhyme, he or she can also learn to follow it on the page, and many children learn the fundamentals of reading this way.

Nursery rhymes are often consolidated into collections, such as Mother Goose, a famous collection of nursery rhymes which actually originated in France. Translations were published in England and the United States. Many English speaking children are familiar with at least one collection of Mother Goose rhymes. Since some of these collections use very old rhymes, the language of a Mother Goose nursery rhyme can sometimes be confusing for modern speakers, but it provides an interesting window into the way that people spoke and lived historically. In some cases, a nursery rhyme may have actually served as a mode of political expression. Nursery rhymes sometimes dealt with controversial subjects, or carried hidden messages. In these instances, the nursery rhyme would have been designed for adults more than children, in eras when people did not feel comfortable or safe speaking freely.

A collection of nursery rhymes typically includes songs, poems, short stories, and illustrations. It has been argued that nursery rhymes set to music aid in a child's development. Research also supports the assertion that music and rhyme increase a child's ability in spatial reasoning, which leads to greater success in school.

Lullabies

The oldest children's songs of which we have records are lullabies, which originally designated a composition for voice intended to lull a child to sleep. The lullaby was sung by the person holding, rocking, or sitting beside the child, and often was in second person, addressing the baby directly. The soothing music of a lullaby has also been used to calm or distract a child who felt upset or unwell. The English term lullaby is thought to come from "lu, lu" or "la la" sound made by mothers or nurses to calm children, and "by by" or "bye bye", either another lulling sound, or a term for good night.

Examples of Nursery Rhymes:

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.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.