Congratulations that you are a new momma! We bet you have been looking out for ways to develop and increase your bond with your little one, and what’s better than singing them nursery rhymes? They are an excellent communication gateway for you and your baby. They are a perfect way for you two to bond together.
For years, children have enjoyed hearing nursery rhymes from their parents or grandparents. Because of the soothing rhythm of the words, babies recognize nursery rhymes even at a young age. These rhymes are also essential for your child’s cognitive development. The lyrics assist your youngster in learning about alphabets, numbers, animals, and other commonplace items. Above all, nursery rhymes help your infant learn and understand a language.
When we sing songs and rhymes with them, we allow young toddlers to hear repeated lines and up to the sense of speech. Face recognition and facial emotions are taught to children while also improving their listening abilities and predicting noises and actions. Babies commonly move their arms and legs in excitement, gaze at us carefully, or make sounds when we sing rhymes and songs. These are their signals to us, indicating that they are pleased and eager to participate. Slow down, use motions, and get down on your baby’s level to encourage them to join in songs and rhymes. It helps in their physical and mental growth and boosts their knowledge too.
10 Classic & Most Popular Nursery Rhymes for Babies
Here is our selection of some of the most well-known traditional nursery rhymes songs, just in case you’re rusty on any of the classics. Prepare to join in the fun!
Let’s sing along!
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dreamRow, row, row your boat
Gently up the creek If you see a little mouse
Don’t forget to squeak!Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream If you see a crocodile
Don’t forget to scream!Row, row, row your boat
Gently to the shore
If you see a lion
Don’t forget to roar!
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you areUp above the world so high
Like a diamond in the skyTwinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you areWhen the blazing sun is gone
When he nothing shines uponThen you show your little light
Twinkle, twinkle, all the nightTwinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Also Read: 17 Best Moral Stories for Kids
Wheels On The Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round,
round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all through the town.
(Roll hands around each other)The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
all through the town.
(“Swish” hands in front of you like windshield wipers)The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
all through the town.
(Slap palm in front of you like honking a horn)The doors on the bus go open and shut;
Open and shut;
Open and shut.
The doors on the bus go open and shut;
all through the town.
(Push hands back and forth in front of you)The Driver on the bus says, “Move on back,
move on back, move on back,”
The Driver on the bus says, “Move on back,”
all through the town.
(Point thumb over your shoulder)The babies on the bus say, “Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah”.
The babies on the bus say, “Wah, wah, wah,”
all through the town.
(Rub fists in front of eyes)The mommies on the bus say, “Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush.”
The mommies on the bus say, “Shush, shush, shush.”
all through the town.
(Hold index finger in front of the mouth as if saying shhh)
One, Two, Three, Four, Five
One,two,three,four,five
Once I caught a fish alive
Six,seven,eight,nine,ten
Then I let it go againWhy did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right
Incy Wincy Spider
Incy wincy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and drier up all the rain,
So, the incy wincy spider went up the spout again. (x2)
Wash Your Hands
Wash your hands, wash your hands
After you play games, you should wash your hands
Look at your little hands
There are many germs
After you play games, you should wash your handsI wash my hands, wash my hands.
I rub my hands here and there, bubble, bubble, bubble
I wash my little hands
Go away germs
I dry my hands with a towel; it’s all done.Wash your hands, wash your hands
After you sneeze, you should wash your hands
Look at your little hands
There are many germs
After you sneeze, you should wash your hands.I wash my hands, wash my hands.
I rub my hands here and there, bubble, bubble, bubble
I wash my little hands
Go away germs
I dry my hands with a towel; it’s all done.
Wash your hands, wash your hands
Before you have some snacks, you should wash your hands
Look at your little hands
There are many germs
Before you have some snacks, you should wash your hands.I wash my hands, wash my hands.
I rub my hands here and there, bubble, bubble, bubble
I wash my little hands
Go away germs
I dry my hands with a towel; it’s all done.
You May Also Read: 13 Inspirational Bible Stories for Kids
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
His fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.He followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rules,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.And so the teacher turned him out,
But still, he lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.“What makes the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry;
“Why, Mary loves the lamb. You know.”
The teacher did reply.
This Little Piggy
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none,
And this little piggy went, “wee wee wee all the way home.”
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for the master,
One for the dame,
One for the little boy,
Who lives down the lane.
(Keep changing the sheep colors and sing on!)
London Bridge Is Falling Down
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.Built it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Built it up with wood and clay,
My fair lady.Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair lady.Built it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Built it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair lady.Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay
My fair lady.
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory, Dickory dock,
The mouse went up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory Dickory dock.
(change the number with the clock struck and keep singing!)
As a child, you must have overheard some rhymes from your ancestors, and your ancestors may have heard others from their parents. This implies that singing nursing rhymes songs to a newborn has been a tradition for decades, and it has shown to be highly beneficial for a baby’s growth and development. Therefore, I hope you and your baby will have a good time singing those, as mentioned earlier, best-known traditional rhymes.
Benefits of Nursery Rhymes Songs for Babies
Singing nursery rhymes to your child has various advantages. Come on in and have a look at a few of them
- Increases phonetic awareness
Nursery rhymes teach children how to pronounce words appropriately. How? Many rhymes contain interjections and unusual sentences. They assist children in repeating challenging combinations of sounds, improving their speech. Above all, nursery rhymes teach proper intonation and pronunciation skills to kids.
- Memory and articulation improvement
These rhymes are full of rhyming words, typically words or groups of tones that aren’t present in conventional language. By teaching your kid these phonetics, nursery rhymes provide the Brain with the data to identify words based on their underlying structure. By challenging children to understand the sounds of written words, trains them for standard text.
- Conceptual understanding: creating mental images in children’s minds
By exposing your baby to nursery rhyme songs at a very young age, you are assisting your child’s conceptual understanding and creative growth. In addition, you are giving your child a solid linguistic framework when you chat to them from the time they are born to the time they can communicate.
Furthermore, children are taught abstract ideas such as big, tiny, behind, first, and last. Nursery rhyme words help children learn to link phrases with people, objects, and happenings in their daily lives, which allows them to build language comprehension.
- Skills in listening
When you recite nursery rhymes songs to your child, you are giving them a story. Children are drawn into the story because of the rhyming phrases, plot, and accent and pay great attention to you. This helps youngsters understand the story while also teaching them to be good listeners.
- Language development
Singing nursery rhymes songs is an effective way for children to understand spoken language at a young age. Your kid will begin to figure out how to put sounds and eventually words together as they listen to nursery rhymes and listen to the sound in words sung to them.
How Should You Sing Your Child Nursery Rhymes?
- Recognize and sing your child’s favorite nursery rhyme songs to them over and over to aid learning. Singing together with your child, clapping/tapping to the beat, or even making music with household items will all add to the pleasure and enjoyment for your youngster. It’s also crucial to offer new rhymes to youngsters regularly to keep their interest in learning piqued.
- The more actions you utilize, the better it will be for the youngster to picture the words and remember the nursery rhyme. You might try leaving out words in the nursery rhyme and having your youngster assist in filling in the blanks to aid your child’s learning of nursery rhymes.
- When singing baby rhymes and songs, adults must be self-assured. When parents are having a great time, children are more likely to reciprocate.
- Find a way to include nursery rhymes in your day-to-day activities. Song time isn’t the only time to sing nursery rhymes; why not sing a song or two while you change the diapers or eat lunch together? Remember that small children can only sit for a short time because they spend most of the time sleeping, so don’t expect them to stay still for a half-hour singing lesson.
Conclusion
Nursery rhymes songs may appear to be a fun element, a way to spend time with your little one and develop a bond. Still, the truth is that nursery rhymes are potent in pre-school development and offer way more than just an entertainment value. Remember the importance of these classics, sing them to your babies, and you are one step closer to developing a close relationship with them.
Happy Bonding!
Hey there, Martha here, a full-time mom of two, currently trying to bring a small impact in everyone’s life whom I can reach through The Queen Momma. I usually write on topics related to parenting, pregnancy and motherhood. Having gone through a few rocky relationships myself, I consider myself somewhat of an “expert” on topics related to dating and relationships.
I formerly worked at Special Needs Network Inc and BrightStar Care of Beverly Hills as a head manager. I have a passion for assisting organizations and individuals in achieving their objectives and have had the opportunity to do so throughout my professional career. At present, writing for The Queen Momma is a great addition to my professional career.