Our most important aim with our babies and toddlers is to make them feel safe, secure and help develop confidence and support them in their learning. Parents can help babies and toddlers to make sense of everything that is going on around them.
Singing nursery rhymes is a great and simple way to strengthen bonding with your child. Singing Jo & Co’s number one priority is to continue to encourage our young learners to SING lots of different action songs and rhymes, with parents joining in! Singing to babies, toddlers and children is vital in early years learning. Put simply, nursery rhymes prepare children’s brains for learning language in early years.
“Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.”
All the songs we use are kept short and by repeating the rhymes over and over this then helps them to learn new words. Children’s learning responds really well to the “rhythm” of songs and rhymes which helps them to become interested in learning language. In turn, being able to use new language definitely helps with confidence.
At our sessions prior to Covid 19, which took place in schools and halls, to our new format delivering live sessions online, we continue to use a variety of songs and rhymes as a resource to support and fulfil the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. The EYFS is a framework created under the ChildCare Act of 2006 concerned with the learning, development and welfare of all children from birth to the age of five. It applies to Childminders, nurseries and primary schools.
We know that nursery rhymes prepare children’s brains for learning language and all of our activity pages can help to support this learning with fun games and activity sheets to extend their development. There will be lots of excitement and laughter and chit chatting with our activity sheets. We have put guidelines in for ages but any of our activity sheets can be adapted. Most importantly, always remember that toddlers and children learn at different speeds and in a variety of ways. So let’s get creative and learn whilst having fun! What could be better?
We will gradually be adding more and more activities which will all be based around the different songs we usually sing at our sessions. Keep coming back to find out what’s new. We also have a gallery page where we would love to see pictures and models you have made at home.
We will most certainly always try to keep creative activities simple and not too much cost involved. Always try to keep a good supply of toilet roles, kitchen roles, old socks, flour and water for glue and bits of old string!
