Using Nursery Rhymes to Teach Reading is the Golden Goose!

Nursery Rhymes = Teaching Tool for Reading Skills

Are you looking for creative ways to make teaching reading to your young students more effective and, at the same time, fun? I'm here to share how the age-old tradition of nursery rhymes could be your golden goose. Yes, these catchy little rhymes that we all grew up with are not just for kicking back during playtime. They are a surprisingly effective tool in teaching phonics, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and even comprehension.

Fun Way to Teach Phonics

For starters, let’s talk about phonics. Rhyming texts in nursery rhymes expose children to phonological awareness. They provide the perfect platform to show your kiddos how words can sound similar at the end, a key concept that enhances their ability to decipher new words. The repetitive nature of nursery rhymes also helps with phonetic skills, as they continue to expose children to words that sound the same, helping them to understand and apply phonics rules.

Improve Student Fluency!

Moving on to fluency, with their rhythmic nature and repetitive lines, nursery rhymes certainly help children become fluent readers. They create an atmosphere that encourages students to join in, read along, and eventually read on their own. This benefit goes hand in hand with repeated exposure to words, helping children to improve their reading speed and accuracy.

Enrich Student Vocabulary

Nursery rhymes, filled with a blend of everyday and less common words, are an excellent way to enrich vocabulary. From introducing children to words that describe feelings and colors, to those found in various settings like the farm or the kitchen, nursery rhymes cover an array of vocabulary that's perfect for a child's language development.

Let's Talk About Rhyming Words

And the benefits don't stop there! Rhymes are an engaging way to teach and reinforce spelling patterns. When students recognize rhyming words, they start noticing common letter patterns. This innate understanding of patterns is a stepping stone for spelling ability.

The Big Daddy - Reading Comprehension

Finally, comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading, finds a friendly partner in nursery rhymes. They are usually composed of short, simple sentences with engaging narratives that make comprehension easily digestible for young learners. Understanding what's going on in a nursery rhyme is often the first taste of success that children have in reading comprehension.

Reading Skills Will Blossom!

Include this amazing tool in your teaching strategy, and watch how your students' reading skills blossom. The brilliant blend of entertainment and education that nursery rhymes provide is second to none. Who knew that "Humpty Dumpty" and "Little Miss Muffet" would be helping you teach phonics, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension?

My favorite way to share nursery rhymes with students is through an interactive notebook. You can teach any reading skill with a journal, printable nursery rhymes, and a little creativity.

FREE Sample: Click here for free sample of my Interactive Poetry Notebook - Nursery Rhymes Edition.

NEED MORE? Click here for my newest Poetry Notebook - Nursery Rhymes Set #2.

EVEN MORE? Here is my original Nursery Rhymes Interactive Notebook.

Until next time, remember: The future of the world is in your classroom today. Happy teaching!

Jen - Teacher Karma