The power of a nursery rhyme for speech

Singing nursery rhymes to your baby can feel a little strange at first, especially when they don’t respond a lot. But starting early can help them understand complex parts of speech and language before they are even able to talk. Nursery rhymes can also support other areas of development, such as sensory and motor skills, as you show your baby the actions to the rhymes. 

What is a nursery rhyme? 

Nursery rhymes are simply short songs sung to babies and children. They’ve been around for hundreds of years and were originally created to remember important and interesting things, as it’s known that rhyme and rhythm can help memory.  

Even if you can’t name them all, it’s likely you know at least 12 from your early years! 

How can they help? 

Singing nursery rhymes to your baby can help create strong foundations for all sorts of development, especially speech, language and communication. Gentle repetition helps to build up your baby’s awareness of words and sounds. 

Although it will feel like your baby is just enjoying your singing, over time they’ll begin to copy these songs in their own play. This might start off when they’re toddlers, experimenting with things like pitch and tone, and gradually their sounds will become clear words. 

As well as being fun for you and your baby, rhymes and songs lay the foundations for talking, reading and writing. So, singing nursery rhymes to your baby is never wasted time – you’re preparing them to one day communicate with you.