“Where’s Itsy Bitsy Spider?” is a search and find book that features characters from popular Nursery Rhymes. Nursery rhymes such as Itsy Bitsy Spider, Little Bo Peep, Jack and Jill, and Humpty Dumty are appropriate for infants and have been around since 1580. They have been a part of our babies’ lives for centuries. They have catchy tunes, and provide infants with the ability to learn about music, hear different words, and even develop their motor skills. All things that may help them to develop cognitively and emotionally faster than those who were not sung nursery rhymes. When sung, the rhythm of these nursery rhymes is very calming, so they may just help to put babies to sleep as well.
Here are some of the top reasons to sing nursery rhymes to your baby:
Nursery Rhymes Boost Language Development
When babies are sung nursery rhymes, they are introduced to everything that makes up language at one time. This means that by singing nursery rhymes, babies may speak to their parents sooner. And that is a pretty sweet reason to sing them.
When babies are sung nursery rhymes, benefits to language development include:
- Learning new vocabulary
- Learning how to articulate words
- Understanding the rhythm of words
- Learning about pitch
- Learning about volume
- Learning about voice inflection
Who knew that there was so much to be learned about language and speaking all as a result of being sung nursery rhymes as a baby?
Nursery Rhymes Promote Motor Skills
Babies do not have control over their motor skills. But that does not mean that they cannot be practiced while singing nursery rhymes. Something that may just make babies hug sooner. And how sweet is that?
According to Cognitive Development Learning Centre, when babies have their arms and legs moved while a nursery rhyme is being sung, they grow stronger while developing their muscles. Over time, when the same movements are done time and again, babies may begin to do them automatically. This is something that shows how they have developed both cognitively and physically as a result of nursery rhymes.
Nursery Rhymes Teach Emotions
Babies do not yet have a grasp on emotions. But, by having nursery rhymes sung to them, they can begin to relate the pitch of voice to emotion. Something that helps those adorable little smiles to develop.
According to Bright Classroom Ideas, nursery rhymes help babies “draw parallels” between the emotion and tones being expressed throughout the nursery rhyme song. Facial expressions may even help to develop the understanding of emotions further. Helping babies to understand when people are happy, sad, upset, and more. All things that will come with time and experience for little ones.
Nursery Rhymes Develop Imagination
It will be some time before imagination is developed in little ones. For most, this occurs between two and three years of age. But that does not mean that the seeds of imagination cannot be planted from an early age with the use of nursery rhymes.
According to MyStory, it is through the use of rhymes that children learn language. Once language is developed, the imagination can begin to soar with the songs and stories that are told.
While babies may not have the capacity to have imaginations that toddlers have, the process needs to begin somewhere. And that is why singing nursery rhymes to babies is important.
Nursery Rhymes Are Fun
One of the sweetest reasons to sing nursery rhymes to babies is because nursery rhymes are fun. They sound silly, may tell funny stories, and they really never get old. A testament to how long they have been told from generation to generation.
According to Your Morning Basket, nursery rhymes can promote a sense of humor in kids. This is because when there is an understanding as to what the nursery rhymes mean and the visualization can be made as to what is being told in the story, images that are humorous fill little ones’ heads.
When babies watch their parents’ faces as the nursery rhymes are sung, they can see when their parents find the nursery rhymes comical to receive. Or perhaps how they cause a stumble over a word or two, all of which promote humor and fun for babies to enjoy.
Source: BabyGaga.com, Oldest.org, KBYU Eleven, Cognitive Development Learning Centre, Bright Classroom Ideas, MyStory, Your Morning Basket
Learn more about Chuck’s book “Where’s Itsy Btsy Spider?” here, and download Chris Porro’s version of the song on Bandcamp here.
