Adults become conscious of children's verbal play from their first babbles, while pre-schoolers can be heard playfully listing rhyming words and non-words - sat cat fat tat rat mat wat yat.
This ability to pick up, play and have fun with language anywhere, any time, appears to be innate to most young children in many cultures. Innate too is spontaneous child-led play with language, individually, in pairs or small groups. It is through this natural repetition and reflective browsing that holistic learning is reinforced.
Finger rhymes are an ideal way to explore repetition - an important part of literacy and fundamental for later more formal aspects of literacy including reading, spelling and handwriting.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here