Nursery rhymes, songs and games

 It's nearly end of the term, both children and teachers are tired. It's early spring and the weather is cold and windy in the morning and hot in the afternoon, and the children are sometimes not properly dressed, either coming in with too much or not enough clothes. Also, many children are turning five during the term break, so a lot of birthday celebrations at kindy, and children are always excited and somewhat restless. They found it hard to sit still and pay attention during reading at mat-time. In respond to their emotional and physical needs, the teachers decide to play games with them instead of reading at mat-times.

Songs and games at group times have lots of advantages. The children all enjoy and participate in the singing game, especially as the activity is interactive which allow them to move and talk. In terms of social development, children learn to work together as a group, to take turns, to listen to and talk with each other. They join in singing the songs or rhymes, which provides opportunities to enhance verbal language skills, as Claire McLachlan rightly points out that children nursery rhymes are beneficial to clear pronunciation and articulation. While contemporary children songs reflect the current context, the traditional nursery rhymes still have an important place in the early years.

The most popular singing game at the moment is called "there was a princess long ago". We made props and let children act out the story, which incorporate an element of drama. The song captures children's imagination and extends their fantasy play. The best of all is both boys and girls are involved in a cooperative way to play out roles of the prince and princess. Of course, the roles are a bit stereotype with the princess being rescued by the prince. Anyway, the song tie in well with the superhero play developing at the kindy . It promotes the idea that superheros are kind, caring and helpful. So a big yes to "there was a princess long ago"!