For Parents and Teachers, Chapter 2
Rhyme Play Through Music
by Liz Buchanan
- Table of Contents
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Using Rhyme and Rhythm to Help Children Learn Letter Sounds and More! – Page 2
“Peas Porridge Hot” – Page 3
More rhyme play with Songs! – Page 4
Initiated rhyming – Page 5
LEARNING ACTIVITY: “Hey, Dr. Knickerbocker” – Page 6
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Using Rhyme and Rhythm to Help Children Learn Letter Sounds and More!
In my library sing-along programs, the toddlers and preschoolers rarely join in actually singing a song, with one exception: the ABC song. This song seems nearly universally known among young American children, and not surprisingly, most children learn their alphabet and the order of the letters by singing it.
What is surprising is that there aren't more learning songs that are universally known. When I was growing up, it seemed most of my generation learned nursery rhymes, especially Mother Goose, but these days one can no longer make that assumption. In my summer camp for 6-8 year-olds, we play a quiz game with my puppet, Yah-dee. I often ask the children to finish a nursery rhyme after hearing the starting line. It's a shock how many of these children - most of whom come from middle-class suburban families - simply don't know nursery rhymes.
I assume these children's parents and caregivers have read with them over the years, but the reading selections seem to vary widely. It seems we're moving away from a cultural norm in which children, for the most part, all know a certain set of rhymes, stories and songs before they get to school. It's not just that our population is more ethnically and culturally diverse, it's that every parent/caregiver is making different choices.
Is it critical for kids to know about the little old woman who lived in a shoe, or Old King Cole? The Massachusetts Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences recommend teaching nursery rhymes in preschool, and a number of preschools I visit are heeding that guideline. I recommend that every family own at least one book of nursery rhymes, from which they read and sing aloud regularly with their child. There are many beautifully illustrated books with a variety of rhymes and songs.
What's the value of these rhymes? Start simply: they're rhymes. They naturally engage children in language play. The following song exemplifies this. Liz Buchanan: For Parents and Teachers Page 3Chapter 2 AntelopeDance.com
“Peas Porridge Hot”
Peas porridge hot
Peas porridge cold
Peas porridge in the pot
Nine days old.
First, you have a great alliteration activity going! You're even starting with the letter name - P. Second, you have an ABAB rhyming pattern, with predictable end words. The second “stanza” of this ditty is perfect for inviting the child to fill in the end words.
Some like it ____
Some like it ____
Some like it in the ____
Nine days _____
And don't forget the chance to talk about opposites: hot/cold. It's not in the rhyme, but what's the opposite of old? The rhyme is vocabulary building, too. Most of us don't use that antiquated word, porridge, in everyday speech. And who would make it out of peas? So there's an element of kid-friendly humor. Would you have oatmeal made out of peas? Would it taste good if it had been sitting in a pot for nine days? Eeww!
Finally, you have a steady 4/4 rhythm to beat with hands, legs or feet, or with movement variations for slightly older children. In classrooms of ages three and older, children could pair up with partners and clap a steady beat on the first two beats of each line, followed by hitting the partner's hands (high-ten style) on the end words, holding two beats. Teachers shouldn't feel daunted; this activity will not come naturally at first for many young children, but it can be learned with practice! Most children enjoy this kind of simple partner game and the social interaction it offers. It's also an activity that caregivers and older siblings can do with young children at home.
Don't forget how important these rhythm-keeping activities are for early literacy! The importance of rhythm is underscored by the study referenced below, and by other studies that indicate a relationship between musical instruction in methods such as Kodaly and students' level of reading achievement.
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More rhyme play with Songs!
In my previous entry, we talked about helping children become more familiar with traditional Mother Goose and other nursery rhymes. The same goes for traditional nursery songs. With the same tune as ABC, “Twinkle, Twinkle” is a classic that most American children learn in early childhood. It's worth taking the time to talk with the child about the familiar tune, perhaps humming it first to see if the child recognizes the different lyrics that can be sung with it (it's also the tune of “Baa-baa Black Sheep”). Help the child think about the rhymes by having her/him fill in end words after the song becomes familiar. Learn extra verses:
When the blazing sun is goneThere are also silly and fun variations, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light” © 1997 by Robert Davis:
When it nothing shines upon
Then you show your little light
Twinkle, twinkle all the night…
(then sing the same two final lines from the first verse).
Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark
He could not see the way to go
If you did not twinkle so
Twinkle twinkle traffic lightLiz Buchanan: For Parents and Teachers Page 5
How you twinkle day and night
First you're red, then you're green
Then you're yellow in-between
Twinkle twinkle traffic light
How you twinkle day and night.
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Initiated rhyming
When a child gets the concept of a rhyme, that's huge! Their ears are hearing distinct vowel sounds, and often distinct ending consonant sounds. The initial consonant sound of a word is known as the onset while the remaining vowel and end consonant sounds are called the rime. Understanding onset and rime is an important stage of phonological awareness, that is, the awareness of sounds in language.
Once a child hears that cat, bat, sat and fat are all rhyming words, s/he may be ready to initiate rhymes. Songs for initiating rhymes are lots of fun! In fact, one of the best kinds of songs for initiated rhyming is a zipper song, into which you can "zip" suggestions from the children. Some examples:
- “Down By the Bay,” a traditional song recorded by Raffi and many others, featuring the whale with a “polka-dot tail” and “Llamas wearing pajamas” and to which children can add endless variations. RaffiNews.com
- Dennis Lee's “Alligator Pie” is wonderful little poem into which children can “zip” various other alligator foods and component rhyming words. It can be done as a chant or in a song version written by Joanne Hammil and recorded on her “Pizza Boogie” album. JoanneHammil.com
- “Icky Sticky and Ooey Gooey” This traditional song invites finger plays and body part rhymes. Recorded by Carole Peterson and others. For Carole's version see MacaroniSoup.comMacaroniSoup.com/Songs/August2006.htm. “Ants in Your Pants,” by Johnette Downing, is another rambunctious body parts rhyming song. JohnetteDowning.com
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LEARNING ACTIVITY: “Hey, Dr. Knickerbocker”
Here's one more initiated rhyming activity which I love to do as a song. It's based on a traditional rhyme, and you can find it on my CD, “Singing All the Way Home.”
My version of “Dr. Knickerbocker” invites children to do several activities in one song: sing rhyming lines, count down from nine, and keep rhythm with different body parts. While of course I hope you'll get my CD and learn my fun tune, you can also do this rhyme as a chant, beginning with the first verse:
Hey, Dr. Knickerbocker, number nine, it's a great day and I'm feeling fine.
Oh, let's feel the rhythm in our hips, our hips, let's feel the rhythm in our hips.
This song is available in various versions - the Wiggles do a really entertaining one on You Tube. It's also a chant - you can find a less entertaining rap version by Barney.
I like my version because it adds a rhyming and counting component to what's essentially a rhythm song/chant. Inexplicably, most versions of the song never go below nine, and some have no numbers at all. Mine goes down to one (and in person, often to zero). I won't reprint all my lyrics here, but here's your rhyming activity: for each number as you're counting down, think of a rhyming word. Then come up with a line that uses the word! Here's just one more line:
Hey, Dr. Knickerbocker number eight, just hurry up if you're running late.
Or you could say: “Today is Monday, what's the date?” Or, “If you're running late, open the gate!” Or, “My backpack has too much weight.” Or, “Massachusetts if my state.”
Get it? Brainstorm with the kids! Have fun counting and rhyming!
Previous Topic: Singing for Literacy